Gone Home from The Fullbright Company

[Bjorn]

I'm not sure what you are asking. I may have shortened Merus's quotation too much

 

I actually misread the context of that quote.  Nevermind!

[Steve]

Desoto (de Soto) is a surname for lots of Spanish people and of Spanish descent (thus lots of Hispanic/Latina people).

 

Yes, Lonnie (Yolanda DeSoto) is Latina. Her name implies this, and she and her dad spend Christmas visiting his family (Hector & Maria DeSoto) in Mexico. I am not sure of her mom's descent. But my intent (only vaguely implied) is that Lonnie's dad immigrated to the US, and that Hector and Maria are his parents (Lonnie's grandparents) still living in Mexico. Lonnie was born & raised in the US.

[sclpls]

I'm not sure I agree with Short's idea that creating a layering of meaning to upset reader expectations is what transforms a fictional work into something literary. Having complex, nuanced, contradictory characters is certainly a way to create a literary type of work, but it is not the same thing. For example, I would characterize Plato's portrayal of the characters in the Socratic dialogues as one-dimensional, but I can't imagine most people would disagree with the characterization of the dialogues as literary.

 

So I think while Short has a lot of interesting ideas that she's exploring in that blog post, Steve's totally correct to say that she's asking for something to be something else. She clearly has a lot of strong ideas about interactive fiction, but as a prescription for how narratives should work in games I find it unpersuasive.

[Stuart]

Yes, Lonnie (Yolanda DeSoto) is Latina. Her name implies this, and she and her dad spend Christmas visiting his family (Hector & Maria DeSoto) in Mexico. I am not sure of her mom's descent. But my intent (only vaguely implied) is that Lonnie's dad immigrated to the US, and that Hector and Maria are his parents (Lonnie's grandparents) still living in Mexico. Lonnie was born & raised in the US.

 

Wow, the fact that this is Lonnie's backstory makes me feel much more connected to her, since I'm also Latino and my parents are immigrants. You don't really see those factors in much non-Hispanic/Latino written fiction nowadays, specially in video games!

[clyde]

I'm not sure I agree with Short's idea that creating a layering of meaning to upset reader expectations is what transforms a fictional work into something literary. Having complex, nuanced, contradictory characters is certainly a way to create a literary type of work, but it is not the same thing. For example, I would characterize Plato's portrayal of the characters in the Socratic dialogues as one-dimensional, but I can't imagine most people would disagree with the characterization of the dialogues as literary.

 

So I think while Short has a lot of interesting ideas that she's exploring in that blog post, Steve's totally correct to say that she's asking for something to be something else. She clearly has a lot of strong ideas about interactive fiction, but as a prescription for how narratives should work in games I find it unpersuasive.

You and Steve seem to be suggesting that the game is a narrow depiction of a static subject. That may be the reality of how the game is made, but when I read positive responses to Gone Home, the authors are responding to what they see as expressive representations of characters, their circumstances and their relationships. It is reasonable that criticism would attempt to show ways the game failed to reflect what many think it represents (kinda paradoxical isn't it?), and suggesting possible solutions. 

[clyde]

WHEW!

Reading the comments section on Polygon's choice for GOTY is mentally and emotionally exhausting. 


Congratulations on all the GOTYs, well deserved.

[Roderick]

Congratulation, Stevesy and the rest of the Gone Home team! I said it before and I'll say it again: it's the best thing you did all year with the exception of raking up my memory of Take No Prisoners.

[Bjorn]

Congrats on another award!

 

That piece also reminded me of how much I miss getting Chris Grant's perspective on a regular basis.  The old Joystiq Podcast is the only show that rivaled the Idle Thumbs for me in regards to gaming. 

[BadHat]

WHEW!

Reading the comments section on Polygon's choice for GOTY is mentally and emotionally exhausting. 

Congratulations on all the GOTYs, well deserved.

 

How do people still complain that a game didn't "live up to the hype." Maybe the problem is that you're listening to the hype in the first place and not that the game didn't live up to an imaginary standard set forth by people who don't necessarily share your opinions on what constitutes a good game. Maybe hype is a really, really bad way to judge the quality of a piece of art.

 

This comment caught my attention, though: http://www.polygon.com/2014/1/15/5311568/game-of-the-year-2013-gone-home#210074979

 

Do people really feel this way? Genuinely curious.

[TychoCelchuuu]

How do people still complain that a game didn't "live up to the hype." Maybe the problem is that you're listening to the hype in the first place and not that the game didn't live up to an imaginary standard set forth by people who don't necessarily share your opinions on what constitutes a good game. Maybe hype is a really, really bad way to judge the quality of a piece of art.

 

This comment caught my attention, though: http://www.polygon.com/2014/1/15/5311568/game-of-the-year-2013-gone-home#210074979

 

Do people really feel this way? Genuinely curious.

I feel that way 100% and I've posted in this thread about it before. No need to reiterate my thoughts, I think.

edit: er, which post are you referring to? I thought it was Arthur Gies' post but now I'm not sure.

[elmuerte]

I think he's referring to Muskatnuss' comment.

[Trip Hazard]

I didn't really assume that she's fat, I just thought she moved around too slowly. Shift to sprint for GH2, plz, and don't even think about putting in a stamina bar.

[BadHat]

Whoops, I guess that link doesn't jump to the right comment. I meant this one.

 

 

I mean maybe people feel this way, but I'm not really sure what the "stereotype" is she's referring to, and I can't help but feel like a lot of people (on both sides of the fence) are missing the fact that it's a teenage romance and therefore not wholly representative of every typical, stable homosexual relationship ever.

[Bjorn]

Gun Home

 

Finally, someone made it a real game.

[sclpls]

The Doom/Wolfenstein style info at the bottom is seriously so good.

[melmer]

Gone home cat DLC is coming along

[Bjorn]

Steve, WHY DIDNT GONE HOME HAVE CATS?!!

[melmer]

[Tanukitsune]

Since that video is from Dorkly, it's hard to tell if they are making fun of the Gone Home fans or the "haters", although Dorkly does tend to make more fun of nerds than jokes nerds would enjoy, so maybe it's the later?

[sclpls]

It seems to me that this image makes it pretty clear which side of the fence they're on:

 

[SecretAsianMan]

I was hoping the final boss would be the Christmas Duck.

[Steve]

Gun Home

 

Finally, someone made it a real game.

 

My official take is that this is incredibly, incredibly fantastic, and my favorite.

[tegan]

This comment caught my attention, though: http://www.polygon.com/2014/1/15/5311568/game-of-the-year-2013-gone-home#210074979

 

Do people really feel this way? Genuinely curious.

 

I've mentioned before that Gone Home really hit close to home for me for having been in a really similar situation (right down to abandoning a beloved plush dinosaur), but I have felt frustration in the past that there aren't more stories about happy gay relationships (the only one I've experienced that I can think of off the top of my head is an obscure adorable lesbian manga). Think of it as being like the debate that always comes up around art games when someone says that games have to be fun. The production of one thing isn't exactly taking away from the production of the other. I just want to see more of both.

 

That being said, that commenter's being really insensitive. People cope in different ways. It's not her place to judge others for not being able to cope at the same rate or in the same way as themselves.

[Bjorn]

My official take is that this is incredibly, incredibly fantastic, and my favorite.

 

[Stuart]

My official take is that this is incredibly, incredibly fantastic, and my favorite.