Comments on: The Greatest Lesson From Travel: Awe

By: Brad

Brad — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 13:54:13 +0000

My biggest awe moment in real life was Hradcany castle in Prague. Like you, I was catatonic for a while.

Also, I totally agree with the fact that awe is important in-game.

By: Daniel M. Perez

Daniel M. Perez — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:47:51 +0000

You know, Joe, I feel horrible because I bought the game but have not even looked at it beyond a quick glance. After the High Holy Days are over, I want to set aside time to read and play Ribbon Drive, then maybe even get you on a Skype call for an episode of The Gamer Traveler.

Thanks for that insight, though; I’ll keep it in mind as I read along.

By: Joe McDonald

Joe McDonald — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:40:59 +0000

Hey Daniel,

Cool post. One of the things I was hoping for in Ribbon Drive was to create space for awe, and I aimed to do that in two ways.

Exploring “Futures” is a central part of play, yet there’s no “step” where you introduce them. You have to find your own way to introduce your Futures and talk about them. One of the clearest ways is to have things around you trigger contemplation and invite further thought. This process of seeing your struggles in the world around you generates reverence for the things you encounter and fosters an interest in exploring your world.

The second way, again through Futures, was fostering a sort of awe of the self – Ribbon Drive is a game about characters realizing who they are.

Anyways… since you know the game, I figured I’d offer a game design perspective to this conversation… since RD aimed to foster awe through its mechanics.
.-= Joe McDonald´s last blog post… This Particular Darkness. =-.

By: Daniel M. Perez

Daniel M. Perez — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:04:05 +0000

I’ve been to Edinburgh Castle, and yes, I totally agree. Looking up at the castle on top of the rock from the gully below filled me with trepidation. It just looked like something the very mountain gave birth to.

By: Hammer

Hammer — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:24:52 +0000

Have you visited Edinburgh or Stirling at all? Both have rather awe-inspiring castles – I regularly find myself awe-struck by the former, despite having been visiting Edinburgh regularly for nearly ten years.
.-= Hammer´s last blog ..Happy Birthday To Games of State =-.