You played Passage, right? You know, the little five minute game which managed to cram more thematic meaning and sheer emotion into a 100x16 pixel window than anyone would have ever thought possible? If you didn't, you should. If you did, join me at the next paragraph.
Jason Rohrer, creator of Passage, just finished his follow-up game. Titled Gravitation, Rohrer describes it as "a videogame about mania, melancholia, and the creative process."
That is literally all you need to know about it. Arrow keys move, spacebar jumps, every game mechanic has an intentional symbolic meaning. Don't read the artist's statement until you're done.
I plan on doing a dual Indie Nation article on Gravitation and Stars Over Half Moon Bay this Friday, when we can all ruin both games with obvious analyzation and deconstruction. For now, just download Gravitation and enjoy it. And if you like it, donate a few bucks.
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I'm refusing to play this because Passage was a bigger waste of time than even commenting on how much of a waste of time it was was. Seriously, as mildly interactive art it gets a pass, but it was one of the worst *games* I've yet to play. The only part worse was the ridiculous comments from people crying and acting like it was so profound. If this is remotely similar, then I will have done myself a huge favour by avoiding it at all costs.
I agree with you disagreeing. While playing it I had to actively think and actually try to think about everything going on. I still don't really get what the game is all about.
With Passage I just played, and when it ended I said "Wow".
oh gawd, thats one stupid game :)
Q is for Quit btw...
This game is beautiful, as was Passage. Jason Rohrer is amazing.
I loved passage, but this was the most frustrating thing I have ever played. I'm gonna look up the artist's intentions now because I am at a loss.
Something tells me that I am supposed to be frustrated by it.
I liked this game, it was about trying to juggle success with friends.
awesome. my friend left me because i was reaching for the stars too much.
Yeah, I kind of got the metaphor. Passage's metaphor wasn't really affecting: it was very tired, very lit-standard "Journey of Life" stuff. I suppose that passes for introspective (or extremely extrospective) literature these days, but for me it's just another fatigued cliche.
This, while a different metaphor, was way too simple a theme to care about.
Oh, I misspoke: it's not literature, it's a "gaaaame". And I mean that with not a little sarcasm.
played it this weekend, and "enjoyed" it. Which is to say i appreciated what I got out of it.
The man's games leave me drained and feeling a little uncomfortable.
Wow. I don't even need to explain it. Just wow.
As a creative person, playing Gravitation was like playing myself.
Looking forward to the analysisfest. Good times.
@Rockvillian
yeah, I got that too. The fire thing kind of made alot of sense. I didn't read the controls before hand, but when the fire part came into play, I KNEW there was something I was supposed to do.
@ tehuberone and Unicorn:
Oh, so was that what it was about? I could not for the life of me figure it out. I figured that chic died while I was looking for TREASARR!
I can't seem to find the artists intentions anywhere but I felt like the girl at the bottom was my wife and I was going to work when I left the bottom area. The whole platforming to reach stars only to run out of jumping power and having to return with limited vision has me beat though. Can't figure that one out. Other than the fact that it really pissed me off.
Gravitation's metaphor wasn't as immediately apparent as Passage's. It took me a little longer to get the point, and I think I understand, but I'm not sure I like it as much.
Simply the fact that I need more time to think about it is a testament to Rohrer's talent.
By the way I think this game could really benefit from having a deathmatch mode.
@GrayFox
I dare you to find a game that wouldn't benefit from a deathmatch mode. With gibs.
Heh heh. I haven't said "gibs" since 1996.
I'm gonna play it as soon as I get home in about an hour.
I think I get what he was trying for, but I don't get how he went about it. How is collecting stars, having the stars freeze, then shoving stacks of stars into a fire a proper analog for working? Or creative thinking?
Also, where did the little girl go? Why does the character catch on fire from time to time? I panicked the first time I saw that, figuring that somehow playing ball with the child too much was a bad thing, and I had just somehow killed the guy.
This is on a whole different level to Passage, Wow does not begin to sum up how affecting this game is. If you don't get this or Passage and think they are a waste of time kindly go back to your madden :P! The girl in that game wasn't his wife it was his daughter, Mez. I wont spoil it for teh rest of you but GrayFox the running out of jumping power and the screen getting smaller are his energy running out and his despressive moods kicking in respectively i think.
I feel like the message here was more neatly boxed, whereas the entire 5 minute experience of Passage was the message.
It doesn't feel right, though. He has to play with his kid in order to gain the ability just to leave his little house, and the time he can spend outside is a tiny fraction of the time he needs to be down playing ball for some reason. Why do the stars freeze when they fall into his house? And why are we shoving them into fire?
I know when I'm doing something creative, the feeling isn't at all like "going out, bringing something home, then destroying it". Maybe if he was going out and doing something that caused new stars to appear out of thin air around him, which he then led home and instead of shoving them in a fire, he laid them down onto paper or blocks or something, forming a collection of sealed stars.
The metaphors in this game don't quite add up for me.
just played, unlike Passage, I think I can see myself re-playing this a few times. Much like passage however, I enjoyed it a great deal.
I love hearing people's reactions, tells me A LOT about everyone.
I think its more that there's inspiration, you reach for that great idea, once you have this great idea formed, and "plucked from the heavens, you've got to go back to your work space and temper it, before you lose site of that original idea you had.
Unfortunately, that same place where you process your ideas into something (literal metopphorical, w/e) is the same place where you find your loved one.
And damned if it isn't easier to process something if you only have one idea, but if you have lots at once, then it gets tough.
That's what I get from that mechanic, anyway.
Gosh, I just read soe more info about the guy who makes all these. He exactly describes who i want to turn into when I grow up. I feel all happy/sad now.
"This game is beautiful, as was Passage. Jason Rohrer is amazing."
"If you don't get this or Passage and think they are a waste of time kindly go back to your madden :P!"
Comments such as these make me want to puke.
Passage was a game that made me want to stab everyone in the eye that sad the game made them cry and was a beautiful work of art.
I will paste what I wrote about passage when Dtoid did the fluff piece on Passage.
"Games are supposed to be mediums for entertainment and invoke joy with a person, either through story telling, gameplay, thought provoking challenges and or just fun. I got nothing from this game. This "game" was a serious waste of my time, saying this game is a work of art is the biggest overstatement I have ever seen.
Yes I did get sad when the girl died, but I would get sad if I went to Wendy's tonight and the fastfood line was closed.
All in all, some people have commented on artistic works and say it was genius, the work of a madman or a savant. Then turns out the painting was made by a 4 year old in preschool.
What a waste of 5 minutes."
Just because something is simple does not making it beautiful.
I guess some people just can't appreciate art :(
and I'm kinda cool with, but when these people then don't accept that, as with all art, it's subjective and personneland just say it's crap., those people need to stfu. Seriously. Just shut up. You don't like art, you don't like people trying to make artistic games. I know, make a fanboy-ish comment about it. Good job. Fucktard.
"Just because something is simple does not making it beautiful"
Just because something is simple (a sentence), doesn't mean you can't get alot out of it (The English language is difficult, some people have trouble with it, some people can't accept something being more than the visceral sum of its parts, beauty is often confused with art, simplicity is sometimes confused with being profound)
this game is not art. heck its not a game. just a screen full of controllable pixels.
points, goals, rules, restrictions, penalties . . .
sounds kinda gamey to me . . .
@Painuser:
Perhaps you shouldn't think of this as a game. It doesn't seem to fit the definition you have for what a game should do. It's okay if it doesn't move you in a way it has seemed to move others or in any way at all, but because I liked it a lot as a work of art and deem it beautiful is no reason for you to say that my comments aren't valid. Subjectivity, dude, you know?
@wardrox
I was taking college art classes in the 6th grade here at NCSU. My ex GF was an art major. Our first date was to the Art Museum here in Raleigh.
:/
Can't wait to try it
@Painuser, congratulations. I have never taken an art class in my life. Is that important to you? To me, it's not. I take from art what I get from art, I'm sorry if I have not been officially trained and thus my appreciation is some kind of faux-appreciation.
@pain
All that, and your comment still comes off as ill informed, closed minded and ignorant.
fascinating . . .
I was arting in art long before any of arts.
PRO TIP: The "girl" is actually his son. Kid has long hair. Not his daughter.
@Painuser
Say what you want, but be civil about it. Looks to me like you're new here, so I would suggest a little tact to go along with that pedobear avatar. I would imagine that there would be only two reasons to talk like that here: to change people's minds, or piss them off. You're not doing much good by pissing everyone off, and if you want everyone else to come around to your way of thinking, you need to be a little more diplomatic.
You talk about this game as though it offended you.
Slow down and take a deep breath, will ya?
@Heretic:
WHY WAS THAT ALSO MY FIRST THOUGHT?!
SEVEN RINGS IN HAND! NO SUCH THING AS AN ARROW THROUGH-OUGH- DREAMS
@Painuser So you're pretentious and close minded?
I really didn't get it. Still don't. Better use of music though!
Wow. I had missed Passage the first time Rev. mentioned it... but I just played through both of these games repeatedly...
...amazing.
I love how, as you pluck more stars, you completely smother the fun that your child was having. You take all of their space and leave them crushed into the corner... alone and without the previous fun.
However, as you melt the blocks... you are rewarded with points. More importantly, however... you free your kid and are able to play with them again. Tried as I might the first time I returned after grabbing stars, they wouldn't throw me the ball. After clearing the room, though... I spent the rest of my timelimit playing catch with 'em. Was a lot more fulfilling to me than seeing what else was above me.
Not sure why, but the simple pleasure was all I needed.
@Painuser
I liked both Passage and Gravitation, and I wholeheartedly believe that they are art. You're entitled to your opinion, and that's fine. I'm not going to get all worked up about you not agreeing with me. But don't comment about how everyone's wrong just because they don't feel the way you do. Also, try presenting some form of argument about why you feel the way you do. Just saying "Passage was a game that made me want to stab everyone in the eye that... [said] the game made them cry and was a beautiful work of art" is not going to win anyone over.
One point you brought up was that "games are suppose to mediums for entertainment." It's true that majority of the games on the market are made to entertain. That's what most people want; something to take their mind of everyday life. But what if a game went beyond that. What if a game was made solely for the purpose to make you think. A game that forces you to reflect on your life. For me, that's how I felt about Passage.
Passage was one of the most meaningful games (notice the lack of quotation marks around the word game) I've ever played. The thing that really blew me away was something that most "games" now a days fail to do, set up a world in which the player interacts with to create their own experience. It wasn't just a preconceived series of events that I progress through until I reach the end. Yes, there was a beginning and an end, but what happened in between was entirely up to the player. And what you did in that intermediary time was what defined your experience, ultimately creating a co-authorship between the game's creator and the you. That's why I found Passage so great. Every action I did in-game meant something symbolically, and I was the reason it was happening. And that, my friend, is why I found Passage to be one of the most rewarding games I've played.
also @tubatic
I'd have to say that's the most accurate description of the game I've heard so far. Also, it seems has if you dedicate yourself to your work you begin to lose your friend, which in turn makes it harder to come up with new ideas. The way I see it, it's always easier to "find" ideas when you have people around you who can spurn the creative process.
And as to why this is game is a work of art? It's because it can inspire this kind of (mostly) intelligent conversation and in some people inspire a need to think harder about what they are doing, instead of mindlessly completing tasks. And it manages to do all that with a fraction of the graphics and game-play that most blockbuster games have today.
It's a game that makes its point. I liked it.
PS: Cut the arteeest some slack. He's permitted to have an opinion, too. Don't get so defensive.
If you were bored by it, fine, that's a valid reaction. Frankly there are certain kinds of music that bore me to fucking tears because every song sounds the same to me.
But just because it's not to my taste doesn't mean it's not valid music, or lacks the potential to entertain, or isn't art.
As for Gravitation, another good show. I think Chad might have to do a Memory Card on the turning point; it hit me pretty good.
@Heretic: That's exactly the same damn thing I thought when I read the headline.
I loved passage, it basically made me cry, but i'm just not sure I get gravitation yet, i'm gonna play it another time or 2, but later, because as a game i don't find it that fun. But as art, I do find it intriguing.
The fellow who created these is quite an interesting fellow, living an enviable but difficult lifestyle. More power to him. http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/jason-rohrer/simpleLife.html
Beautiful game! I played it through three times and I'll try and summarize my thoughts for each of them.
1st round: At first I didn't understand what the little girl was for except making my hair catch on fire. So I played a little ball and spent my time collecting stars/warming up by the fire. I also didn't understand what the big ice balls were since, except that the stars created them. By the time I realized this though, they already blocked my way to the girl and I couldn't play with her anymore. Then she disappeared, and the fire became so small I couldn't search for stars anymore...
2nd try: I decided to balance playing with the girl and collecting stars. I hoped she would stay the whole time so I could keep looking for new stars, and maybe keep the fire going too. I would collect a star and come straight back, and while playing ball with the girl I'd push the ice ball into the fire. To my surprise these ice balls didn't change the fire at all. It didn't keep burning like I had hoped, it might have even hurried the process. I left last time and when I came back the girl was gone. I was angry, frustrated. I had tried to play with her all the time! Now the fire was dead again and I couldn't do anything.
3rd try: I decided spending time gathering the stars was what made me angry. So I didn't gather them this time. I spent the time playing with the little girl. You know what though? I enjoyed this round the most. The music came full stream, and sounded nice; the screen was wider so I could see the full room, the girl, the ball, and the green surrounding (it never became frozen since I never left!); the girl never left!
I even became tempted and had to retrieve the star that was just within view... I just got angry because the girl almost got lost from my view, and then I almost missed a ball she threw when I pushed the ice ball into the fire.
The best part was how it ended though: with me playing catch with her.. my head aflame (even though my fireplace was going out), wide screen and loud music! Instead of alone with the ball in a cold area standing in front of the small fire.
Yeah, there's some deep thoughts I could say... but they're my own so I'll keep them. Beautiful game; beautiful art.
Hmm, I think I get most of the game. The one thing I'm struggling to understand is why the blocks count down.
The closest thing I can think of is that if the stars represent your ideas, then not working on them (pushing them into the fire) causes you lose to some of the original idea and it becomes something less than your original idea.
At least that's what I get out of that.
I did it. I made it to the top (on like the 4th playthrough, mind you). By focusing and going all out, I managed to climb all the way up, exceeding all expectations. And not only this, I had time to spare to make my descent and for my small friend to still be there. To my horror, once I got to the bottom, I realized that all the frozen-star-block-things that I had collected on my upward journey had formed an impenetrable wall between the child and I.
I hate this game. ;_;
Goddammit, Heretic beat me too it. I WANT MY SOFTCORE YAOI!!!
I get the feeling this was made more for the developer than for anyone else to play. It's very symbolic yes, and it's stretching the boundaries of the "games as art" thing. However, it would be an interesting experiment to bring this game to a non-gamer and see what they make of it.
I tend to believe that the metaphorical meanings in this game may be lost on a non-gamer. It would be interesting to see if they understood the symbolism behind the flaming head, the platforming, and the screen fading in and out, or whether they'd just be frustrated with the odd mechanics.
All in all, i like it but it's message isn't as universal as Passage.
@wtfitsjared
All in all, i like it but it's message isn't as universal as Passage.
That sums up my thoughts pretty well. Still inspiring for a wannabe dev though...
Wait, that sounded wrong. It's inspiring to me, because I'm a wannabe dev. Rohrer is no wannabe.
When I say it's not as universal, I don't want that to be construed as a bad thing.
The message of this game, is far more pointed, the bipolar-esque theme of this one is not something that everyone can relate to as much as the life as a journey theme of Passage, however.
In retrospect, universal is probably a bad word. The subject matter of Gravitation is far more pointed than Passage.
@wtfits
Interesting pondering. I think you could show this to an art student (contemporary visual art, composition, etc) or a professional that creates and they would get it, even if they are not a gamer. Its definitely an expression of something that creative types (or even, people that find themselves having plenty of ideas) would understand.
Maybe even just someone with a career and a family that isn't a gamer. Aside from the fire thing, I think the idea of venturing out to work is something a non-gamer might catch on to.
I just played through this twice, and I gotta say, better than passage, at first I just sat there and played with the little girl for a while, thinking I'd outsmart the game, soon got bored and ventured off, so I don't wanna spoil what happens, but yeah, at first I couldn't find the meaning in this, unlike passage it takes a while to discover, this is very craftily done I must say.
Also, because of the time I spent with the girl at the start of the game, I actually felt bad for it. Which is strange because I've never felt bad for anything in anygame.
Except my dear WCC, ofcourse.
I still need to play Passage, so gimme a while.
I went and showed it to a non-gamer friend, her first thought was how much she hated the game, but immediately got the message when I told her there was a metaphor to be uncovered. Kudos to the developer for creating something simple enough to be accessible to someone who hasn't played through COD4 on Veteran, but poignant enough to the point where you have to think about exactly what your in-game actions mean and how they relate to your particular view of the situation, and in turn how that situation relates to the particular life experience being presented. Metaphorically.
Just to make my experience with the game clear, I played with the girl until I realized that the box only widened out so much, then immediately went star hunting, by the time I had gotten several stars and my box had gotten smaller, I realized all the ice blocks on the ground had counted down to ones. Now forced to deal with them before I could go hunting again, I spent a large portion of my remaining time pushing them off. The next time I returned from hunting after reaching a point where I could no longer jump high enough to continue, the girl had gone and I spent what was left of my time pushing the ice blocks into the fire and then waiting as the timer ticked down in my cold, lonely square.
In comparison, my friends experience was quite opposite. She spent the large majority of her time playing with the girl, who never disappeared for her. She only went for the the most immediately visible stars and never had to push them into the fire.
Take from our experiences what you will, personally, I found them both very indicative of our respective views on what's important in life. We had an interesting conversation about it.
Am i the only one who was certain that they could get to the top of this game? I played with the girl, did some star hunting/pushing, and when the girl finally disappeared, I had a superlong ability to go up, so I thought i could make it to the "top." I haven't read the creator's intentions, but I hope this doesn't suggest some futile attempt at achievement in my life...
what i felt while playing it:
when the box first started expanding, i felt pretty excited. the music helped too. but it definitely felt like i could breathe easier with the box expanded.
i felt pretty sad when the ice blocks blocked the girl, cuz i couldn't play ball with her anymore. cuz playing ball was pretty fun, especially with the little heart effect.
it was also frustrating when the box got tight again yet i was still up in the sky. i couldn't jump down as easily.
like Passage, i will probably never play this again, but I'll never forget it either. bravo.
btw, i think this is great thing going on here. we're getting discussion about a game, but it's not "how do you beat the last boss?" or "what score did you get?" instead it's, "how did you feel while playing it?"
I still haven't played Passage because no matter which version I download it just won't bloody work on my laptop.
So I played this and went back and forth between playing with the blonde kid (who is Rohrer's son Mez, btw) knocked down a couple of stars, then went on a spree and knocked down like 7 or 8 stars at once. Then when I got back to the bottom, I had a bitch of a time pushing them all into the fire. After that, I just said screw it and played catch with the kid for the remaining 200 ticks or so, and didn't bother going after stars anymore.
Overall, though, this one just didn't affect me as much as Passage did.
@All the haters
You are, of course, entitled to your opinions about the games. That's just swell and dandy. Similarly, I am entitled to my opinion that you should kindly go die in a fire as quickly and as efficiently as possible and with a minimum of fuss.
great game, i too spent too much time trying to get the stars, then when i came back she was gone
I'm going to play this now. I wish I hadn't read some of the comments first, seems like they may have ruined some of it.
I downloaded passage, but I still haven't played it. I should really get around to it, but I need to find time to give it.
Trying my best not to sound like a completely pretentious twat, this game is more of a piece of philosophical art than a game. Looks like a failed. Great game though.