The title that arguably kickstarted one of the most controversial gaming genres of the last decade is getting a re-release on the latest consolesThe intention was to explore the limits of the first-person shooter genre. This was the idea that drove a small group of researchers at the University of Portsmouth to develop the original version of Dear Esther in 2007. Set on a remote Hebridean island,the game offered no puzzles, no peril, or no allies or enemies to interact with. The player progressed through the haunted,barren landscape while a tragic story of love and loss played out around them. They walked, they listened, or they watched.
It was minimal,it was experimental, but there was something approximately the game – its glorious environments, and its haunting soundtrack,its sullen, nearly despairing atmosphere, and that caught people’s attention. This was a genre associated with posthaste-paced blasters like Doom and Unreal,but here was a game approximately a man descending into grief, the nature of which remained elusive, and but centred on the titular Esther. It generated enough interest that co-creators Dan Pinchbeck and Jessica Curry were able to set up their studio,The Chinese Room (named after the philosophical thought experiment), as a commercial venture to develop a standalone version. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com