When I played this, I had no fucking idea what was going on. I mean, after holding down RIGHT for a few minutes and realizing the guy was dying, it was pretty interesting. At the same time I felt kinda ripped off because that was all I was holding a key for.

The game coulda had some more...explanation or something because I didn't get it until I read the creators statement, which pretty much ruined the potential impact the game could've had on me.

and here's hundley to ruin another creative image.... geez

sorry blargsnarf. it's just how i am.

a good word of thumb is that if a game is released and there is a CREATOR'S STATEMENT attached to it, then you're dealing with someone who lacks the tools necessary to express themselves creatively.

there's really nothing of any genuine merit going on here. it's an unbelievably general image of FUTILITY, THEN DEATH.

however, what's genuinely interesting about this game - albeit unintentional - is that it treats GAME DESIGNER as an artist. i mean, you don't have to look very far and see a PAINTING or a SONG or a STORY that is about FUTILITY, THEN DEATH in a manner fundamentally similar to this game. there are many creative people whose names have justifiably withstood time by making a career doing this. it's really little more than SAD seeing a game designer do it, because their "medium" by itself does not have the tools to convey this concept in a poignant manner. only when the art, music, and story are added can you really convey something through a video game. you can tell by his What I was trying to do with Passage that he really wanted to tell something striking and effective. unfortunately, if this game really teaches anything, it teaches that GAME DESIGNER, if you're to take the act on a level as literal as this game takes it, is not a skill or an art but an extraordinarily literal ACT in the same way that rearranging a pile of books to spell out the words REMEMBER is absolutely nothing more than an ACT.

if this has honestly GIVEN YOU SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT, then your existence has truly gone unexamined.

Am I the only one who didn't look into it that deeply, and just played the game and at the end was reminded of my own mortality? That's all it is, a reminder of 'momento mori'; picking it apart kind of ruins that.

Am I the only one who didn't look into it that deeply, and just played the game and at the end was reminded of my own mortality? That's all it is, a reminder of 'momento mori'; picking it apart kind of ruins that.

man when you write something like this and have a section on your game page called DISCUSSION LOG to show all the incredible conversations that your game has prompted, you're setting yourself up for some mean-spirited fuck like me to come by and ACTUALLY evaluate what you've done

sorry blargsnarf. it's just how i am.

ut-oh my secret is out

but yeah its obvious this probably isnt for YOU but like i said i liked the idea behind it.. and.. i guess thats what he created it for.

so yeah of course you are entitled to your MEAN PULLING APART and at the same time other people are entitled to go "hmmmmmmmm well i guess thats how it is"

oh no an internet thing that isnt going anywhere

Don't get me wrong, you're right, but when something like this comes along I personally just take it for what it is; a game/program designed to remind you of your own mortality.

What? You can get married in this? I quickly went up North and continued going right endlessly without encountering any obstacles. Eventually I saw that the screenview was getting narrower and then I realized that I was slowly changing - aging. Then all of a sudden I got to the end where I saw a tombstone and disappeared.

Meh, kind of boring. But now I want to go through it again to find a girl.

What? You can get married in this? I quickly went up North and continued going right endlessly without encountering any obstacles. Eventually I saw that the screenview was getting narrower and then I realized that I was slowly changing - aging. Then all of a sudden I got to the end where I saw a tombstone and disappeared.

Meh, kind of boring. But now I want to go through it again to find a girl.

The girl is like

straight right from where you start


i dont even know how you missed her.

Don't get me wrong, you're right, but when something like this comes along I personally just take it for what it is; a game/program designed to remind you of your own mortality.

yeah, that's fine, i just found the way he has presented this thing outside of the game itself as being really terrible. i don't have any fundamental problem with the game itself because, at the very least, it is original and attempts to accomplish something.

i naturally react negatively when someone describes themselves LIKE THIS when they are actually LIKE THIS

but yeah its obvious this probably isnt for YOU but like i said i liked the idea behind it.. and.. i guess thats what he created it for.

so yeah of course you are entitled to your MEAN PULLING APART and at the same time other people are entitled to go "hmmmmmmmm well i guess thats how it is"

if this has honestly GIVEN YOU SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT, then your existence has truly gone unexamined.

Hundley reminded me to bring up THIS, a mod of the game that destroys all meaning of the game.  At first, it seemed like an outright nasty satire on "gaming minimalism" and gaming as an art but then the creator threw in that stupid comment at the end about how he loved the original and this was a tribute >​

yeah, that's fine, i just found the way he has presented this thing outside of the game itself as being really terrible. i don't have any fundamental problem with the game itself because, at the very least, it is original and attempts to accomplish something.

i naturally react negatively when someone describes themselves LIKE THIS when they are actually LIKE THIS

hi, my name is Ken Levine and i have created a literal masterpiece in game form.  it's called BioShock and you must weigh your good choices (save the girl) against the wrong choices (kill the girl).  it is very deep and will make you think on a psychological level unknown to mankind.

HOW DOES THIS MAKE YOU FEEL?

hi, my name is Ken Levine and i have created a literal masterpiece in game form.  it's called BioShock and you must weigh your good choices (save the girl) against the wrong choices (kill the girl).  it is very deep and will make you think on a psychological level unknown to mankind.

HOW DOES THIS MAKE YOU FEEL?

hahaha

let it be known that you have read my mind on this, the 27th day of january, 2008


(print this out and use as certificate)

I played the game and got the instant art-housey feel.
I read the statement written by the maker, this game annoys me greatly.
Alot of the arthouse style and understand i use the term loosely, creations that i have been exposed to are always acompanied by a long winded rant about why they are so deep. I have some theater friends who have invited me to afew movie screenings and the such and afterwards the director steps up to explain his vision. Most of the time it always comes across as "I am deep, ladies come to me" to me, that is what arthouse is, someone trying to get laid.
That he mentioned that earlier in his life he used to have blond hair, and wear those clothes, I bet he showed this game to his wife, explained it in his little way and he got laid for his troubles.

I've always enjoyed reading hundley's posts, They more often than not offer a well thought out (or partially well thought out) counter arguement.

Man if it was only 5 minutes I was hoping it would be some kind of 5 minute demoscene acid trip sort of thing with fucking crazy graphics from hell

instead it's this because he has a message but doesn't really want to put any effort into it

Man if it was only 5 minutes I was hoping it would be some kind of 5 minute demoscene acid trip sort of thing with fucking crazy graphics from hell

instead it's this because he has a message but doesn't really want to put any effort into it

I actually kind of took the 5 minutes to be how "life just passes you by". It's over before you know it.

I also didn't realize you could go up and down until I was around the age of 55ish. The wife got in the way, and I am glad she died before me.
I didn't find the game all that compelling. I couldn't find the meaning of the game until I died, and went to read the statement.
Even then, it still wasn't that great.

It told me what I already know, that the best 5 minute game ever was portal.