Life is good, A mushy look at an emotional game.
I just finished Life is Strange this
weekend and holy shit, what a game. Definately my game of 2015 but I’m behind
on all those games, haven't even touched Witcher yet. I just had to share my
experience with someone, anyone.
Might spoil some things in this so be warned but I will try not to spoil Life is Strange (I don’t think I did).
Might spoil some things in this so be warned but I will try not to spoil Life is Strange (I don’t think I did).
I'm
still kind of emotional and I'm writing this with the Life is Strange
Soundtrack on youtube open in another tab, to keep the mood.
I wasn't sure I would like Life is Strange and of a coincident I stumbled onto it, glad I did. This is why I love films and why I play games, sometimes you find something that makes feel something you didn't expect. the best fiction, you take with you...
I can
count on one hand the games that have kept me thinking about them after I
stopped playing and/or made me feel something during. I know nearly all games
makes us feel something, otherwise why play? The hunt for points, or not dying,
beating up friends etc. is exciting and makes your heart pound. But that is not
the feelings I mean. Emotion like being content or happy, even sad.
That is what I like and look for in books and movies, fuck it let’s call it art. If the thing, whatever it is, won’t let go after it is over. Fake (fictional) things that makes feel real emotion.
Off the top off my head here is the rest of the games that made me feel non-gamey things, for context.
Bioshock infinite (Might lose some people here, I got reasons but that is a whole other conversation). Gone home. Last of Us. And Life is Strange of course.
Must be more I forgot.
That is what I like and look for in books and movies, fuck it let’s call it art. If the thing, whatever it is, won’t let go after it is over. Fake (fictional) things that makes feel real emotion.
Off the top off my head here is the rest of the games that made me feel non-gamey things, for context.
Bioshock infinite (Might lose some people here, I got reasons but that is a whole other conversation). Gone home. Last of Us. And Life is Strange of course.
Must be more I forgot.
Maybe that sounded kind of Emo or cheesy, saying I want to be depressed watching movies or playing games, I don’t, but I like when it happens. A game about high school teenagers wanting to be artist will unavoidable include teenage angst, just saying.
The game handled it great, even though the writing isn’t always the greatest and there are technical flaws but after the first episode I forgot or didn’t care, I was invested. And by the way teenagers can be over dramatic especially when trying to be poetic. oh boy, I remember. Oh well.
In almost every regard the teenage experience of Max is far and wide removed
from my own. Other than being a teenager and not fitting in. I was a nerd
before it was cool in the least nerdy school.
But now I have Max Caulfield’s experience too, hers involving decidedly more super powers than mine.
But now I have Max Caulfield’s experience too, hers involving decidedly more super powers than mine.
If you don't know in Life is Strange you are Max Caufield you attend Blackwell Academy back in your old hometown. You reconnect with your childhood best friend, Chloe. Oh and find out you can rewind time. You can rewind to solve puzzles and get more information out off people. After a conversation you can go back and get an outcome you are more comfortable with. Very different than in other new adventure games.
I
like these new adventure games, seems like telltale started a trend or
resurgence, I don’t know. I didn’t play monkey and those games back in the day.
Played all the new Telltale games though.
But the choices in Life is Strange feel like they
matter way more than in Telltale games.
Even though you could argue the choices matter less because you can
rewind can and choice something else. That you can see the consequences of your
actions and the chose something else makes them more not less.
That you can change the outcome makes you, at least made me, think “how do I
feel about this?”, “is this really the outcome I want?”, “should I rewind?”.
And some of the choices are gut-wrenching and made me think about what I would do in real life… The biggest choices I actually spend the least time on. I knew exactly what I would/should do or what my Max could never do…
On the other hand I must have used like 20 rewinds to make sure Frank didn’t get hurt, I couldn’t do that to his dog, Pompidou.
And some of the choices are gut-wrenching and made me think about what I would do in real life… The biggest choices I actually spend the least time on. I knew exactly what I would/should do or what my Max could never do…
On the other hand I must have used like 20 rewinds to make sure Frank didn’t get hurt, I couldn’t do that to his dog, Pompidou.
The
game is so modest and unassuming in its presentation that when the big twists
or bold moves come along the impact is so much more real…
Every episode stunned me at some point and made me go “holy shit” or “what the fuck”. Through episode 1 I thought I knew what game I was playing and where the story was going. Wrong on both accounts, way wrong on the second.
And the really have big moments and twists. I never saw coming.
Every episode stunned me at some point and made me go “holy shit” or “what the fuck”. Through episode 1 I thought I knew what game I was playing and where the story was going. Wrong on both accounts, way wrong on the second.
And the really have big moments and twists. I never saw coming.
And always guess the murderer in the crime shows on tv.
The mystery jumps back and forth between a Donnie Darko or Groundhog Day vibe and all the way to a Fincher or Twin Peaks vibe.
The mystery jumps back and forth between a Donnie Darko or Groundhog Day vibe and all the way to a Fincher or Twin Peaks vibe.
But all the episodes also have
pleasant relaxing moments. Almost boring but really nice. Not really any other
way to explain it, just nice.
One
of the greatest moments for me was a sequence like that.
In episode 3, Max & Chloe is just lying down on a bed listening to a song. Nothing happens and it made me think “should I do something?”, “press something?” I didn’t and I still don’t know if I was supposed to do something. But moments like those are rare in video games, unless you seek them. In a way that’s a bold move.
In episode 3, Max & Chloe is just lying down on a bed listening to a song. Nothing happens and it made me think “should I do something?”, “press something?” I didn’t and I still don’t know if I was supposed to do something. But moments like those are rare in video games, unless you seek them. In a way that’s a bold move.
lets stay in that moment for a bit. here is why a moment like that can be so strong if you are invested, as I were. (Or skip it, you can always rewind)
In a scene with little or no narrative frame, where nothing really happens we turn from objectivity to subjectivity in our mind.
Let me explain.
When you watch Die Hard and John McClane runs over shattered glass we feel for him, you might even cringe and curl your toes. We go through a mental excise, a simulation of that event. When shooting nazis or zombies, or zombie nazis, in a Call of Duty the sensation is greater because you actually interact.
That is why action and horror movies and games so exciting. You know it is not real but it still gets you adrenaline going.
In film you constantly come up with proposition from clues in the movie. "The butler did it", "it's aliens", "he's ghost", "she's gonna leave him" etc. You invent a thesis that is either confirmed or rejected. Then you repeat that until the movie end. That is an exciting mental activity.
When nothing happens, it wont invoke the feeling of dealing with a real objective phenomena. so what is left is subjective associations. In a movie scene with the protagonist looking at a nature scene for a extended period of time, there is no action to excite your motor skills or few to no narrative clues to form propositions from. So you associate freely.
In my example Chloe & Max just talks and relaxes, you hear music and the sounds of suburban america and warm autumn light pours in through the window. With nothing to clearly look for or do your brain goes to unconscious associative processes.
You feel or think whatever you might. If it hits you right then it can be work amazingly.
there a some things the scene clearly wants you to feel. but you bring your baggage to it for better or worse.
If you want the scene can end as soon as Max & Chloe stops talking if you press something.
Life is Strange coaxed into not realizing and made me feel... well... content, in that moment.
And feel for every virtual soul in Arcadia Bay...
Well done.
Another
great moment for me, kind of emotional actually, was a text Max (from my game)
got from Kate's dad. If you got that text you know what I’m talking about. I
hope most of you didn’t get that text though.
The characters also change as you get to know them. I changed my mind about a couple of them.
The characters also change as you get to know them. I changed my mind about a couple of them.
Even
the gamey parts are good, not just annoying QTE’s. of course there is a couple
of bad things and stupid puzzles. Especially in the end. But that PT style
repeating hallway was pretty cool.
And you actually have to some proper detective stuff at some point.
Exploring and finding the small details can help you in the social puzzles, so you don’t have to rewind 20 times for a dog. I missed some small clues that ended up have dire consequences.
And you actually have to some proper detective stuff at some point.
Exploring and finding the small details can help you in the social puzzles, so you don’t have to rewind 20 times for a dog. I missed some small clues that ended up have dire consequences.
It might not work for you, you might hate the music, the writing, the setting. You might feel the emotion is forced. But I implore you give it try. If it works it's amazing.
Max
& Chloe as weird as it sounds, became real people. And I miss them.
And Pompidou of course … I miss a fictional dog, I don’t even like dogs, life is strange indeed.
And Pompidou of course … I miss a fictional dog, I don’t even like dogs, life is strange indeed.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GJO_RpBnEg&index=1&list=FLjep4ePXTpKrrqKA9JRtbJw).
Still gets me.
And now I’m done.
And now I’m done.
Ludography:
Life is Strange, 2015. Dontnod
Bibliography:
Grodal, Torben. Filmoplevelse - en indføring i audiovisuel teori og analyse. Forlaget Samfundslitteratur 2007
Grodal, Torben. Embodied Visions: Evolution, Emotion, Culture, and Film. Oxford University Press 2009
Filmography:
John McTiernan. Die Hard. 1988
