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Originally Posted by Kirk
Welcome, Alex, Phill, and Vinny!
I am sorry to enter the dungeon a bit on the late side, but I am glad to have you here. Thanks for being a part of Adventure Gamers' developer chat.
As an English teacher, I always enjoy linking concepts and topics found in games to the literary world. So if it is not too much to ask:
Since the game has an apparent allusion to Kafka's work, how inlfuenced are you and your team by existential writings and the existential philosophy? Do you feel that your game expresses such a philosophical message? If not, what kind of message does it wish to send in light of the existential works of Kafka?
In the words of Albert Camus, "The absurd is the essential concept and the first truth." Do you and your team believe Bad Mojo--which brings to life an absurd situation--brings life to the existential philosophy?
Lastly, absurdism has never been a mainstream form of theatrical entertainment--with its roots in the Existential. Thus, do you feel your association with or separation from this philosophy has affected the games overall popularity and appeal to gamers? In what ways?
Thanks for anything you spit back. Much appreciated.
Best,
Kirk Latimer
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Fabulous question Kirk...
I, for one, am an existentilist to the bone. In my own work, it is what drives me. Certainly Mojo has some roots there and is more than just an allusion to Kafka - it was directly influenced by him. But I was more influenced by The Trial than by Metamorphosis, which is rather sparse. In The Trial, the protagonsit is dragged into a nightmare beyond his comprehension. Roger Samms is also cast into a form of Hell from which only he can unlock if he chooses the right path. But really, there's more Joseph Campbell here than Kafka. I'm not sure I agree that Mojo brings life to the absurd. I suppose it is strange and impossible, but such metaphorical transformations occur more often than we might think. We just don't see it. One doesn't have to be literally and physically transformed in order to see truth. Campbell speaks of the spiritual transformation of the church experience, the cathedral as the means by which we change form. And there are hundreds of other examples from other cultures as to how we, as humans, undergo symbolic transformations in order to transcend. But I think I got your gist. What does it mean to be alive? Who are we and why are we here? Those are the greatest questions we can ask, and I suspect that the answers are different for everyone, but let's not forget the influence of It's A Wonderful Life on this game. To touch the life of another in a positive and loving way IS the meaning of life in this humble writer's opinion. It is why we exist. Ultimately, Roger Samms realizes the same thing. Sort of. VC
