Venus in Chains

Apr 09, 2008 23:19


In which I tell you about a discovery my pals and I made concerning the videogame PORTAL.


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harveyjames April 10 2008, 01:34:07 UTC
Yeah yeah, I mention it at the top of the article!

I don't subscribe 100% to the bondage idea, though. For whom is she bound? Apeture science isn't really big enough a character in the story to be a worthy aggressor to GlaDOS and for that to be satisfying from a narrative point of view. For all the player knows, she is Apeture Science.

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anonymous April 10 2008, 22:32:41 UTC
at this point of the game no... but the player doesn't have an idea where he is, where's he going, and the game plays on what true and what's not...

That doesn't discard the bondage idea... which, maybe, would be taken from a japanese cyber punk reference where central computers are sometimes a soul entrapped in their prison (see evangelion for one of many examples)

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harveyjames April 10 2008, 23:41:07 UTC
Yeah, authors like Asimov and Phillip K. Dick thought about that sort of thing in the 50's. I think stuff like Ghost in the Shell was trying to build on that sort of thing. That idea's pretty much as old as the idea of Artificial Intelligence.

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nedroidcomics April 10 2008, 02:31:06 UTC
I haven't played Portal (though I'd like to), but I loved this post. It was very interesting to me. Thank you for writing it.

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harveyjames April 10 2008, 02:53:32 UTC
Thanks man

I should really put a spoiler warning up there! Sorry!

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nedroidcomics April 10 2008, 03:28:54 UTC
Nah, nah, I've actually already watched a video of the end of the game. I just said that to clarify that I enjoyed this post despite having never played the game. The post was that interesting!

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harveyjames April 10 2008, 03:33:20 UTC
I insist you play it! And Cave Story and Knytt Stories, particularly the levels by my friend Dessgeega

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WHEN VIDEOGAMES BECOME LITERATURE WOW JEEZ aidosaur April 10 2008, 03:08:50 UTC
Wow, I'm really surprised at the amount of research you've done on this. This was a great read, thanks so much for posting it!

I haven't actually played portal, but I know just about as much as person can about the game without actually playing it. Most of my friends are pretty enamored with it, I'm passing the link around if that's okay. :D

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Re: WHEN VIDEOGAMES BECOME LITERATURE WOW JEEZ harveyjames April 10 2008, 03:15:08 UTC
Absolutely, please do!

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High fives for everyone! aidosaur April 10 2008, 04:52:32 UTC
HOLEY CRAPOLI and you friended me back! Ohman, today is awesome!

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Re: High fives for everyone! harveyjames April 10 2008, 05:41:49 UTC
haha, no problem! Your stuff is great!

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ultrakurtzwelle April 10 2008, 03:18:16 UTC
I CAN'T BELIEVE I'VE NEVER PLAYED THIS GAME. What is wrong with me?

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harveyjames April 10 2008, 03:24:29 UTC
What! but you must!

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harveyjames April 10 2008, 03:37:00 UTC
Actually when I got to the end of Portal, I was so wrapped up in the characters and the setting and what had to be done I realised I hadn't felt this way about a game since Monkey Island 2 when I was 8 years old. Seriously!

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medox April 10 2008, 03:43:01 UTC
Okay, that is just brilliant. Bravo!

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