Here Because
Brace yourself; I am an art student.
Here Because
Here Because is an arcade style video game playable on computers equipped with a webcam. The game is presented in a style reminiscent of early Game Boy games: an olive tinted screen and simplistic graphics. The over arching theme I wanted to explore with this project was indecision and uncertainty. I decided to approach the project from this perspective to question whether purpose is necessary. Essentially the core of Here Because's concept is the lack of concept. The game is conveys this by demanding the endless pursuit of a goal that is ultimately unobtainable.
The game in progress
Here Because is a single player, arcade style, video game. Players are placed on a stage where the walls, covered in spikes, slowly close in on the player. In order to survive, the player must collect flags – every time a flag is collected the walls recede. However here in lies the paradox: each time a flag is collected, the walls will proceed to close in on the player at an even faster rate, which eventually leads to the player's demise. From the start the player has no chance of success. While it is a losing-game, Here Because has been designed such that it provides the illusion of success, and provides incremental moments of achievement. In this manner players are enticed to play the game, and in an addictive fashion chase the highest score possible.
Little Dude must collect flags to avoid spiky walls!
Upon losing, the computer takes a candid picture of the player's face, which is then displayed to the player along with their score. This picture represents the culmination of all their efforts and aims to capture the emotion (or lack of it) the player's face conveys. The emotions captured vary for each player, but demonstrate how the player felt the moment they lost. It also hopefully provides some introspection, as the player sees themselves immersed in the experience that has just ended. Why have they participated, if only to face a failure that was inevitable?
Let us cut the crap (or perhaps sink further in it). Here Because has no “concept”. It is a video game, it is a simple joy, and it is a finite and momentary immersion in pointlessness. This lack of concept is the concept. An arcade styled video game was chosen as it serves as a perfect analogy for our life's experiences. Each of us are thrown onto life's stage. We seek love, companionship, careers, money and the latest Apple devices, but eventually we meet our demise. All of these things are temporary, existing if only for a moment in time. The game mirrors life's pursuits through the metaphor of chasing flags, and life's end through the parallel of an inevitable Game Over. Why do we play the game; what is its purpose; and how do we cope with the paradox of “all for naught”? In my failure to produce something artistically meaningful, I have created meaning. I pray that at the end of all things, I will still find success in my attempt.