The New Abstract - an IFDB Poll
by strivenword
RSS FeedTime goes on, vibes change, people change, historical thresholds are crossed.
I always loved the unique kind of abstract/surreal genre in IF. I don't want to give a grocery list of the games that I liked it in, because I don't want it to be defined by the past, but I'd like to see what it has evolved into. I will say that before I stopped following the IF websites in 2016ish, I have indeed seen the abstract/surreal genre cross over from parser to choice-based.
What are some good abstract or surreal games that have come out since 2017?
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Andrew Schultz, March 16, 2022 (updated March 17, 2022) - Reply
This year's (2021) IFComp had a lot of games that took place in a virtual reality of sorts. Universal Hologram already got listed and Cygnet Committee is more about an AI gone haywire.
"Abstract" may open up a lot of possibilities since a lot of recent games have been in Cyberspace, and that may be the first thing people think of when they see "abstract." It feels like something people have gotten a handle on in the past few years, so you may get suggestions heavily slanted towards cyberspace games--the comp had some very good ones, but just FYI, you may see that more than general absurdism!
This year's (2021) IFComp had a lot of games that took place in a virtual reality of sorts. Universal Hologram already got listed and Cygnet Committee is more about an AI gone haywire.
"Abstract" may open up a lot of possibilities since a lot of recent games have been in Cyberspace, and that may be the first thing people think of when they see "abstract." It feels like something people have gotten a handle on in the past few years, so you may get suggestions heavily slanted towards cyberspace games--the comp had some very good ones, but just FYI, you may see that more than general absurdism!
strivenword, March 28, 2022 - Reply
That's an interesting and logical development. Doubly interesting because in popular culture, at least from my perspective, the cyberspace genres have gone out of style. Fantasy is seeing another wave, with shows like *Wheel of Time* and *Rings of Power* on Amazon Prime. I think that far future sci-fi will come around and have its little moment again next -- nothing like the near future cyberpunk kind of thing, but more like old classic sci-fi, maybe space operas, but maybe even old utopian sci-fi. I think people want utopian stories these days.
I don't know, though. Just a hunch. I'll be keen to look into what has been going on in IF, if I ever figure out my priorities. :)
That's an interesting and logical development. Doubly interesting because in popular culture, at least from my perspective, the cyberspace genres have gone out of style. Fantasy is seeing another wave, with shows like *Wheel of Time* and *Rings of Power* on Amazon Prime. I think that far future sci-fi will come around and have its little moment again next -- nothing like the near future cyberpunk kind of thing, but more like old classic sci-fi, maybe space operas, but maybe even old utopian sci-fi. I think people want utopian stories these days.
I don't know, though. Just a hunch. I'll be keen to look into what has been going on in IF, if I ever figure out my priorities. :)
Andrew Schultz, April 5, 2022 - Reply
Well, we're glad to see you back in any case, however much time and energy you can find to look into catching up! I've been around and I know there are things I still missed. I mean, I reviewed all of IFComp last year, and it was exhausting
And yes, things seem to go in waves as certain groups of people say "hey, wait, this was overlooked in popular art" and they go do something. I am glad to see people reacting and trying something different. As Frank Zappa said, without deviation, progress is impossible ... and I think people in the twine/parser community look for interesting and good ways to deviate, once they've gotten their "hey, I want to show myself I'm competent" works out of the way.
Well, we're glad to see you back in any case, however much time and energy you can find to look into catching up! I've been around and I know there are things I still missed. I mean, I reviewed all of IFComp last year, and it was exhausting
And yes, things seem to go in waves as certain groups of people say "hey, wait, this was overlooked in popular art" and they go do something. I am glad to see people reacting and trying something different. As Frank Zappa said, without deviation, progress is impossible ... and I think people in the twine/parser community look for interesting and good ways to deviate, once they've gotten their "hey, I want to show myself I'm competent" works out of the way.