02 | Meanings rippled in reflection

Writing games means accepting that no one will ever really experience your creation as it is. On the contrary, it will always be experienced through the human mirror of the players (others, but even you) interacting with and playing the game. And, to be honest, not only am I okay with that, but I find it one of the best things in role-playing games.

I enjoy metaphors as an instrument to bring to understanding because they are, in a way, a mirror with a very narrow scope. When you describe a situation through a metaphor, you sometimes unconsciously put an accent by difference to only the nuances you deem more meaningful. Even in this welcome series, I can take the liberty to talk via metaphors because the topic of game design is clear, and most of you would be at least partially familiar with it. At least, every person is familiar with the act of imagination.

Therefore, in my game design, I take the panoramic route once again and thus mirror my creation before everyone else. Although it may not be the most efficient way of doing things, it’s one way I managed to write about what you know while letting your players experience something through play that they cannot experience through living—at least not in the same flavor. 

If you look at them at a glance, you may think what my games look like on the surface is misleading. But keep in mind that the mirror I’m referring to is not made of glass and chrome but of water that is ready to ripple. What you see on contact will change quickly and even faster when immersed in playing them. But in reality, nothing is really changing but your point of view, which progresses through the game to let you understand the metaphor.

In Little Katy’s Tea Party, a little girl takes tea with her stuffed friends from the cover. Still, the situation becomes more evident as soon as you read the colophon. By going through the game, you’ll understand you’ll play by reliving some difficult moments of her childhood and why the friends, made alive by imagination, are the story's protagonists.

Nonetheless, every game of mine has a sort of lighthouse, a bright core that, albeit not always explicitly mentioned, you should see soon enough. But you’ll have to wait until the next series for me to meet that.

Yours Truly, a Nuclear Manatee