Unlikely Hero

Curated by Alex Zheng November 26, 2023

The purpose of this show is to explore the negative effects caused by the Hero's Journey. The Hero's Journey is indeed a powerful and efficient narrative template, but its popularity has further entrenched the dominance of stories from a male perspective in the market. The games selected for this show all offered a unique reinterpretation of the 'hero,' challenging the conventional narrative.

In terms of scene arrangement, we set up Pigeon Ascent, Birdsong, Play Mario, and Problem Attic around a circular table. The floor around the table was marked with tape to depict the graphics of the Hero's Journey. On the table, there was a sign that read “WORLD'S NAVEL”, a reference to the writing of Joseph Campbell, who popularized the theory of the Hero's Journey.

Problem Attic

Liz Ryerson An artistic game that perfectly embodies its theme. In this game, vibrant color blocks and patterns fill the space, accompanied by pervasive noise and screen-shaking intensity. Navigating through unconventional puzzles, the gameplay is a delightful mix of surreal sensations. The keyboard for showcasing this game was customized by vinyls in high-contrast colors with lace ribbons, shoelaces, popsicle sticks and wires. The most significant change in the user experience involves removing the keycaps from the arrow keys, replacing them with screws. This modification allows players to precisely control the keys while introducing an entirely new experience—creating a sense of instability and unfamiliarity.

birdsong

Daniel Linssen birdsong, an exhilarating platform-jumping game with a captivating fisheye lens effect. The entire game map is condensed into a single screen, adding a visually stunning twist to traditional platform jumping. It introduces a fresh challenge, requiring precise jumps in a non-planar display. The level design cleverly uses the fisheye lens to provide players with a clear sense of direction, while those in the distance remain enticingly obscured. We projected it onto a nest-style white background wall, with its control joystick placed on the table. The joystick is spray-painted in gold and positioned within a bird's nest, serving as a metaphor for the fable of the goose and the golden egg.

play mario

d.h.croasdill In this faux Mario adventure, Mario's controls are intentionally misleading and ineffective. The progression relies on text-based dialogues, and players must decide the extent to which they want to "deceive the game." This game shatters preconceived notions and completely upends players' expectations, challenging them to question and rethink everything they thought they knew about gaming. For this game made with Twine, we showcased it on a vertically oriented monitor with some customized design on the display interface. The game interface was positioned at the top of a long white ribbon, flanked on both sides by Mario-themed backgrounds, creating the illusion of the game interface soaring in the clouds.

Pigeon Ascent

ESCADA Games Pigeon Ascent is an automatic battle RPG game where players are tasked with increasing their pigeon's attributes, healing with medicines before each battle, and selecting suitable opponents. Pigeons gain stat points and coins with victory, evolve, and mutate. The game ends when players encounter the Pigeon God and defeat it. When the traditional, action-packed journey of monster-battling and leveling up is portrayed through a muscular pigeon, what kind of story unfolds...? For this game, we crafted a special controller. The black controller is adorned with bird feathers, painted in metallic colors resembling bird plumage, and placed within a bird's nest. Throughout our exhibition, visiting players spontaneously developed an offline speed-run competition mode, with the highest score reaching around 2 minutes and 40 seconds, successfully completing the game.