Other worlds

The first time I saw the box for American McGee's Alice, I knew I had to buy it. Not only is Alice in Wonderland one of my favorite stories but the dark images in the game fascinated me. I have strange tastes, I love whimsy and darkness. Best if both are together. And who can pass up this version of the Cheshire Cat. Creepy and bizarre.

I love games for the look of them. I love animation for its otherworldly quality. Alice did not disappoint. Jeff and I played the game for hours, exploring the world and killing things. It was bloody and violent but more than anything it was intriquingly and beautifully rendered. I have often bought items for their visuals. I've always called myself a writer but in the last year I have realized how much imagery moves me. A picture or some graphics will make me buy things that I normally wouldn't.

So imagine my delight when I went to Cabinet of Wonders today to see this image.

Not only that, this beautiful image is a game called Mechinarium. (or will be soon) An interactive world that I can enter and move the characters around in. I can play with these paintings. There are more beautiful images just like this to explore. I'm already saving my money for when it comes out. And have no doubts, I will take a break from WoW to spend some time in this world. The game is being created by Amanita Design studio and is supposed to be out this year.

The game image drew me for a number of reasons. It combines all of my favorite things. Like the fish in Shaun Tan's The Red Tree, the mixture of dark and whimsy is intoxicating. It the same mixture that brought me to Polish surrealist Jacek Yerka when I was only 18. If you want other worlds, this is the man for you. I bought two of his books with the little money I had after looking at his images. I can almost see his influence in this upcoming game. At first I thought he was the designer.

So more games to play, more images to enjoy. I better start saving my pennies.

Revelations

Have you ever noticed how inspiration comes from the strangest spots? I was introduced to the Cabinet of Wonders blog today and spent some of my morning looking through it. I glanced at pictures of interesting doorways and architecture and toys, and I realized why I hate my job. Yes inspiration in the strangest spots. By the way, check out cabinet of wonders. It is a wonderful blog that covers a broad number of subjects in detail. I find the whole thing fascinating. http://cabinet-of-wonders.blogspot.com.

But while I was looking through it I realized that all my life has been about imagination, art, architecture, and stories. That is what I have been interested in since I was a child. The art I like tends to be whimsical. The stories I like tend to be imaginative. My favorite part of being in a new city is looking at new architecture. And I am either reading stories, telling myself stories, or writing stories. And none of those things involve facts. None!!!

So I'm currently working at a job that requires facts. Definate answers. Numbers that can be leaned on. And I'm expected to give them. My job is to provide the definate answers. And I just don't believe that they exist. So I dislike my job. I go to work every day waiting for the day when I can't provide the answers or when the answers I gave are proved wrong.

In a library setting that would be different. A researcher would come in looking for information on Gaudi. I would provide them with books and materials on the architect. They would find their own numbers from those. There are a ton of sources to choose from. And no definate answers. It has been quite a revelation this morning.

This reminds me of a Brian Andreas print I have in my stairway. It is the first one I ever bought and the one I knew I had to have. Not suprising he does whimsical art that combines childlish drawings with very insightful text. I'll post a picture of it when I get home but the text says.

Place to Fly

She kept asking me if the stories were true. I kept asking her if it mattered. We finally gave up. She was looking for a place to stand and I wanted a place to fly.

Brian Andreas www.storypeople.com