The “Golden Age” of Gaming?
August 2nd, 2009
While researching how exactly the Super Nintendo console generates sounds (essentially 8 instrument midi + reverb of some kind, I think), I happened upon the Wikipedia entry which stated (at the time I found it at least), that the SNES represented the “Golden Age” of video games. So, evidently, it’s not just me who thinks that. And Wikipedia never lies, right?
I Can Has Cheezburger: the MusicLOL?
July 30th, 2009
http://icanhascheezburgerthemusiclol.wordpress.com/
Now here’s an idea for a musical I didn’t have - a musical based on a goofy website full of captioned photos of cats.
Is Katya Too Passive?
July 18th, 2009
It has been brought to my attention that Katya may be more compelling if she took a more active role in the story that Tell Me a Beautiful Lie tells - as it is, she pretty much reacts to forces and characters around her - Roman and Oleksander, the Russian Civil War, her aunt, etc.
On the one hand, I don’t see her as being completely passive - she is actively involved in making decisions and interpreting what’s around her. She doesn’t simply float along from thing to thing. She’s clearly thoughtful and intelligent. But is that enough? The only decisions that she makes - gradually allow Oleksander into her life, stay in Sevastopol, fire the gun - may not be played as things that she chooses so much as things that she has to do. (Of course, Katya’s personality, as are many of our own, is the type that would rather devolve responsibility by pretending she has to. Too much subtlety?)
And then, to compound defensiveness, I’m wondering whether an active protagonist even matters. The biggest, most successful musicals don’t necessarily have them. 1776 and My Fair Lady certainly tell great stories of a powerful personality on a quest for achievement - John Adams wants independence for America, Henry Higgins wants to pass off Eliza as a lady. But what about Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked?
In Fiddler, Tevye, as the protagonist, doesn’t do much other than gradually bend to the forces that threaten his traditions and worldview, until he can bend no further. He clings to what he can, and reconciles with what he has to, so he’s not strictly passive, but he’s not on a quest either - his personal actions don’t drive the story. His daughters and the Russian army do. And yet, it’s an awesome story and one of my favorite musicals.
In Les Mis, Jean Valjean has pretty much achieved sainthood 15 minutes into the first act, and has no more character development to do. He has no quest larger than to live his saintly life in peace. Javert drives the action by zealously pursuing him, and the revolutionary students drive the action by starting a war in the streets. I’m sure there are people who view the story primarily through the lens of Enjolras and the other students, and so see it as a quest story. But others, I suspect, see it principally as a beautiful story of forgiveness through the lens of Valjean, or a tragic love story through the lens of Eponine - even though neither Valjean nor Eponine really drive the story by their actions.
In Phantom, Christine Daae is largely passive as well. The Phantom is the one on the quest, such as it is, and Christine only wants to be left alone. The force of the story comes from the Phantom as villain.
In Wicked, there’s an idea that Elphaba is on a quest, but that never once emotionally drives the story - will she meet the Wizard, like she dreams about in her first song? Will she triumph over the Wizard after his disillusionment at the end of Act I? Wicked has elements of a quest story, but the plot seems mostly uninterested in it - we never see Elphaba working hard to win the Wizard’s affection, we never get a good idea of how awful the Wizard is or an idea of what exactly Elphaba’s plan to beat him is and how she would accomplish it. Mostly, the story is about the love triangle and friendship between her and Glinda. She doesn’t really “do” anything to drive the story until her decision to flee at the end of Act I, at which point, the Wizard is more the one on the quest - to find her, use her as a convenient bad guy, etc etc.
Perhaps the larger point is that emotionally engaging stories don’t necessarily follow an easily-discernable plot arc covering an easily-expressed character change. Life is often more confusing and muddled, and I think people have the capacity to follow stories that aren’t simple and digestible, even if most people couldn’t articulate why a story moves them exactly. It’s more important to be emotionally honest, to have sympathetic, believable characters, and a plot that engenders suspense in some way. At least, that’s where I currently stand on the issue.
Perhaps you disagree?
Just So You Know
July 18th, 2009
Progress is being made on Tell Me a Beautiful Lie. I’m currently working on writing the score down using Finale PrintMusic, which seems to have all the features that I need, but isn’t ridiculously expensive. I’ve got the first two songs scored. It’s slow going, but I’ll keep you apprised of my progress.
Final Fantasy IV: the After Years
July 8th, 2009
Final Fantasy IV (2 in the United States) was an awesome game and a pivotal experience for a 2nd grade kid who had never experienced narrative-driven gaming before. Unfortunately, it hasn’t held up as well as the games that followed - the storyline devolves quickly into a boring scavenger hunt, and the dungeons become overly tedious quickly. Nevertheless, based on nothing but pure nostalgia, I gave “The After Years” a download - for a mere 8 bucks, you can play a sequel of sorts on WiiWare. Unfortunately, after completing the first portion of the story, I have decided that continuing may not be worth it.
By “it,” of course, I mean $20.00 or so total. You see, they make you pay $3 for each installment of the game as you come to it. I knew this going in, but figured it might be worth it if the story was really compelling. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. You spend most of your time as Ceodore, son of the main hero and his love interest from the last game, who is joined by a mysterious masked stranger, who can only be one person, as far as I could tell. I played the game, hoping beyond hope that there would be some kind of twist ending or dramatic reveal, but the truly predictable happened.
What a let down.
I don’t know, though. I might buy one of the add-on stories just to see.
Or maybe I won’t.
C-File 170 is Posted
June 27th, 2009
In case you wanted to know, here’s C-File 170, written for my friends on the road, moving back to Texas, as I type.
A Theme for RiftMaker
June 8th, 2009
I’ve been struggling over the RiftMaker storyline, but I think I’ve finally hit on what the story of RiftMaker is about, that is, what it’s theme is. Read no further if you want to be surprised by the storyline (provided this one even makes it into the game).
My idea is that RiftMaker should be about will-to-power versus submission. The concept of the RiftMaker as a sword that allows you to cleave realities and visit alternate timelines embodies will-to-power. Without it, the humanity of the world are merely helpless pawns of a great cosmic drama played out by the gods. But with the RiftMaker, a chosen few can escape.
The two intertwining stories (Rile and Tobias) will represent two different ways of approaching the question. Perhaps Rile starts out cocky and a little too charming, only to have his hidden vulnerability and insecurity emerge when he decides that following the “good” Gods and submitting his will to theirs is the only way to know any kind of peace. Perhaps Tobias starts out sweet-natured and gentle, but his underlying self-absorption and concealed arrogance emerge when he decides that the Gods’ story must be defied, and the RiftMaker used. I’m still working out how this will all play out, and what the various alternate realities will look like and do to our heroes, but things feel like they’re coming together. I think.
Geoglyphs
June 8th, 2009
There’s something about enormous, ancient drawings etched into the surface of the earth that give me a wonderfully goose-bumpy eerie feeling. I wish I had seen the Nazca lines when I was in Peru, but that didn’t happen. I guess I’ll just have to watch YouTube videos about geoglyphs instead. Probably better anyway, since you can’t really see the glyphs from the ground. The “Atacama Giant” in Chile is probably the creepiest, although the Cerne Abbas giant in England gets my vote for the silliest (also - probably not ancient).
Now There’s a Stupid Idea
May 27th, 2009
“Reboot” Buffy the Vampire Slayer without Joss Whedon. Say what now?