243 - Friday the 13th

Developer diaries about creating Neverending Nightmares.
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matt
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243 - Friday the 13th

Post by matt »

In this developer diary, I talk about the role Friday the 13th, superstition, and folklore may serve in modern societies. This hints at some of the things I've been thinking about for the next game.

-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
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evilkinggumby
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Re: 243 - Friday the 13th

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Calling it now. Matt is going to make the next game based on the concepts and designs from Folklore on the PS3 WOO.

muhahahaha

Hmm so the next game is going to be "Neverending Helplessness" or..Helpless Nightmares? :) I still wish you'd start theme naming them after the main characters. So then the next game would be Neverending Nightmares: Harriet's Helplessness

I like the idea though, of making a game that focus's on ones feeling of helplessness and superstition/fate. To examine what it means to feel like you cannot or are unable to control your life and the lives around you, and then examine how some superstitions come into play and can make the person feel like by paying homage to those folktales, they are adding a false layer of control over their lives. It could make for a very bitter and dark story, but also has a lot of open space to allow for creative puzzles, interesting storytelling, and plenty of moments of creepy scary fun.

"Why do bad things happen to good people"

Really I think the best answer is that bad things happen to everyone and ANYONE, we just like to fixate on the moments when they seem especially undeserving, and cast a blind eye when it happens to folk that deserve it and call it "Justice" or "getting what they deserve". Some jerk that cuts you off on the highway gets tagged by a cop down the road, we don 't have any kind of existential dilemma swirling in our minds, we think "JUSTICE". An old woman he also cut off runs into a tree and dies on impact, we think "Where is the justice? why does this always happen to good people?". Now some will say " well him getting caught by the cops isn't justice if that woman died" but him getting caught is just the first in a potential series of bad things. Arrested, car impounded, jail time, court time, fee's, possible abuse in various ways in prison, and a long life of misery and despair await the person.

But that's just me babbling.

And damnit go grab a drink! lol
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matt
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Re: 243 - Friday the 13th

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I am having a lot of trouble coming up with a name I like for the next game, so I don't know what it'll be called. I have a few ideas, and I'll probably post them on the forum.

I think the character will be more empowered (at least a bit) than Thomas in Neverending Nightmares, but all horror explores the things you can't control.

Folklore is one of the major themes, but for the time being, I'm not saying WHAT culture's folklore. :)
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
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evilkinggumby
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Re: 243 - Friday the 13th

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oh fun. I used to read all kinds of folklore as a kid and was fascinated by the grim, grisley stories for a long time. Tales of the bunyip, jenny green teeth and baba-yaga were some of my favorites.

On the upside, a LOT of them have not been touched by gaming. I recall some really interesting and terrifying ones coming out of slavic folklore. We discussed it a bit one before on another board and I got to see some pretty wild stuff.

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matt
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Re: 243 - Friday the 13th

Post by matt »

You may be on to something! :) (Although it isn't Slavic folklore)
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
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