Month: June 2018

Book Meme, Part 2

leianajade

Picking up where I left off a couple weeks ago, here’s a few more books that have been meaningful or influential to me.

I went through a serious classics phase in high school. I’m sure it had something to do with the fact that we read a lot of classic plays and novels around that time, but I went above and beyond. For a while, I had starry eyed visions of reading all of the books on any “100 greatest classics” list.

At any rate, one of my absolute favorites to this day is Pride and Prejudice. It probably surprises no one, as it has everything I gush over in a good novel – romance, mystery, unrequited love, comedy, Mr Darcy…
Oh, come on. Anyone who has read Pride and Prejudice is in want of their own Mr Darcy after reading it, even more so if you’ve ever watched the BBC adaptation.

If you don’t want to be courted by Mr Darcy’s smoldering glare, aristocratic good looks and accidental classist remarks, we’re done here. I have nothing for you.

(Runner up in this category would be Emma. Also a fantastic read, and the BBC adaptation is also equally delightful, though lacking in Colin Firth)

I remember the day that I finished Wuthering Heights. I was sitting in my dad’s chair in the afternoon, and I let out a deep sigh. This might be my favorite book ever.

Don’t get me wrong, I understood how really messed up the book was. I wasn’t swooning over Heathcliff, and Cathy was kind of a petulant brat. But I loved the novel nonetheless. Maybe it appealed to the part of me that likes soap operas, except this one is more demented slash possibly incestuous … oh wait, that’s pretty soap opera-like too.

Unlike the relative lightheartedness of Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights is grim. Even the sort of happy ending is bleak at best, because the really super tortured generation has died off and the slightly less tortured generation can now rebuild. So I guess I understand why people might not be as in love with the book as I am. But as a kid, I also liked to read obituaries, so clearly I’ve got a bit of a taste for the grim.

I debated whether to lump The Hobbit in with the classics or with the fantasy books. More than anything, this book will always be a sentimental favorite.

The first time I “read” this book, I didn’t read it myself – my dad read it to me. I can’t remember how old I was, but I was definitely in grade school, and I think we did this because of some “read to your kid for X minutes” incentive.

I would crawl onto my parents’ bed with my dad, sometimes with an apple (not sure why I remember that detail of all things), and he would read The Hobbit to me. I’d lay my head on his chest, and I could feel the vibration of his voice as he read to me.

It’s honestly one of my favorite memories ever. I didn’t come back to The Hobbit again until I was in high school and Lord of the Rings was popular. But I loved it then, and it likely has something to do with my enjoyment of fantasy now.

Also, the book is way, way, way better than the movie adaptation.

The Council

leianajade

So this might rock your world – are you ready?

Good fiction can take place outside of novels.

Whoa there, hold on, I’ll get the smelling salts.

I started playing through a game called The Council recently, and let me tell you, it’s a fantastic game and super engaging story.

I don’t want to give much away, because it’s honestly worth the experience of playing it. It’s a story driven game, which thus far hasn’t had any combat. You need to use your character’s wit and skills to notice things and unravel the game’s mysteries.

The mechanics of storytelling through games and through novels are two different things. In both, while you may be letting a story unfold in front of your audience, you have to lay out your clues differently. The game is more visual. The Council allows the player to look at any number of paintings around the mansion the story takes place in – some are directly related to the story, but most just provide ambiance and a little insight into the mansion’s owner. In a novel, you couldn’t thoroughly describe every one of these paintings and the protagonist’s thoughts on them without turning off your reader. Games allow you a more wandering pace, to throw in extra clues that may or may not matter, but above all, to let your player choose whether to see these clues. The novel doesn’t have that luxury – sure you can add red herrings, but the author doesn’t have the luxury, or the burden, of fleshing things out THAT much.

What makes The Council interesting are largely the same things that make novels interesting. The characters – many of them historical figures – are diverse and engaging. Who doesn’t get a little bit excited to be part of a story where you are pals with George Washington?
The story hook is also interesting, and keeps you guessing. That’s really as much as I can say on that account.

As far as game mechanics go, this one differs a bit from other storytelling I’ve played in that your character is given actual skills, and which skills you have at any given time determines which investigative or conversation options are available. This means that The Council feels like a game that can be replayed at least a few different times, because the game lets you know when you’re missing out on something for lack of skill.

There are, I think five different episodes for The Council in total, and only the first two have been released. So if you want to hop in on it, now is a great time. Plus, I firmly believe that developers who think a bit outside the box and make games that are this intelligent should be rewarded. Personally, I’d be thrilled to see more of these and fewer first person shooters. A good storytelling game stays in my mind for a long time.

The game is currently available on PC, Xbox one and PS4. While I’m normally a bit more partial to playing on PC, my PS4 experience has been without complaint.

http://www.thecouncil-game.com/