Author: Ross

Fire watch Opening Sequence

The opening of Firewatch was quite confusing, as there was a stark difference between what occurred in the game versus the music being played. The player starts out as Henry, and all seems to be going well. He sparks up conversation with a girl he likes named Julia, and they eventually get married and talk about starting a family. It all sounds great; however, sad music is played throughout all of this leading the player to expect some sort of sad change. This did a good job of keeping me interested. I anxiously awaited the downfall, and simply a happily ever after story wouldn’t have kept me engaged. Sure enough Julia becomes diagnosed with dementia. The opening sequence also does an excellent job at provoking empathy. Throughout the story it refers to Henry as “you” instead of his name, and the game also gives you options in picking crucial life decisions. Through these two techniques the idea of dementia began to haunt me.

http://eng181f16.davidmorgen.org/category/quests/side-quests/

Dear Esther Free Write

Gone Home and Dear Esther are both video games used as a way to study history. In Gone Home you enter a house as Kaitlin, the eldest sister in her family, and begin to discover different things about her family. Through finding diary entries and various other remainings in the now vacant home, you begin to unpack a lot of information about the family and their past.

Similarly, in Dear Esther, the player is placed on a desolate island instead of a home. The player wonders the island discovering past inhabitants of the island, and also a bit of a personal history of the narrator. Through the game you develope a mini history lesson of the island.

Both of these games teach you something about history quite effectively by placing the player in someone else’s shoes. I’ve learned that video games do a better job than most modes of art or literature at teaching empathy.

Gone Home

In the midst of the pitch dark and an ominous note posted on the front door, Gone Home begins leaving the player with insatiable curiosity. The game starts out quite scary, as darkness and lack of direction follow the player. However, quickly the absence of missions becomes more frustrating than intriguing.

The character development is quite interesting in this game. Given that the player takes on the perspective of the sister, Kaitlin, we discover information at the same rate as the family, making it feel like the player is on the inside. The player acts as a pseudo detective, rummaging through the house to get hands on anything he or she can find in order to learn more about Kaitlyn’s family, specifically her sister Sam, as she went through the troubles of coming out to her family. This is useful in not only learning about each individual character, but the family dynamic as well. Also, the fact that the player takes on the role of Kaitlin makes it easier to relate to all the problems the family faces.

Gone Home is a game with an intriguing story line, but once you lose your interest from the opening hook, and before you start to unveil information about the family, there is a disengaging middle part where you are aimlessly walking around the house without quite knowing what you are supposed to be doing.

Avatar

The similarities between myself and Toad are greater than you might think. Toad has always been my favorite character in the Mario series because of our shared characteristics.  Him and I both share a small stature, and beat our opponents with speed and quickness. Toad is also like a chameleon. When he eats a fire flower, he is able to change colors, and better able to adjust to the given situation. Although I do not change my appearance, I feel one of my strengths is my ability to adjust to any scenario.

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