"Should I have kept these thoughts in my head?"
The Games That Make You Rethink Life is a bit of a misnomer.
You'll see what I mean in the video itself. This idea seeking to define the Life Affirming video game began to take shape as early as January 2023, two years before its final release. It took on a life of its own, evolving on my original intent to portray how my perspective on art, intent, and interpretation had evolved in the time it took to create it.
It explores this concept through the lens of Stardew Valley, Firewatch, and Outer Wilds—three games that have each had a profound impact on my life.
Deliberate framing and modded, in-game camera techniques were utilized to greatly enhance the storytelling.
In addition, this video offered a wonderful excuse to bust out my camera, providing shots meant to demonstrate how the impact of these games bled into my real life with strong imagery. Looking back I wish I had done even more with some hiking, sunset, and nighttime shots, but I'm still very happy with how everything turned out.
A detour into gardening was capped off perfectly with this shot.
I grabbed the mountains from the Haunted Chocolatier blog, and for extra flourish, animated the twinkling stars.
The following is probably my favorite segment overall. I strongly believe this vulnerable, earnest climax was earned through my written and visual storytelling. It's best appreciated in context but I wear it like a badge of honor.
Sound on!
