Abstract for "In Memory"

The project I've been paying the most attention to is one that's technically been worked on on-and-off since 10th grade. Very loosely connected though, the different ideas of it over the years have little in-common. Originally, I wanted to make a puzzle-game using photographs, just for the sake of some cool images. Since then, the concept has become a messy amalgam of different modules ranging from meta-narrative, to self-exploration, to aesthetics; to name a few. Instead of being pretentious and annoying however, I'd much rather highlight a few of the major themes that guide the current incarnation of the plan.


The game's premise in its most simplified form:

A point-and-click game where the player explores a world made up of images that are spatial and abstract alike. This is the world of the protagonist's memories (he's in a coma, though this shouldn't necessarily be revealed to the player). How the player interprets these images will determine how the player chooses to interact with the world in order to progress. The player progresses by forming a narrative through which he can further interpret new images and find a solution to the conflict that defines the self-made narrative. Thus, we have many different outcomes out of a collection of elements. In short, I would say that the best way to define the current premise of the game would be "using images as a means of exploring the fluidity of experience".

Later tonight, I will hopefully be posting more on several thoughts regarding how to elaborate on this idea. Most notably, I will be talking about the specifics of how should the world be interacted with, and how can narrative be represented. These are something of the tip of the iceberg, but as I said before, I am partially improvising and my thoughts should be far more complete by the time I am done with this post.

Ugh Alex, why are you annoying us with this blog?

When coming to the decision to make this blog, I figured that the first thing I need would be something of a "mission statement", for all the douchebags out there who like this cutsie self-important word. I have a deviantart for some sparse updates on what I'm working on, and for when I want to post some writing and visual art; and a moleskine where until recently I've put all of my thoughts on game design. However, the moleskine is a journal for out of the blue thoughts that catch me that I want to write, not necessarily the best place to keep writing comprehensive thought after thought. I have poor penmanship, and I don't necessarily feel like writing page after page in a leather-bound book if it's something pre-meditated that I'd just be putting in for the sake of record keeping.
So, naturally, I figured it might be a nice idea to put more comprehensive thoughts here, not just for the sake of typing, but because I want people to hear me out on them. No, it's not that I think I have something amazing to say, but if I can't explain my concepts to other people, then how can I be sure that they make any sense at all? It's very easy to mentally masturbate to the fragments in your head without ever thinking if the idea's working is even plausible.
I'll be posting more or less the following things on this blog:

-My own work in game design
-The occasional "moralizing soapbox" (editorial)
-Game reviews (only if the game is really notable)
-Links to related articles (not just game design articles, but indirectly relevant things in fields ranging from computer science, to cognitive science, to philosophy, to literature, etc.)
-Personal thoughts and plans regarding the work I put on this page

That's about the size of it. To begin, I'll throw the blog right into activity with my current work on a project labeled "In Memory". Not having very much written down on paper, the summary will be quite unpolished and improvised, I'll be surprising myself as I write it, and can't really blame anyone who criticizes me. Fuck that, I encourage anyone who has a problem to tear me apart. I'm guessing that it's a given that I want criticism of my ideas, not personal jabs at me.
Before ending this post and going into the next one, I'd just like to point out some good links of game designers that have done a lot to change the way I think about games, and that are an interesting read even for the non-gamer:

Chris Crawford
Facade (Interactive Story)
GamaSutra
Game Lab