Reviews by darlarosa

slice of life

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Find The Woman Of Colour At The Game Jam, by sui

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Understand the feeling, but not enough here., January 13, 2016
by darlarosa
Related reviews: slice of life,

There are all sorts of interactive texts, and I find that having limited options can be a great thing. This story most reminds me of "The Writer will Do Something", but unlike that game does not manage to fully immerse you in the alienation or hopelessness of the situation. I think with a good writer and an audience that is open to the experience limitations on text can be effective. Here I found it boring and the game felt thrown together.

I'm a black nerdy woman(full disclosure) and have ,partially a result, inhabited mostly white spaces. Not because there aren't other nerds or nerds of color in America, but just simply because we often aren't aware of those spaces or stay in them long,and this author hits on why. You feel alienated and it's hard to communicate ideas to people who don't see any value in them. So I could identify with this story, however, it ultimately falls flat because it didn't fully make me connect at all.

The most unfavorable aspect of this game is that it never stays in one place for long, never explains those emotions or lets you marinate in them. I've experienced what the protagonist has many times, but it never quite captures the depths of it or how one deals with it. It doesn't seem like this work understands itself, or understands the necessity of good pacing and staying in the moment.Throughout the text people are referred to by their race and gender, but referring to people by labels doesn't add anything to the text. It's not ironic, the author doesn't create a sense of distance that emphasizes why that is done or what that means. If the goal is to communicate alienation it doesn't. This story is worth telling, but the way it is told strips everyone of their character in a way that leaves no real room for investment.

It just seems like nothing is expanded on. It's just thrown down and assumed to be felt and understood, and it is not.I think this game could be remade into something fuller, greater, perhaps with black humor. But right now I consider it an honest solid effort that falls flat.

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Unpolished, by Sparklebliss

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
It does exactly what it means., December 14, 2015
by darlarosa
Related reviews: slice of life, dress up,

It's a very short game about painting your nails, and it certainly does what it says on the tin. It's quickness is a virtue and it has a bit of humor in it too. It's kind of funny that such a small decision that most people don't think about actively is sort of a chore and yet even if it's done you aren't quite happy. It's the little things in life that can be a bit interesting.

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