Today’s climate is arguably the greatest we’ve ever had in gaming culture. We are able to play any type of experience that we so choose. If you want to play 2D Platformers like back in the day of Mario, there are games easily accessible to everyone. If you want a game with production budgets of the big Hollywood films, there are those too. Lately there has been a ground swell of developers creating games which are considered FPX’s (First Person Experiences). Look at games like Dear Esther where the players’ sole goal isn’t to wield a gun, or fight off demons, or have these large multiplayer matches. They are created to enter a world and get lost in it. Some even argue if these ARE games?
I bring this up because at PAX East this past weekend a game which excited me when I first heard about it had some new details released. That game is called Adr1ft, which being developed by Three One Zero. Ad1ft is a game which puts the player in the position of an astronaut in a somewhat Gravity situation where the player is floating amongst the wreckage of a space station. The player must attempt to find out what happened. There is no shooting and only a story found is in the environment. The player must manage their oxygen consumption to stay alive through this roughly 4 hour campaign.
Journey was a game that I played in 2012 which blew me away. It made me want to experience more of those games. Luckily there has been a certain quality which games like Gone Home and The Stanley Parable which are being incredibly well received by critics and fans alike.
The question becomes, is there a market for this type of game? The more we get of these games does the novelty wear off? I believe these questions could become a real possibility in the near future. Though, the arrival of VR could be the saviour for these types of games. If Sony announced at this year’s E3 that Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture will be delayed to come out in 2016 at the launch of Project Morpheus (which would be incredible). That announcement could be a big step forward for these games and VR as a technology.
I feel like there’s a good discussion to be had with these games. It’s also great gaming has gotten to this point where we can talk about games like this, along with other games like Shovel Knight or Halo. If you are someone who hasn’t attempted this style of games, I implore you to give it a go. It may not be your style of game but it’s something everyone should experience for themselves.
If you agree with me or not leave comments below or hit me up @clemo_24 on twitter.
