I think The Path is so freakin’ postmodern that its whole purpose is to challenge classification. And, therefore, whether or not it’s a game is irrelevant. Let me explain…
Not many critics have talked much about the actual design of The Path (apart from the relatively general mantra “as a game, it sucks”). Despite our sincerity as storytellers, we do find this “meta-layer” important -and amusing. Check out Touché Bitches for some interesting observations.
We’re not the world’s greatest authorities on deconstructivism and intertextuality but we have always considered the interactive medium to be the single artistic medium that is truly able to embrace the conclusions of postmodernism and allow us to use them to create better experiences for the viewer/reader/player -instead of falling into the trap of “cleverness”, irony, cynicism en relativism we’ve seen in a lot of fine art. The multiple layers of experience and the multitude of realities that can be created simultaneously in a virtual world offer opportunities for telling stories in ways that they have never been told before and, more importantly, about things that we were never able to talk about before.
I’m not claiming that The Path does all of that with equal success. But we do believe that this is one of the more interesting areas of the medium to explore.
“Are our assumptions about “the game” wrong?”
I just lost The Game. >:(
Nothing to say about the actual article. Just wanted to drag you all down with me.
Your thoughts and approaches to art and the interactive medium are inspiring and reassuring because it proves that there is indeed a growing movement yearning to create and foster experiences rather than messages, to provide an environment in which meaning can be discovered rather than consumed.
Let’s indeed hope that this movement is growing. It would be a shame if this medium were lost.
Hi guys,
Thanks for the generous right-up!
Let me just say, that I think The Path works very well as an “interactive story”. By (largely) leaving it up to the player to form a narrative, you’ve used many of the conclusions of postmodernism very well and created a really interesting game. I hope this paves the way for more like it.
I might right a short post on that tomorrow.
All the best!
Thanks!
Looking forward to that.