In My Garden

Category	Rank	Score
Coolness	1	100
Mood	149	3.54
Innovation	360	3.42
Humor	374	2.64
Audio	491	2.80
Overall	654	3.11
Theme	840	2.81
Fun	870	2.68
Graphics	950	2.46

ben-lehman 2014-08-25 07:16

I liked it. I don't feel like the video added much, but that might be because I'm on a small screen and couldn't have both windows open at once. I think that the hypertext could have been a little less railroaded, and maybe could have spent more time with the relationship between me and the garden than in the nursing home.

I'm also not 100% sure about the view of institutionalized people: a lot of times uncommunicative people have a lot going on, internally, rather than becoming vegetative. From that perspective the nursing home section becomes escalatingly nightmareish, as your choices narrow. But, also, make the statement you need to make.

I think with more work to integrate the text and video, plus a rigorous re-edit of the text, you could do a good story here.

mercurylegba 2014-08-25 07:29

Thanks a lot, Ben. I actually agree with you, when it comes to this particular view in "uncommunicative people". The decline into the vegetative state was more a comment on our society's rather generous approach when it comes to medication. It's ridiculous, what they are giving to old people, basically turning them into junkies.
I might try a a different plattform next time, where I can integrate video, sound and text better.

stephan_h 2014-08-25 07:40

That was a pleasant experience.
The idea of connecting two media worlds is great. Although the video got a bit on my nerves when the humming/beeping started.
The text could have more possible actions for the player. But very well written.

mrexcessive 2014-08-25 07:42

Great story! Very moving and well crafted pathos, yet also amusing. Tragedy greater than comedy. There is always the garden.

mcfood 2014-08-25 07:52

The buzzing in the video came in at just the right time for me. It all felt so eerie.

The story also really drew me in, my girlfriend has worked in aged care and I felt a strong connection to what she described.

xeke_death 2014-08-25 08:34

Creepy how the video faded out as I was reading the last couple of paragraphs... Well timed...

fcpfoof 2014-08-25 09:56

Have a beer, have a beer, have a beer, have a dinner xD.

gwenn 2014-08-25 10:33

Very interesting game. I liked the idea of combining a video with an interactive text. Sadly, I had to turn off the sound after a moment because I found out very difficult to stand the buzzing sound, but maybe that's just me.

micahcowan 2014-08-25 21:03

Nice, simple game, having the video on adds ambience. It would work better if there wasn't the load beeping that starts partway through, though...

Played better than many "Choose Your Own Adventure Games" of my youth did. The font adds a lot to the feel of it, though the opening quotes seem to display low, like it was written for a language other than English (I'm using Firefox on Mac OS, if that matters).

A few misspelled words, like "led" was "let", and "younger than" was "younger then". Also, one moment I'm watching TV, the next I'm apparently in an insane asylum. Seems like more of a segue would've been nice. :)

Enjoyed it. Thanks!

synchingfeeling 2014-08-25 21:04

Beautiful. The video wasn't in sync with the story but it was all very touching and the two worlds concept was fantastic.

yodamaster 2014-08-25 21:05

The sound of the video add nicely to the overall experience.

micahcowan 2014-08-25 21:05

I guess I didn't see much connection with the theme, though?

mercurylegba 2014-08-25 21:10

@micahcowan: Thanks for your feedback! I will try to find those typos then, typical mistakes for a non-native speaker/writer as myself.

headchant 2014-08-26 09:42

Awesome game, I really liked the combination of film and text. The sounds were perfectly attuned to the story. Loved the hedgehog!

hippolyta 2014-08-26 12:13

Very cool idea!

larzan 2014-08-26 12:41

Thank you!

I was very moved by the story as i can relate to it and it is very well written, your words are evoking emotions, memories and images, no pixels necessary.

I 'played' it two times and was moved by each version of the story.

The representation of nursing homes and the path we follow through the eyes of the protagonist should stand as an example of how it might be and in fact is in a lot of cases.
I agree with the other commentators that it is a 'stereotypical' view, but it is one story of many that are out there. I certainly have seen / heard of exactly those situations. This is one story out of the many.

I have to admit that i didn't get the parallel video / text part, maybe you could clarify that in the instructions like : First open the video, then when the text tells you go to the second link (or sth. like that for the slower ppl. like me ;)

exhale

mercurylegba 2014-08-26 14:06

@Larzan: Thanks a lot! Yes, it is just one of many ways to experience a nursing home. My grandmother had a great time, when she was in one herself, cheating in card games till she passed away peacefully in her mid nineties.
Good idea about the instructions, I will try make it more clear.

drcicero 2014-08-26 15:29

Wonderful idea for the theme, using a video and text adventure, but the video isnt really a video... its more of a picture, no?
it would have been better if at some point the video told you something that you can use in the game, so the media are actually connected.

robert_steiner 2014-08-27 19:03

Yes, this two media sources supplement each another perfectly

dookie 2014-08-27 19:05

This was really good! Very moving little story. It must differ from person to person how the audio and their progress in the story line up, but I was lucky enough to get a sense of connection between the changes in the sound and the changing mood in the story. I enjoyed it a lot! :)

gaarlicbread 2014-08-27 19:48

This was more interesting than I had expected. It reminded me of other life-as-a-whole games like Passage or Notch's game from the last LD called Drowning in Problems (links below). I appreciate the quote from Nabokov, and the way the story felt tied together. I also felt involved in the way the sense of time moved forward. I think it was well written.

Life is at once beautifully sad and sadly beautiful.

Passage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passage_(video_game)
Drowning in problems: http://game.notch.net/drowning/

amour-maternel 2014-08-28 13:46

Setting the mood with the video is a brilliant idea. The story is interesting and not too long or too pompous like it sometimes is in interactive text game. I liked it.

mechabit 2014-08-30 10:46

would have preferred the video and text to be in the same place, interesting experiment though

fwg 2014-08-30 11:27

Had a lot of beer and died. 10/10, would die again.

naytron 2014-08-30 13:55

There is a lot of beer on offer in this adventure.
Nice writing.

jukimv1986 2014-08-30 14:05

Nice experience-based game. I got stuck in a seemingly endless loop of medication and dinners but that's life, isn't it? Good job for a text based game.

scriptblocks 2014-08-30 14:05

Beer

mercurylegba 2014-08-30 16:09

Cheers to all of you beer drinkers. For those getting stuck in retirement: it's never too late to stop taking your medication.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_beer_consumption_per_capita

elefantopia 2014-08-30 23:37

Wow, it's an interesting experience. The writing is really good. Beer!

whalebot 2014-09-02 21:20

This was quite well done.

lokarunith 2014-09-16 00:37

The story was very engaging, I liked it a lot. The ambient sound of the movie is very relaxing but the high pitched sounds are a bit annoying. I loved the odd storyline and the interaction between the movie and the text.