I came across a truly remarkable counter-point to several of the major time-wasting arguments in AGI. There is a game called Journey (PS3). There are literally fewer than a dozen words in the entire game. The main menu has basically one choice "start new Journey". At the very end of the credits there's a screen titled "companions met along the way" (from which you learn the other player that you'd been traveling with is referred to as a companion). There is literally no other text in the game save for the credits themselves. There is no statement of a goal, there are no meaningful symbols beyond pictograms. The only way to communicate with your companion is to shout your (what I call) Tetra-glyph. The only meaning of your tetraglyph is to identify yourself to your companions at the end of the game.
Everything you learn about the game you learn by studying interactions between things and subtle changes in the environment triggered by your previous actions. For example, to earn the white cloak (which re-charges your scarf whenever you are standing on something), you must collect all the symbols. There are 3 or 4 symbols in each level. When you collect a symbol, its corresponding marker at the end of the level, as well as the one at the beginning of the game begins to glow. This will let you home in on the ones you need to search for. Almost all the levels feature several murals which are a pictorial representation of some event in the history of the ruin you're traveling through. Furthermore, the history of the world, including your own previous journeys, are told to you by the gods/greater spirits at the end of each level. (you must meditate before continuing). These stories are communicated through animated pictograms. The game is not at all challenging, it is designed to act on your emotions, it's amazingly beautiful; a real tear-jerker towards the end, when you're up on the mountain and you have nothing left but your determination and that is not enough; you collapse, die, are judged, found worthy, and sent to heaven by means of an explosive surge of energy, once there you dance among the clouds and rainbows, and music, and waterfalls and oh god, it's beautiful! And finally you reach your destination. -- and are sent back to the beginning; only choice offered is "start new journey". =P Basically, if you think in terms of goals and NLP, then you absolutely positively MUST play that game. -- E T F N H E D E D Powers are not rights. ------------------------------------------- AGI Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/21088071-c97d2393 Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=21088071&id_secret=21088071-2484a968 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
