The Far Shore- Book Review

I started this website in 2013 for a couple of reason, to show my passion for video games and share my thought but also to move the conversation forward on gaming culture. I found that often there was a culture of insularity among many gaming sites, often only covering the big titles. I wanted to cover the weird, quirky, strange and fringe games from the view of an educationalist, a teacher, as I think some games can be a contextual hub for learning. In that vein, I've read (and reviewed) several books about videogames and the creative process and they've given me great insight into the medium.

The book clocks in at under 200 pages but is wonderfully informative and candid.

The Far Shore intrigued me as it is written by an author, Adam Hammond, who is a lecturer, in his day job and doesn't really play videogames much but was interested in Swords and Sworcery. By looking at videogames from an outsiders perspective, Hammond offers keen insight into what motivates Superbrothers (Craig D. Adams) into making games and it isn't hipster like coolness but rather a fight against the 'bloated cross-media confections' which make many AAA games clogged down with awkward cutscenes, cringey dialogue, obtuse menus and systems and patronising tutorials. Hammond discusses how videogames are similar to operas in that they are both a combination of different media merging to make something new.

He discusses how this high minded conversation had Adams consider how art can change the world and it was this belief that led to the creation of Superbrothers and the pixel art form that pervaded advertising and music videos. He got a taste of the ephemeral pop culture ether and sought to change it.

What follows is a great biography about Superbrothers, the creative process and the self-doubt that follows after making such a wildly popular, avant-garde multi-million selling game. As well as the financial and commercial freedom gained from the success of the game and game garnered near universal praise however, there was a small backlash from some calling it too hipster and cool. Adams found he had something of the imposter syndrome but I believe (as did many reviewers and fans) that it was an earnest game with a veneer of cool but the central heroes journey theme is universal. Adams seemed to take this to heart and so his next game would be the polar opposite of Swords; no pixels, no hipster language and a more conventional game. It would be a sci-fi game that would provide otherworldly escapism and hopeful optimism for the future.

Adams' love for Star Trek is obvious as he discusses how back in the day we had visions filled with undimmed optimism; we dreamt of gleaming glass spires, flying cars, natty silver or velour one pieces, world peace, robot maids named Rosie and off-world travel. Now all we see represented of the future in mainstream media is a dystopian misery as Terminator robots take over the planet, zombie hoards proliferate as small bands of humans eke out a living in a resource diminished Earth and humans vie for glory via violent games after cataclysmic climate collapse. Bleak times indeed supported by the popular circumambient (prevailing or common) narrative- It's difficult to dream of a bright optimistic future as the current common story is antithetical to this. He wanted to create a game that showed an optimistic view of the world and had heart and was earnest and true.

Hammond also discusses the indie boom (2007 to 2012) and Indie-pocalypse 2013-18) that occurred when Steam opened the floodgates to asset flips whilst also democratising gaming through resources like Unity, Twine and Game Maker etc. He also discusses #Gamergate and the terrible after-effects of this reckoning of the medium where many 'gamers' in their 'safe space' didn't like the disparate voices now being heard in their power fantasies. Adams discusses his views on this and states that he had a singular vision and, even though he knew Jett would be a boutique-y experience that wouldn't appeal to all or even the mainstream, he wants the punk Riot Grrrl freedom to create what he wanted to create. However, with funds running low and expertise needed a console exclusivity deal with Sony in 2019 shored up funds and ensured that the game would get over the finish line. With the rise of the Epic Store, Google Stadia, Apple Arcade and console exclusivity at an all time high, Jett was optimistically released when AAA games and indies were happily sitting side by side as part of the online store ecosystem. This was the second indie boom and Jett benefitted.

I read the entire book within a day- perfect for when the weather was terrible over Christmas.

The book ends with Hammond offering a truthful and honest evaluation of a game; a game that reaches for the stars but doesn't quite reach there. It is a modernist allegory that tackles themes such as climate catastrophe and colonialism but its gameplay can be clunky and the exposition heavy. This is reflected in the reviews which are mixed with a Metacritic score of 68% and a user score of 70% (as of 2nd Jan 2022).

Overall, this is a fascinating and illuminating book that looks at the creative process of making videogames, the problems that can arise but also the aspiration of creating something that says something. I haven't played the game yet but will do later this week as I have just finished a game in my ‘pile of shame’. I like the discourse and long-form writing around videogames as they offer insight into this relatively new medium and this book has been a great primer to explain the highs and lows of making games.