HYPERTEXT WONDERLAND

In gaming circles there often emerges a furious debate about what games should be about. A certain party says gameplay. The other, equally vocal, party offers a counterpoint—story. This debate often reaches boiling point, to the extent where it seems like one group is about to enact a bloody revenge on the other. Humour tends to be cast aside, which is probably why neither group says games should be about comedy... Truth be told, comedy games are a rarity. Good humour is after all, subjective. Off the time of my head I can name only a few of them—Jazzpunk, Dr Langeskov, The Stanley Parable and maybe Project Rub. Step aside though because there's a new entrant into the ring... Donut County , a whimsical comedy-cum-novelty game that's almost worth the £11 entrance fee I paid to play it. Donut County is a puzzle game from one-man-team, LA based gamemaker Ben Esposito . It's described as a physics-based-puzzler but that doesn't do it justice. The gameplay only co...

Recently I’ve noticed a bit of a strange tension creeping into certain films I watch. It’s hard to describe but revolves around not knowing whether a character is being truthful or not. It makes me feel uncomfortable; a little bit anxious. It crept up again in Asako I and II , which I thoroughly enjoyed. Asuko I and II is the latest film from Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi – best known in the West for his excellent four-hour film Happy Hour. That film was followed the lives of four female characters and similarly Asuko I & II bases itself on the life of a woman – the main character Asuko. In the beginning she falls madly, deeply, truly in love with a guy called Baku. They eventually split but her feelings remain steadfast years later. This causes consternation when she gets into a relationship with Ryohei – an Osakan businessman who looks exactly like Baku, minus the long hair. I have a feeling the reason the film made me feel uncomfortable is because it expresses the...