What an absolutely beautiful essay tackling something deeper than most are willing to go in many aspects of life let alone games. Many games mentioned that I have and haven't played are such great examples. The amount of internal self reflection that can be found within a beautiful piece of art where the meaning is of your making is truly profound. The amount of creativity that can be revealed within yourself when given a blank canvas whether a literal canvas or an open seemingly empty game with much more lurking beneath is truly breathtaking. I appreciate both of you coming together to make a truly special video that I hope gets the love it deserves 🙏.
From the very beginnings of my time as a “gamer” - I do sometimes yearn for that experience of being able to just “wander” around the game world without any previously set goal… I remember playing things like Oblivion or Gothic etc and feeling that urge to just get lost in this magical world that I suddenly got access to. I could spend hours or dozens of hours just immersing myself into the places I was exploring, never really feeling like the “simple act of walking around” could ever bore me out. However - eventually I would always somehow get myself mixed up into pursuing the actual “story content” of a game and then… It came the time to start over, create a new character - or shape a preset character in a different way than before - but that feeling of wonder was kinda just completely lost on me by that moment. As I age I find myself yearning for that feeling even more than before but realizing how little time there is in one’s life just makes me sometimes approach videogames as checklists of tasks to do in optimal timeframe - long enough to feel like my money was well spent and yet short enough that I can actually function as an adult… Kinda sad to be honest but I think it will only get worse with time… But not to end this on a such a downer - this video was really thoughtful and surprisingly personal guys, I always love watching stuff that makes me think about these grander concepts that we usually don’t have all that much time to process in our day-to-day lives. Thanks for making this one!
When there are so many options, so many easily enjoyable- _actively seeking_ your enjoyment-, the pressure to justify one's time increases as room to contemplate expands. The moment a game is quiet enough to let us think for ourselves is the moment "What am I doing?" arises to mind and so often that becomes the failure to persist in the quiet. We're probably near the same age-I'm 34. We probably both lived through the transition to a near-universal internet and the ease of accessibility and the persistent vibration of phone notifications. It's tough not to always yearn to anticipate. I habitually think of what I could do in avoidance of whatever is now. Games as priced products makes this feeling quantified and harder to avoid. I then feel hours must be justified, which in turn becomes pressure to commit hours to chores of completion. But I remember times lost in commitment and patience and presence; over time such times have become fewer and farther between and the ability to sit in such moments atrophies. I relate very much to everything you wrote. Patience and quiet must be chosen. It won't just occur in this living of perpetual seeking. You're very kind for sitting through our whole video. Thank you.
Something about these videos feels therapeutic. The graphics and their voices are both just calming yet still interesting. It’s a shame that you only have 700 subs, you deserve more:)
For me its funny that Exo One footage is shown a lot during the video, I actually started that game and got bored and stopped. I think ill revisit it with a new perspective now.
We almost made a video just about Exo One-we recorded 20 minutes of audio for it and started editing something together-but our thoughts on that game became this video instead. That initial 20-minute thing just didn't flow the way we wanted. You have to volunteer for the atmosphere Exo One sets up. Without that active volunteering the game is purely "boring"-and much of boredom generally has that quality: there are feelings and thoughts unique to the boredom that you only experience through voluntary embrace. That's something tough to communicate. It seems absurd and a waste until it becomes a regular aspect of how you experience things, then it feels absurd not to volunteer in this way. That said, it's okay not to want that. It's work and may feel like work not worth struggling through when life is enough of its own struggle. Our lives are limited; find what speaks to you and volunteer for "work" when it feels worth doing. We won't experience everything there is to experience no matter what. Time flows without us.
You've got me hooked with this opening premise. Very, very cool. Honestly the kind of thing I hope to be better at making one day. I'll def watch the rest of this while I drive to and from work tomorrow. Consider me subbed. Hope you blow up!
Hey, thank you very much for this kind comment! We go in all sorts of directions prior to the end, and I hope you find it ultimately fulfilling. I'll be sure to check out your channel as well when I can. I'm always happy to see and support growing channels like ours. Your video titles, already, are super intriguing!
@@ToGamesItMayConcern I'm glad you think, its probably what I struggle with most, knowing what sounds catchy but not too clickbaity! I appreciate you! I'll be following you from now on as well! Glad to have found you on our subreddit!
I'm at the part where you talk about emptiness as a choice. (~11:25) The genre of music I love the most, takes the concept, more accurately, the personal circumstance of emptiness as a theme quite often. But now that I'm writing this, I realize it's not the music composition itself that is empty, but the feelings it it invokes. So, it's not analogous. Or is it? IDK it's 4:40am Edit: typo
Emptiness can be invited by its mirror image, in the case of performing emptiness, or evocation, in the case of spurring the feeling. Sounds like the music you describe is evoking the feeling. Sounds like effective music. Isn't it amazing that through a combination of sounds (or mere words) we can spark emotion out of a complete stranger? It's magic.
@@ToGamesItMayConcern Certain songs, or even small instrumental passages make me feel the loss, the sorrow. Yes, it is amazing and magical. Edit: I suppose what made me write my comment last night, was listening to you talk about emptiness while seeing the barren landscapes of the games, which reminded me of the feelings I felt from the doom music. I feel like I'm struggling to put these things into words, and I thank you for letting me talk it out without judging me.
My favorite moments in life are when I'm _in_ music, fully engulfed, headphones on, no distraction. It seems music speaks better than words do. There are certainly feelings I've felt that do not match to words, only to music. I appreciate you seeing the emptiness on-screen and digging deeper.
@@ToGamesItMayConcern Thank you. There is one song that comes to mind where the bass player does this little two-note slide in a transition into a new section. It's such a little thing, but for me it was a bombshell, and there was a time when I wished I could live in that 2.4 seconds and feel like that forever.
So glad I saw your post on Sable's subreddit, you've gained a new subscriber. This essay is brilliant, it's up there with the best of the best of UA-cam. The video quality of Jacob Geller, the argumentative power of Noah Caldwell-Gervais. The channel is still growing, but give it time, the quality is there.
Thank you! That is an immensely kind comparison to make. My brother's a big fan of Jacob Geller, and I love Noah Caldwell-Gervais's videos. So I can see how the sentiment of both might mix into our work. We strive to incorporate big ideas amidst smaller games. You may enjoy our Stray, Citizen Sleeper, and Tunic reviews, among others, for that reason. We're trying to improve bit-by-bit, and we hope someday to catch on with a wider audience. Again, thank you for taking the time to view and appreciate our work. We'll try to make your subscription worthwhile.
Yes, this is one of our favorites too. We spent longer on it than most. We have similar 'deeper' videos planned. Takes time, though. We have Twitter accounts, which you can see in the video description (I'd post it in this comment, but then UA-cam might flag it).
What an absolutely beautiful essay tackling something deeper than most are willing to go in many aspects of life let alone games. Many games mentioned that I have and haven't played are such great examples. The amount of internal self reflection that can be found within a beautiful piece of art where the meaning is of your making is truly profound. The amount of creativity that can be revealed within yourself when given a blank canvas whether a literal canvas or an open seemingly empty game with much more lurking beneath is truly breathtaking. I appreciate both of you coming together to make a truly special video that I hope gets the love it deserves 🙏.
This is a wonderful comment. Thank you!
This video and channel is absolutely incredible. I can't believe it hasn't been seen by more people. I feel lucky to have stumbled upon it.
Thank you so much for saying that! We try as best we can with each release, and comments like yours are a huge motivator.
From the very beginnings of my time as a “gamer” - I do sometimes yearn for that experience of being able to just “wander” around the game world without any previously set goal… I remember playing things like Oblivion or Gothic etc and feeling that urge to just get lost in this magical world that I suddenly got access to.
I could spend hours or dozens of hours just immersing myself into the places I was exploring, never really feeling like the “simple act of walking around” could ever bore me out. However - eventually I would always somehow get myself mixed up into pursuing the actual “story content” of a game and then…
It came the time to start over, create a new character - or shape a preset character in a different way than before - but that feeling of wonder was kinda just completely lost on me by that moment.
As I age I find myself yearning for that feeling even more than before but realizing how little time there is in one’s life just makes me sometimes approach videogames as checklists of tasks to do in optimal timeframe - long enough to feel like my money was well spent and yet short enough that I can actually function as an adult…
Kinda sad to be honest but I think it will only get worse with time…
But not to end this on a such a downer - this video was really thoughtful and surprisingly personal guys, I always love watching stuff that makes me think about these grander concepts that we usually don’t have all that much time to process in our day-to-day lives. Thanks for making this one!
When there are so many options, so many easily enjoyable- _actively seeking_ your enjoyment-, the pressure to justify one's time increases as room to contemplate expands. The moment a game is quiet enough to let us think for ourselves is the moment "What am I doing?" arises to mind and so often that becomes the failure to persist in the quiet.
We're probably near the same age-I'm 34. We probably both lived through the transition to a near-universal internet and the ease of accessibility and the persistent vibration of phone notifications. It's tough not to always yearn to anticipate. I habitually think of what I could do in avoidance of whatever is now.
Games as priced products makes this feeling quantified and harder to avoid. I then feel hours must be justified, which in turn becomes pressure to commit hours to chores of completion. But I remember times lost in commitment and patience and presence; over time such times have become fewer and farther between and the ability to sit in such moments atrophies.
I relate very much to everything you wrote. Patience and quiet must be chosen. It won't just occur in this living of perpetual seeking. You're very kind for sitting through our whole video. Thank you.
Love your videos!
Something about these videos feels therapeutic. The graphics and their voices are both just calming yet still interesting. It’s a shame that you only have 700 subs, you deserve more:)
This is a really nice compliment. Thank you!
For me its funny that Exo One footage is shown a lot during the video, I actually started that game and got bored and stopped. I think ill revisit it with a new perspective now.
We almost made a video just about Exo One-we recorded 20 minutes of audio for it and started editing something together-but our thoughts on that game became this video instead. That initial 20-minute thing just didn't flow the way we wanted.
You have to volunteer for the atmosphere Exo One sets up. Without that active volunteering the game is purely "boring"-and much of boredom generally has that quality: there are feelings and thoughts unique to the boredom that you only experience through voluntary embrace.
That's something tough to communicate. It seems absurd and a waste until it becomes a regular aspect of how you experience things, then it feels absurd not to volunteer in this way.
That said, it's okay not to want that. It's work and may feel like work not worth struggling through when life is enough of its own struggle. Our lives are limited; find what speaks to you and volunteer for "work" when it feels worth doing. We won't experience everything there is to experience no matter what. Time flows without us.
You've got me hooked with this opening premise. Very, very cool. Honestly the kind of thing I hope to be better at making one day. I'll def watch the rest of this while I drive to and from work tomorrow. Consider me subbed. Hope you blow up!
Hey, thank you very much for this kind comment! We go in all sorts of directions prior to the end, and I hope you find it ultimately fulfilling.
I'll be sure to check out your channel as well when I can. I'm always happy to see and support growing channels like ours. Your video titles, already, are super intriguing!
@@ToGamesItMayConcern I'm glad you think, its probably what I struggle with most, knowing what sounds catchy but not too clickbaity! I appreciate you! I'll be following you from now on as well! Glad to have found you on our subreddit!
I'm at the part where you talk about emptiness as a choice. (~11:25) The genre of music I love the most, takes the concept, more accurately, the personal circumstance of emptiness as a theme quite often. But now that I'm writing this, I realize it's not the music composition itself that is empty, but the feelings it it invokes. So, it's not analogous. Or is it? IDK it's 4:40am
Edit: typo
Emptiness can be invited by its mirror image, in the case of performing emptiness, or evocation, in the case of spurring the feeling. Sounds like the music you describe is evoking the feeling. Sounds like effective music. Isn't it amazing that through a combination of sounds (or mere words) we can spark emotion out of a complete stranger? It's magic.
@@ToGamesItMayConcern Certain songs, or even small instrumental passages make me feel the loss, the sorrow. Yes, it is amazing and magical.
Edit: I suppose what made me write my comment last night, was listening to you talk about emptiness while seeing the barren landscapes of the games, which reminded me of the feelings I felt from the doom music. I feel like I'm struggling to put these things into words, and I thank you for letting me talk it out without judging me.
My favorite moments in life are when I'm _in_ music, fully engulfed, headphones on, no distraction. It seems music speaks better than words do. There are certainly feelings I've felt that do not match to words, only to music.
I appreciate you seeing the emptiness on-screen and digging deeper.
@@ToGamesItMayConcern Thank you. There is one song that comes to mind where the bass player does this little two-note slide in a transition into a new section. It's such a little thing, but for me it was a bombshell, and there was a time when I wished I could live in that 2.4 seconds and feel like that forever.
Found you from the Awkward Anthems comment section! This video is dope!
Hey, thank you very much!
Amazing. Thank you..
Glad you liked it! Thank you for watching!
I will watch your video, because of the effort you make
Thank you! That is very much appreciated.
If there are certain games or topics you'd like us to cover, let us know anytime.
So glad I saw your post on Sable's subreddit, you've gained a new subscriber.
This essay is brilliant, it's up there with the best of the best of UA-cam. The video quality of Jacob Geller, the argumentative power of Noah Caldwell-Gervais.
The channel is still growing, but give it time, the quality is there.
Thank you! That is an immensely kind comparison to make. My brother's a big fan of Jacob Geller, and I love Noah Caldwell-Gervais's videos. So I can see how the sentiment of both might mix into our work. We strive to incorporate big ideas amidst smaller games. You may enjoy our Stray, Citizen Sleeper, and Tunic reviews, among others, for that reason. We're trying to improve bit-by-bit, and we hope someday to catch on with a wider audience.
Again, thank you for taking the time to view and appreciate our work. We'll try to make your subscription worthwhile.
@@ToGamesItMayConcern I'll check them out without a doubt, keep up with the good work!
I like this video, very throughout and very easy to digest in the information
Hey, thanks for stopping by! Glad you enjoyed it!
love ur vids
Thank you very much!
Definitely my favorite of your videos. I just watched it again and just wow. I was wondering do you guys have e any form of social media?
Yes, this is one of our favorites too. We spent longer on it than most. We have similar 'deeper' videos planned. Takes time, though.
We have Twitter accounts, which you can see in the video description (I'd post it in this comment, but then UA-cam might flag it).