Category: Student Posts

22:01 Entering to the lounge: “Oh shit my mouse is too sensitive that I cannot control my cursor well. Why I am moving so slow?”

22:04 Searching things on the right side: “Oh, I can open the shelf. Oh, here is a map. Wait, do I need this map after I go outside of this building?”

22:08 Opening the closest door on the right side “Oh no… I feel like there will be a creepy thing inside… Oh, it’s just a closet. There is a name tag. I should take a look at it. Oh my god, my screen is lagging.”

22:17 Looking at the shelf on the right side: “Is there anything behind the shelf? Oh wait, there is a question mark. Let me click on it. Oh, what is this. I’m going inside. Oh, there is a key to go to attic. Nice! I’m probably going to need this later. I feel like there are more hidden entrances.”

22:28 Finding out that the right door is locked: “Oh my god. This game might take longer time than what I am expecting. I should have started this game in the morning.”

22:30 Starting search the left side of the lounge and hearing a sudden Sam’s voice: “There is a folder. Oh, so they just moved here? Seriously? Do I have to memorize all the things? (Taking a picture of this instead…) Oh ****! (I freaked out by the Sam’s narration.)”

22:32 Finding a letter to Sam talking about Daniel: “This guy is pretty suspicious…”

22:35 Finding a letter from the principal and hearing a sudden Sam’s voice again: “Okay… (Taking a picture of the letter…) Oh ****! (I freaked out again by the Sam’s narration.) I cannot get used to this sudden narration. Oh, so this house is haunted…”

22:42 Looking around the parent’s room (?): “JFK… I don’t know how these things are all related…”

23:15 Finding an “interesting” magazine: “Oh, this is a book about JFK. I see. Yikes. (opening the ‘interesting’ magazine) Wait, I thought this game is horror.”

23:18 Finding the combination: “Oh there is a folder again. This number should be the combination for something.”

23:32 Starting to realize what is going on: “Oh so Lonnie and Sam love each other. There might be a problem between them, and that is why Sam probably left.”

00:12 Guessing the combination correctly: “I already know the last three digits. I should just guess one digit. Easy. Oh there is a key to basement.”

00:30 Finding out about the relationship between Sam and Lonnie and what happened to Lonnie: “Yeah, I kinda knew it. Oh that’s kinda sad. Did Same leave to find Lonnie?”

00:51 Finding the entrance to attic and searching around attic: “Finally I found the attic. Oh Lonnie asked Sam to meet her again. Oh there is a green book. Is this ending? I did not even explore basement. Oops.”

This game is not a mystery game or a horror game. This is more like a “story” for me. As I played through the game, I learned what the game is about. I probably should not realize that there was a hidden door to get the key to the attic. Although the sequence of how I played was probably not right, I believe that I got some key points of this game. This game tries to reproduce the atmosphere in 1995 by placing many items that were common back in 1995 like a radio. Also, I believe that LGBT was not considered a positive factor in 1995 and that fact could be inferred from the story. However, I could see her father’s effort to understand Sam’s situation. Each member in the family could not see each other’s effort, but there was the warmth of the family.

#sq3

8:03pm – Just started the game and I’m already getting very creepy vibes. After my character comes back from studying abroad she arrives at a large, dark house on a rainy night. The first thing I noticed about this game was the sound design was very good. With headphones in I can hear the direction of the rain changing as I move the character. After walking around the house for a little bit I’m impressed by how many objects in the game I can interact with: from a phone to and answering machine, to random pencils and pens in drawers. The dates on the pieces of paper I pick up and lack of cellphone access make the setting unmistakably the 90s, which I think makes the game more interesting.

Another thing I’ve noticed about this game is that it is very dark. Even after I adjusted my brightness I have to turn on every light in the room before I can see what I’m doing clearly. This is a challenge for me and I hope it doesn’t get too irritating as I continue the game.

8:45pm – I’ve continued the game since the last post: walking around the house in search of clues for where my family went. I am oftentimes a perfectionist in story-driven games such as Gone Home, so I like to read most of the clues that are laid out. One interesting thing I’ve figured out about the family is that they (or at least one of them) are Kennedy Assassination conspiracy theorists. I found one book at first in the TV room, but then I later found a whole stockpile of them in a closet. I don’t know if this is relevant to the story, but I find these side details very interesting and I hope to investigate them further. For now though, it seems the main plot pertains to the friendship of Lonnie and my sister Samantha. After hearing the audio of Sam dyeing Lonnie’s hair, I’m beginning to suspect they might be more than friends.

Start game: 4:00 PM

Link back to course website: https://eng101s20.davidmorgen.org/quests/side-quests/side-quest-3-liveblogging-gone-home/

4:10: Some of the first clues I found are screenshots underneath. The audio quality in this game is excellent, my foot steps, sound of rain, thunder and relative positions in the house makes the game feel realistic. The sound of raining is much louder on the porch than inside. And each drawer, sliding door makes their unique sound during opening and closing. I am amazed by how detailed and realistic this game is.

4:22: I found a lot of notes from drawer, and reading them is becoming a little bit boring. I keep looking around the house for details and looked through every room, drawer and anything that can be picked up.

4:30: At 2nd floor, I found a clue about the secret room in parent’s bedroom, it was really cool to discover that door. I was a bit scared of the darkness inside, and the spiderweb after I turned on the light. The visual message is dark and intense, which is what I expected to find in this kind of puzzle game. The lighting and darkness are really helpful to convey that kind of emotion. I feel more involved in this game as first person. Still, I am trying to figure out

4:35: clues keep coming and I found 3 hidden cabinets in different rooms. Unlocking the lock was easier than I expected, I thought I have to figure out how to turn the lock, but I don’t need to. Time, background and setting are very much set up by the letters and as I read more, I started to understand more about the history of the family. I think this will lead to a murder case, and I hope I will not see blood or body in this game.

4:50: I really like the hand-writing style of the papers I pick up. The marking on my map makes it easier for me to track the spots. Also the ghost hunters makes it more dreadful. The tapes that I picked up can be used to play and give more clues as story progresses. Different media types for information input is useful to make this game more intriguing and involving.

5:08: I like this red color in complete darkness, I look forward to figure out what is behind that door.

I have just downloaded the game “Gone Home” on my computer and am now ready to begin my quest. I will be live blogging my journey through the game and the assignment directions are explained in this link: https://eng101s20.davidmorgen.org/quests/side-quests/side-quest-3-liveblogging-gone-home/ .

The game begins by setting the atmosphere and tone for the game. I immediately sense the intensity by examining mysterious items and trying to gain entrance into the house. The porch is lit poorly and I am having trouble looking at some things because the game as a whole is very dark. I am able to see the lights flickering through the windows and hear the torrential rain pouring down the outside of the house. To gain entry into the house, I found a key to unlock the door and was able to get inside the house, but I realized no one was home. Playing the game in the first-person narrative makes me feel like I am in the game and allows me to understand the character’s confusion and emotions. In addition, being able to pick things up and examine the little details of notes and objects will help me stay connected to the game. Kaitlyn’s bag shows she travels across the world, so this may be foreshadowing that she will have to be adventurous in the game story line. I predict that the rest of the game will be trying to understand what is happening in the house and where everyone went after reading the note from Sam.

I loved the interactive and personal feel of the game. I felt like I was Kaitlyn and Sam at times in the game and that I was able to understand what they were thinking at every point in time. Turning on every light and reading any documents I could find was tedious, but it made me feel like a detective. In the end, I was still left confused and trying to connect some points because I may have missed a room or an object in the room. The dark background, sound effects, and ability to control everything helped me a lot and allowed me to examine everything on my screen. Overall, this gaming experience was enjoyable, but I am left curious to learn more about why everything happened.

Bluetooth mouse plugged in. Headphones connected. Check. Check. Launch game. I hear my computer struggle now. Subtitles on. Graphics switched to Low. Check. Check. New Game. Gone Home (The Fullbright Company, 2013) here we go. 

I don’t know whether it is because my GPU and CPU are inadequate for the game, or the game is designed to be so, I spent half a minute staring at a black screen. The game’s title then appeared. I shall say Gone Home starts with a contemplative mood. According to the reviews on the game website’s homepage, Gone Home tells a story about love, so at that moment I realize this will turn out to be a real-world fiction, not a horror game. The voices of both Samantha and Kaitlin triggered in the game are pleasing, and the voiceover artists do an impressive job. The score for the game adds to the contemplative mood. One unfortunate thing was that the subtitles to the voiceovers lagged too much on my computer. Interestingly, the player cannot see Kaitlin’s body. If we turn the camera angle straight down (corresponding to looking at one’s feet in a first-person POV), we see the floor only. Back to the contemplative mood, the character is not allowed to run or jump, and objects move in slow-motion. For instance, when we open a drawer, the pencil would roll outward in uniform linear motion; when we throw an object into the air, it does not observe every law of gravity. In addition, all the objects look realistic, and are relatable for an American. Also, I looked up some of the books by Greenbriar, and they indeed do not exist. 

Although Gone Home receives mostly positive feedback, there could remain minor improvements (merely a non-professional’s casual observations). Gone Home does not provide players with hints. Some players assume the game’s thrill will depend on jumpscares, while this is not exactly the case. The atmosphere brings uneasiness, and ambient sounds may serve as slight jumpscares, but scaring the players is not the main purpose of the game. Under stress, the player might not be able to idly search for every object available. Compared to more recent “point-and-click” high-definition adventure games, Gone Home’s magic somehow pales. One of the most expertly-made examples include What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow, 2017). Also a “point-and-click” game with a few puzzles to solve, Edith Finch provides the players with clear clues on what to click on (flashing white dots), and allow players to read the whole story in an innovative. The storyline is the core of some “point-and-click” games, so when the player misses a component, the gaming experience would not be complete. Gone Home has no cues for distinguishing critical objects (including light switches and objects that trigger voiceovers: pieces of paper, cassette, spray can, etc.) and ordinary objects (toilet paper rolls, pencils, etc.). Still, it is not to say “point-and-click” games have to provide cues for players, as some players could find entertainment in looking for the right object. Either way, Gone Home tells an adorable love story in a creative way. 

20:16 The game is set. Ready to play.

8:32 The game looks like a horror game, the unstoppable rain outside and the dim light in the house are typical elements when a horror story takes place. The game is really detailed. Especially, the sound effects in the game are really vivid. When turning the character with the mice, there is a change of volume on each side of the channel. For example, when the character’s left ear is closer to the window, the sound of rain on the left channel is bigger. However, the sensitivity of the mice is too high that even with a little move, the character could be suddenly facing the roof or the floor.

21:07 It is just hard to play the game when I almost missed all the switches of the light. I am literally going through darkness.

21:38 The setting of the game is so authentic. I have to take the book under a lamb in order to see its cover. There are so many elements in the game. I guess I missed a lot of them. The subjective finding process makes the game really interactive.

Playing Gone Home is an immersive experience.

I am going to start playing Gone Home. The background music is pretty creepy. I hope that I am not going to freak out… Also, I like how I can hear the sound of rainfall and thunder. This makes the setting more serious and depressing. Since the note on the door says that Sam does not want me(Katie) to find out where he went, I probably need to find where he is (because that is usually how a game works). However, the sensitivity of my mouse is distracting from playing smoothly.

#sq3, #gonehome and #liveblog

June 7, 1995 1:15AM: “…don’t go digging around trying to find out where I am. I don’t want Mom and Dad anyone to know…” – Sam

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LiveBlog of playing Gone Home

9:47: Game experience: bad; my apple laptop does not corporate, it takes forever to move a step, and it seems like a gaming laptop is needed for an actual game. But it seems like a pretty relaxing and typical puzzle game for us to solve. Sort of a “find the key and unlock this door” type of escape room game.

9:51 It’s much like a horror game, especially when entering into a hallway after seeing the family portrait. It is like how most horror games start when something suddenly jumps out.(with the thunder storm background)

9:56: Sam was called as a “psycho house girl”. The house does give me a sense of “psycho”, but I wonder what is the history or stories behind the house.

10:20: The parents are reading books about how to educate teens, and it looks like a pretty loving family, especially with Katie’s light-hearted tone every time she writes to her parents and sam.

10:30 From the note that Terrance wrote for Sam, it looks like Sam is having trouble making friends in school. Or maybe her dad saw the “bully note” from school?

took a break

11:29 From the note on the board, it looks like there are serious communication issues between Sam and her parents.

11:37 Some of the details in the game is really really well-done: like the pens rolls every time I open a drawer, and I could not see the title of a game tape unless I bring them under the light. I also realized there are a lot of highlighters in the house, is it because of their dad’s job as a writer? And there are different cassette tape that we could play, with different styles, the family probably love bands and music in general a lot.

12:25 The “Ghost Hunting” “exploration”, the secret library, and the red lights are actually freaking me out. I realized that whenever I get into a room, the first thing I do is turn on every light and lamp I could to give myself a sense of safety.

12:32 I’m kinda stuck now, I have been looking around the house for many times, and I’m seeing the same things over and over again. There must be some clues that I missed, like the key to get into the attic.

12:35 With the pizza boxes and chip bags, it feels like some one just disappeared from this house instead of planning on leaving this house to a new place.

12:55 There are just so so many puzzles and questions that are needed to be answered, There is no way I can stop playing the game right now.

1:20 Too many rooms, this house is a mansion, or should I say it’s a maze？

1:30 I found out that there are a bunch of clues of Terrance’s uncle Oscar, which is not necessarily important to the end of the game about Sam. But it seems like Oscar sold his pharmacy to “stay away from temptations”, which I’m not sure what exactly happened. And the idea of JFK assassination and the year 1963 occur just way too many times in this game.

2:04 I finished playing the game, there are still a lot unsettling questions, like why is the house called a psycho house, or what did the ouija board, or what exactly happened between Terrance, his father and his uncle, why is Terrance obsessed with JFK assassination and the phrase “you can do better”. Maybe I’m just missing a bunch of clues in the game.

I feel like the tone of my live blog is getting similar to the tone of Samantha’s journal, not sure why. But whenever Samantha’s voice is played in the back, somehow the game is “safe” and not so much like a horror game any more.

Except the technical issue, I have to admit the way that this game laid out the tangled stories are unique and engaging. It makes player wants to keep playing, and learn new chapters of the story. It is first person point of view from Katie, but it’s also first person from Sam’s view with her journal.

8:46 pm : I am impressed by how much details this game is offering, even including rotating the object.