Game 44 - Emily is Away - Week 56 - Jan 21

mily is Away..

and I'm listening to music akin to my DP (for all you zoomers, that means display picture), playing RuneScape.

I've heard by many high art is something that triggers high emotion within you which leads to ponderous thought. Playing this game... no experiencing Emily is Away I actually felt real social anxiety, taking me back to a more awkward time in my life. Especially in the later chapters where there was a degree of uncertainty and rejection from Emily. More so than the real girls I talk to in real life now.  Is that not art?

And my god are these emotions pushed further by the backspacing when chatting with Emily. A clever way to redirect choice and it feels all too real - exactly something I would have done back in my nervous teens. This is highlighted especially in Chapter 4  – 20056. Whenever you attempt to get real, you delete what you typed and defer to small talk. After a back and fourth full of ‘not really’, ‘that’s cool’, ‘yeah they’re good’, ‘nice’ you reach the inevitable three choices of ‘goodbye’, ‘goodbye’ and ‘goodbye’.

*Emily has left the chat*

And then it FUCKING ENDS. 

BRUH.

BRUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Kill me now.

Let me backspace a little. That's the raw emotion captured in the moment that this tiny experience made me feel. A feeling to which no other experience has even come close for quite a while. Emily is Away is simple in premise - as a fresh high school graduate are about to head to college and your friend Emily hits you up about it on what other than MSN. It's clear there's a high school crush here with the air of disappointment from going to different colleges. "Are you going to the party tonight?" She asks hopefully. Your response can be one of many. Yes, maybe, no. Whatever your decision, Emily is now away and the next chapter begins 1 year later. Your relationship with Emily depends on the decision you made. I went to the party and she questions why we didn't kiss that night and why I didn't visit her at her college. The cycle continues and oh boy is it a good one. Each time your DP updates based on the music of the year, I choose Gorillas, Green Day, Eminem, all my childhood bands. You have a clever little friends list where you can check any updates each year - the precursor to Facebook. 

The Windows 7 design is essential to the experience feeling authentic and the triggers it provides. 

Adding your Steam friends to the Buddy List is a cute feature. 

The college experience and it being in 2001 meant the story was about 10 years to be entirely spot ont on. But I experienced more than enough of anxious Instant Messaging in primary school to receive that sweet shot of nostalgia straight to the heart. The nostalgia was compounded by the fact that I blasted the music of each year and played RuneScape throughout the entire game. The exact game I would have played at the time of college during the Windows XP era - giving me an opportunity to simulate my lost college years. I think anyone who’s lived in the era of the internet can relate to and will enjoy this absolute treasure of pure nostalgia. 

mily is Away..

and I'm listening to music akin to my DP (for all you zoomers, that means display picture), playing RuneScape.

I've heard by many high art is something that triggers high emotion within you which leads to ponderous thought. Playing this game... no experiencing Emily is Away I actually felt real social anxiety, taking me back to a more awkward time in my life. Especially in the later chapters where there was a degree of uncertainty and rejection from Emily. More so than the real girls I talk to in real life now.  Is that not art?

And my god are these emotions pushed further by the backspacing when chatting with Emily. A clever way to redirect choice and it feels all too real - exactly something I would have done back in my nervous teens. This is highlighted especially in Chapter 4  – 20056. Whenever you attempt to get real, you delete what you typed and defer to small talk. After a back and fourth full of ‘not really’, ‘that’s cool’, ‘yeah they’re good’, ‘nice’ you reach the inevitable three choices of ‘goodbye’, ‘goodbye’ and ‘goodbye’.

*Emily has left the chat*

And then it FUCKING ENDS. 

BRUH.

BRUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Kill me now.

Let me backspace a little. That's the raw emotion captured in the moment that this tiny experience made me feel. A feeling to which no other experience has even come close for quite a while. Emily is Away is simple in premise - as a fresh high school graduate are about to head to college and your friend Emily hits you up about it on what other than MSN. It's clear there's a high school crush here with the air of disappointment from going to different colleges. "Are you going to the party tonight?" She asks hopefully. Your response can be one of many. Yes, maybe, no. Whatever your decision, Emily is now away and the next chapter begins 1 year later. Your relationship with Emily depends on the decision you made. I went to the party and she questions why we didn't kiss that night and why I didn't visit her at her college. The cycle continues and oh boy is it a good one. Each time your DP updates based on the music of the year, I choose Gorillas, Green Day, Eminem, all my childhood bands. You have a clever little friends list where you can check any updates each year - the precursor to Facebook. 

The Windows 7 design is essential to the experience feeling authentic and the triggers it provides. 

Adding your Steam friends to the Buddy List is a cute feature. 

The college experience and it being in 2001 meant the story was about 10 years to be entirely spot ont on. But I experienced more than enough of anxious Instant Messaging in primary school to receive that sweet shot of nostalgia straight to the heart. The nostalgia was compounded by the fact that I blasted the music of each year and played RuneScape throughout the entire game. The exact game I would have played at the time of college during the Windows XP era - giving me an opportunity to simulate my lost college years. I think anyone who’s lived in the era of the internet can relate to and will enjoy this absolute treasure of pure nostalgia.