Shrapnel

Photopia made me interested in Interactive Fiction. I enjoy seeing how writers and artists can experiment with communication and narrative in different media, and I think Adam Cadre is extremely creative in how he works with a medium to interact with a reader/viewer/player/etc.

Although I found Photopia intriguing -- like reading an interesting book -- I don't think it was as impacting for me as it was for other people, judging by their blogs, but I decided that I enjoyed it enough to check out some of Cadre's other work.

The comments about Cadre's "Shrapnel" made the game seem unresistable:

"Unsettling. Brilliant. Damn you." —Ian Finley

"Really good game, but REALLY CREEPY. I honestly woke up with nightmares after playing it." —Sean Gaffney

"This was the most unsettling piece of IF I've ever had the pleasure to play." —Oren Ronen

"I think I'm now warped for life." —Alan Monroe

Could it really be that disturbing? I guess my penchant for trying to scare myself (see my last post about Silent Hill) got the best of me.

I played a good portion of the game (didn't get to finish it) until I got the gist of the what Cadre was going for. Photopia seemed to be more about the story, and you were just along for the ride. Although, that does make a huge statement about free will and determinism - You, as the player/interactive reader, DO indeed have a choice in what to do in Photopia (albeit limited choices), you can choose to talk to people or you can just sit around and wait and regardless, the story will still progress (in many parts). However, no matter your choices, things will always turn out as the narrative is planned to go...the kernels are in place, so to speak. Like Passage, Photopia presents these facts of life as unavoidable...as a reader, player, participant, and mortal human being, we ultimately have no control over our lives. Photopia parallels this.

Shrapnel is somewhat different and yet the same. It has a definite narrative. One that actually made me smile because of its blaring homage to Zork -- the story starts with you being in front of a white, boarded up house with forests all around you.

While you are free to explore as in Zork, the narrative, including surrounding characters that provide hints as to who your character is and the backstory. Cadre seems to like putting in an element of mystery... you are never sure exactly who YOU are or exactly what's going on... what happened in the past or what the future has in store. And that's what works about his interactive fiction... you keep the reader/player guessing and hooked until they solve the mysteries.

Shrapnel does some very very interesting things, and it was so enlightening to read his "author's statement" after playing the game. I got a sense of how he decided to develop the story, how he integrated it with the medium, and how he expected it to impact his audience. It's testament to how much effort goes into something as simple as a game or a manuscript.

In Shrapnel, there are distinct plot points you must find, like Photopia, and often you find yourself dying. Every time you die, you have the choice to quit or "restart" the "game." However, when you "restart" your past actions, your previous attempts and dead bodies have a presence in your new game. Whether or not they actually "impact" the new game or were necessary for the progression of the story... I'm not sure about, since I haven't exactly finished the game.

Shrapnel also breaks the fourth wall - a very jarring experience that shocked me and made me laugh. In some way, it's kind of scary... like your computer, or the parser, takes over and laughs at you or slaps you in the face.

There are just so many levels of characters and consciousnesses going on at the same time that it's somewhat confusing, but at the same time, you know what's going on and you're waiting for everything to finally come together for a clearer picture... like the movie Memento in a way.

So, I recommend Shrapnel to anyone who enjoyed Photopia, and also to anyone that enjoys Faulkner (Cadre mentions him as an inspiration, and I definitely saw hints of it while I was playing).

There's something about the medium of Interactive Fiction that I like almost more than pure games. There seems to be a consciousness in them that breaks the conventions that we are used to when it comes to both traditional "reading" and traditional "playing." It seems like, as experimental pieces, they really play with who is in control... the author? the reader? the characters? the programming? At least, perceptions of who is in control. And that has the potential to really mess with people's minds.

It almost makes me want to try my hand at it. But, alas, I am no programmer....It's not as easy as just writing a linear diegetic story. There's a lot to consider. And I have a feeling that it would be exponentially harder than I think it is.