Author: Daniel

Gone Home

“GoneHomeArt” Forbes Magazine

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To me, the game Gone Home first presented itself as a linear horror game. From the very beginning, the notes and exploration created an unsettling uncertainty in which I did not how to process. As I played the game, I slowly realized that this game did not follow a linear plot, and that the exploration served as the core essence of the game itself. In an eerie fashion, the openness of the game added to its melancholy feel that continued to make me uncomfortable. I half expected the damp overtone of the environment to fade out as the game progressed. The unsettling aura of the game positively reinforced the message. By exposing the audience to such an intensive immersion, the developers of the game were able to drive forth powerful messages and problems in an effective manner.

As someone who grew up nearby Portland, Oregon, this game struck a familiar chord. It was interesting to see how controversial discussions such as affairs, homosexuality, and intrafamilial tensions were treated back then. The Portland that I know today has evolved so much over time. The entire microcosm presented in the game seemed so strikingly different. It was an interesting experience, as I was able to compare the Portland of today to the Portland of back thenGone Home

View of Portland via Shuttlestock

How Government Helped Turn Portland Entrepreneurial

Evaluation of Literary Rhetoric in Dear Esther and Gone Home

Despite the medium commonalities of Gone Home and Dear Esther, the carefully guided rhetoric constructs of the two games allow for some interesting insights that would be normally elusive. Whereas the “literary traditionalist” might dismiss the use of video games as a method of conveying rhetoric and message and deem video games an unworthy comparison to the conventional literary counterpart,  Dear Esther and Gone Home pervades through the preconceived boundaries of alternative media to convey an unique literary experience. In “Family History: Source Analysis in Gone Home“, Richard Bell compares  Gone Home to a historical archive and Dear Esther as a more classical comparison to literature.

 

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Meet Felix, my dog.  He is a major source of inspiration and happiness in my life. I took this photo during Christmas ’15 with my family. I chose Felix as my profile picture because he means much in my life.
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