Scratches

Ok...no thread so I'll stick my foot out and start one.

I'm in the middle of Scratches and for the second time, I had to quit the
game because...well, call me a 'wus'...but I couldn't take it, ha. The
anxiety builds not knowing what awaits around every "next" dark corner or
room...and all the while 'expecting' something sinister to jump out at
you...well, I'm having to quit the game and 'rest', ha. I'm living the main
character's part.

Remember near the end of the first Aliens movie, when S. Weaver's character
had to move through a darkened corridor to get to the escape pod...knowing
that the Alien monster was directly in her path just a few minutes prior?
Now that was 'suspense'. And anxiety.

That's similar to my experience with Scratches. But what is odd, not a
whole lot has really happened [action wise in the game]. Which is why I
just had to comment on the 'effect' that this game imbues on, well at least
me, through 'suggestive imagination' and little else.

It is something we have lost touch with I think, in our gore fests and porno
accurate realism...in all the arts...where designers, creators, and
producers and whomever has forgotten the most powerful and nearly limitless
resource..."the viewer/player's imagination". Adventure gaming is not dead
as one thread seemed to imply; I don't think developers have even
'scratched' [ahem] the surface of the potential of the interactive novel.

tooly wrote:
> Ok...no thread so I'll stick my foot out and start one.
>
> I'm in the middle of Scratches and for the second time, I had to quit
> the game because...well, call me a 'wus'...but I couldn't take it,
> ha. The anxiety builds not knowing what awaits around every "next"
> dark corner or room...and all the while 'expecting' something
> sinister to jump out at you...well, I'm having to quit the game and
> 'rest', ha. I'm living the main character's part.
>
> Remember near the end of the first Aliens movie, when S. Weaver's
> character had to move through a darkened corridor to get to the
> escape pod...knowing that the Alien monster was directly in her path
> just a few minutes prior? Now that was 'suspense'. And anxiety.
>
> That's similar to my experience with Scratches. But what is odd, not
> a whole lot has really happened [action wise in the game]. Which is
> why I just had to comment on the 'effect' that this game imbues on,
> well at least me, through 'suggestive imagination' and little else.
>
> It is something we have lost touch with I think, in our gore fests
> and porno accurate realism...in all the arts...where designers,
> creators, and producers and whomever has forgotten the most powerful
> and nearly limitless resource..."the viewer/player's imagination".
> Adventure gaming is not dead as one thread seemed to imply; I don't
> think developers have even 'scratched' [ahem] the surface of the
> potential of the interactive novel.

Excellent post. My wife is reluctant to go back to it for similar reasons.
I'm still visiting it occassionally, in spite of the
raise-the-hair-on-your-arms creep me out factor that it has. Not looking
forward to having to go back into the basement...

-craig