Ok, that was kinda boring and crappy. I guess it's "art" because there's no point whatsoever and it's got wannabe-pixel art and me calling it boring and crappy'll get me flamed, but to me, it's a pile of poopoo. Only that Gutter game left me as bored as this one.

It was crappy as hell, smug too, attempting to be deep and making it a cheap experience out of it. I could practically see the guy coding it saying to himself "DEEPEST IDEA, EVER!"

I was also put off by what seemingly is another one of "those" "art games" at first, but if you go on playing (for these few minutes) you find out it really isn't like that.

I think it isn't great per se, but as far as I can tell from experience with a relative, the idea is well executed and makes you think about it, which you probably wouldn't do unless you're directly experiencing it. I like it.

It's pretty clear the people that don't like this game have never had to care for an elderly relative.

Are you saying that taking care of elderly people is like playing video games...? The two have nothing to do with each other, except for one pretentious game.

the character walks too slow, and the buttons to jump and shoot were so poorly placed that I couldn't even find them at all. 0/5

This game, like many increpare games, achieves a really high level of emotion. I felt so much sympathy for my protagonist, much more than I feel in a typical game. The tragedy of the situation is enhanced so well by the art, music, and game mechanics, kind of ridic how he can just pop this out

@Bee: My sarcasm detector is going off like crazy

It's experimental. Energy would be much better spent finding things done right in Stephen Lavelle's game rather than just criticising him for trying to use games as a medium of expression.

I was hoping for a mad libs games.

You know, this could the most terrible, pretentious piece of tripe ever.

And these comments would still qualify as juvenile and misdirected. The entire goddamn industry is stagnating because of bro gamers (who usually think of themselves as nerds or outcasts but still act like brojocks in every way?) obsessed with sophomoric action movie power fantasies and this is where some of us think it's really logical to bring out the insults.

I just played this and wow this is a thing. The lack of explanation makes this game. It shows what we do to our elderly, and how there world just gets smaller and smaller in a very fitting way. I'm depressed now.

But the fact that depresses me makes this a good game. Not many games can do that.

All in all for a <5 minutes free game it delivers, so try it if you haven't already.

"Pretentious" is the laziest, most meaningless criticism. At least give us something we can argue with instead of the vaguest of generalities.

So like almost no one felt anything for this game but it was a wast of time. On a side note anyone wanna plat that there halo 3 boys?

this game is awesome, I dont know whats wrong with all of you who dont like it!

the rules: made to fail. made to give up. the existential dilemma... interactive? interesting way to tell a story. minimalistic design and everything. still: strong expression! good work.

This game does some really interesting things! I can't agree with the haters.

Excuse US for wanting to BLOW UP weird ALIENS using GIANT ROBOTS with DRILL HANDS, 'cause we can't do that in real life (which is a pity).

"Action movie power fantasies" were some of the things that helped me to not lose my spirits while I took care of an elderly relative FOR YEARS, IN REAL LIFE, thank you.

Like the graphical style, though. Reminds me of my first PC which also had a monochrome orange monitor. Good times!

Just because someone points up its faults, they arent automatically "The haters" , some kind of enemy to the industry that wants the art to stagnate. This game isnt bad because it focus on things usually not focused, its bad because it loses the meaning of what a game should be, its art is lacking, its interactivity is minor, you would be better off watching a thirty second flash that had the same text with photos of an elderly person.
Its just pretentious, it aims to be deep without having any of the effort needed to become that way. Like a ten panels comic book all drawn in stick figures about rape and abortions.

I thought it was brilliant, although I would have preferred the disabilities to be a little more spaced out. I experienced them all in quick succession, and that, in my opinion, reduced their effectiveness (unlike in The Beggar, where the player was less constrained but still delaying the inevitable). Still, thank you Stephen for striving to make these.

"How dare a freeware game try to teach me something about old age."

Yes, because when people give away interactive software for free they have to fulfil a secret contract to entertain you in your favourite way.

You people make me SICK.

Try not to get too distracted by trolls

People can criticize the controls or the slowness of it all they want, but every single part of this--graphics, music, controls and pacing--were done very deliberately, and I don't think it's pretentious at all. It's a game that's not concerned with being fun, because the process of growing old and slowly losing control over your life isn't fun at all. It's chilling, and this game made me feel that.

"Like a ten panels comic book all drawn in stick figures about rape and abortions"

Actually that could be pretty good if done right.

As for the game it's OK I guess. But i'm not a fan of games where you can't be shot or killed by lots of enemies. Because I am a masochist, so it is my fantasy to be shot and killed by lots of enemies. And I can't get too interested in a game unless it fulfills my fantasys.

I'd love a little less 'anonymous' hate in here. On Gamasutra we (largely) ask people to use their real names to comment, and it's led to markedly less extreme trolliness in comments.

Most of you would never _speak_ to the creator and say the things typed in here.

You can argue that this is good because you can let loose, but in my experience, most of them time letting loose is just your first, gut reaction -- which isn't actually that well thought out.

The entire point of independent games is that the designer can make the game that they want to make without being confined by the demands of a publisher. A LOT of independent games have a message.

Not every indie game has to be like Castle Crashers to be fun. Yes, it's fun to beat the shit out of anything that moves, but are games ONLY a medium to relieve our stress through? Last time I checked, there are many many genres of film. Why can't there be a genre of games that doesn't include violence?

It's like people hear the word "game", and they instantly want to be shooting someone in the face.

I love Halo as much as the next guy, but this isn't the only genre of gaming. If you don't like experimental gami9ng, then half of the independent genre isn't for you.

very much agree with all the folk who say there's really more than one type of game out there

if you like action games, that's fine! there's plenty of good action games out there! but don't expect every game to just be an action game.

Oh, I get it.

1. Everything "indie" is necessarily deep, insightful and thought-provoking.

2. If it's not "indie", it must be a game where you shoot things.

3. Indie games can't be bad.

4. If you think an indie game is bad, it's just your bad taste.

Don't fall for it, just don't fall for it..

"If you think an indie game is bad, it's just your bad taste."

Nah. But "pretentious" is not a good reason for thinking something is bad. It's a thoughtless criticism at best. At worst it's anti-art and anti-intellectual.

Really though, the problem here is that you'd rather make inflammatory strawman arguments than actually engage in a discussion.

HOW DARE YOU CRITICISE MY OPINIONS!

simonC and Coded One are my new best friends in the whole world, just saying.

And this game makes me sad inside. Games that make you feel helpless definitely get some props.

"Excuse US for wanting to BLOW UP weird ALIENS using GIANT ROBOTS with DRILL HANDS, 'cause we can't do that in real life (which is a pity)."

I don't think anyone's calling for the utter death of action games. Don't get too confused; I think they're great.

But mid-level and inventive titles are floundering because there's too huge of a focus on this one type of game from publishers and the consumer demographic that's currently aggressively pushing other demographics out of the market.

In short; the industry is suffering from an overabundance of those things. Creativity is being stifled, progress is coming to a halt (except for technological progress, heh) and more and more potential consumers are becoming alienated.

So action-game obsessed manboy culture is a very big problem in gaming right now.

"Oh, I get it."

Man, you sure showed that guy who came in and actually said that stuff.

And sorry, Simon. In the future I'll try and spend more time on my comments and post under my own name in the future.

Games that make you feel helpless definitely get some props.

There is not yet a "traditional housewife" simulator AFAIK, but there should probably be one!

Did i enter the wrong URL? The comment section looks like i'm on the TIGS frontpage.

Guy with the comment about stick figures here, I dont see any problem with the TYPE of game he was trying to create, but I see it in his presentation, its too bare bones, over simplistic, it ends up giving off nothing of itself. Like I put it before, Rape comic with stick figures. I am not calling to an end of games without shooting and etc, but a game this is not, and I call em like I see em.

This game was pretty cool, but I feel it played it's hand too quickly. I could tell almost right away that I was being set up to fail with the incredibly slow movement and the Tamagochi-style stats.

I think the game could have been a lot better if it focused on personal interactions and story instead of stats.

That said, this game had a lot more depth story-wise than most games I've played. I loved how the protagonist won't admit his own misery.

If you took this same game and added more "playability" and choice, it would rock that much more.

To all those who don't allow us to think this game is crap: I don't allow you to think it's good. There, same type of argument.

On itself, I got no problem with thought-provoking non-violent games that are artsy. I enjoyed that Mr. Jones' Dream game thing, for example. Does that mean I, per definition, have to like this game? I thought it doesn't. I just don't like it, period. Allow me to say so. I think it's crap. Allow me to say so. I think it's a steaming pile of pretentious poo. Allow me to say so. Don't blame me of being a Halo fanboy or not liking any game where you don't get to shoot things just because I think this game is crap. Don't blame me of not 'getting' it just because I think it's crap. Don't think it's indie and experimental that per definition it's good. The game's a pile of crap. Allow people who think so to say so, instead of glorifying something that's as deep as a puddle of spit.

I don't think, from what I've read, anyone's saying you can't think or say that.

Just saying "It's crap" is insulting, not very helpful, and the wording makes it stated as fact, not opinion.

I dunno. I think a lot of these detractors seem to be having trouble drawing the line between where their opinion ends and the way they express it begins, but I'm no mind reader.

The issue isn't that the game isn't liked (that part's your opinion,) but the fact that you're coming here, giving an incredibly vague insult that helps no one (that part's a matter of expression) on a product that harms you in absolutely no way, shape or form.

Which really sort of confuses me. I think even a terrible explorative game is still a net positive for the game community; you can dislike it, but it's still treading interesting water that better games could later make use of. But when you say things like "It's just crap" there's this implied statement that it's a big deal and we'd be better off, entirely, without it.

But anyway, you're completely allowed to post pointless, vague comments that kind of insult, and we're allowed to say that those kinds of comments aren't helpful. Go free speech.

Anyway, I dug the game, Increpare. Some parts of it felt a bit dull to me, and I'd write a little on that if I had the time. Weird note: I actually dug, for some reason, that you've got to use the space bar. It's a large, clumsy, noisy key compared to just hitting enter. Seemed to kinda fit.

Vague and uninformative praise is just as insulting as saying "this is pile of poo".

Also, indie developers should put some actual work in their projects. Since when "experimental" equals "ugly, bad-implemented and lifeless"?

"To all those who don't allow us to think this game is crap"

It was never about this, nobody is stopping you from having your opinion. Please stop and read people's posts before you dash off another ill-conceived rant.

"Vague and uninformative praise is just as insulting as saying "this is pile of poo"."

No, it really isn't? Maybe it's just as trite, but praise at least has the value of being positive.

Being positive 'bout something that doesn't deserve it, makes things worse. People will want to make more junk because they think it's good.

Yes, I don't believe I said mindless positivity was a good thing. That still doesn't mean it's just as worthless as mindless criticism.

I just got done playing this game and I have to agree with the haters. It's just purely disgusting age-sploitation. Playing a game lke this cheapens the reality and sadness of real life instances of aging and death. Shame on all of you for praising such a worthless piece of trash.

This game sucks. :-)

By seeing all the reactions is causing, this game can only be good!

lol at Angry McShoutsalot's Traditional Housewife Simulator...

That could be sold on Steam.. lol

Wow some people here react pretty savagely to an winnable game. This is much better then The Graveyard in terms of conveying a sense of inevitability and helplessness.

Wow, this game must be incredibly good if it has spawned a fangame. I'll have to give this a try. :)

yeah, increpare > tales of tales

disagreeing with my opinions is violating my right to free speech. fascists.

I'm going to have to say, I really like the comments section here because it's filled with funny arguments. That said, I am not sure if a game from the start was an obvious setup to an inevitable failure, and I don't know if a game can be a success if it actively creates a desire to not play it. Indeed, manifesting the desire to not play it seems to be the entire point of the game.

To be honest, I quit the game after only about a minute of play. The menu felt unresponsive, and it seemed like a slow moving old-person caring simulator. It did not seem fun or entertaining to me, so I exited out shortly after having the guy eat and use the restroom. If the game changes later on, then it failed to give me a good hook to stick around.

It's one of the best games I have played lately.

Wasn't sarcastic, this is a great game

This guy is not just showing up, he's not just doing something weird for the sake of getting attention. This game tells a story in a very meaningful and affecting manner.

Increpare is Tale of Tales without the fancy graphics. I don't like neither.

For some reason or another, I can't find my comment with my game in it anymore. Am I not allowed, as an indie developer, to show my hard work to those who inspired me?

This is my indie game. It's my blood, sweat and tears, on which I toiled endlessly to get it done. I proudly present you all my tribute to Home, inspired by this great game. It's called Stuck - An Experimental Adventure. You can get it for free here:

I think the game does what it wants competently. I like the graphics, but that's just a personal preference.

What the game gave me was a slightly new perspective on things.

Often when you hear about care for the elderly, what you hear is that the caretakers are treating the old folks badly and that they are neglecting them.

This game however didn't direct the blame at anyone. The nurse wanted what was best for the old man, so did the doctor. The daughter who had placed her father in the retirement home frequently visited. And the old guy himself couldn't help doing what he ended up doing. So it wasn't really anyone's fault that things went the way they did.

Anyway, I think the game does what it sets out to do, and if I hadn't already had experience with this particular theme in real life it could potentially have been an eye opener.

That said, the gameplay isn't engaging, and there's not a whole lot of immersion going on.

@Anonymous: I downloaded your game, but it doesn't progress further than the title screen. I don't know what the extra 2MB is for if the program only displays some text.

I suggest you make a page with screenshots for it, and not just post direct download links (to a free hosting service, no less). Although you probably should have thought of that before leaving a link here.

@Tim: You have to press Space to get past the title screen.

I made a website for this game and another one I made before. You can find it here:
http://artgamesforfree.webs.com/

It's not all art games, but it had to have a name, and games was used

Wow, anonymous. Those games are really great. The first one really made me see the horrors of food poisoning. From now on, thanks to you, I'll check all of my food before I eat it!

A wonderful little title. It's quite the hopeless remorseful in the sense that it leaves you with a feeling that you should do something, but the inevitability is that you can't. A bit sobering considering most elderly people meet the same demise with the onset of Alzheimer's.

Design wise, it was pretty frustrating watching the gauges deplete so quickly, and then when I only had a single gauge to deal with (the hamburger one) I couldn't do the appropriate action. I suppose that was the intended direction, though.

... you seriously need to stop posting stuff like that here. I can't stand this pretentious crap anymore. I gave it a try with the honest desire that I would be proven wrong, but alas, it was just as I expected.

Bad.

I liked the game. You start out treating it like a game, trying to keep your bars up. Although after the first or second thing you try to keep up, you quickly realize that there's no way to make them all not hit the bottom.

It takes you from the perspective of trying your hardest to the one where there is no chance of suceeding. Where you fail, it doesn't punish you. It instead removes your need to take care of that attribute. It's the context of all of this that makes it mean something.

I don't know about you guys, but I don't play games so I can get depressed about some old man who's trying not to s*** his pants.

Okay, I tried to give this game another chance. But frankly, it's horrible. I get what's supposed to be so deep about it, and it would be if we had any semblance of story or feeling for the old man. But instead we're just watching someone we have no connection to slowly die. It's ridiculous. For one thing age doesn't affect people this way for EVERYBODY as this game would make it look. There are old men who can lift logs. Second, the toilet option is a frustrating pain in the *** because it's just a useless, degrading addition that takes time away that could be spent on eating, sleeping, or talking! I gave up on trying to fill it, got my diaper, and set to keeping the other three going. But by the time you sleep its next to impossible to get across the room to the nurse and by then you've gotten a food tube! So basically the game is just walking from one end of the room to another! It's not fun, it's not deep, it's not accurate, and it's not a game!

Does anyone else utterly abhor the "indie" moniker and the general culture around it? Why is it people are so obsessed with the idea about something being independent? Do publishers make you kill puppies before you can sign their contract or something?

Clinging to the idea of independent just creates a culture of apologists and victims. If your game lacks production that's OK because you had no support and everyone will forgive you since it's really about the idea now isn't it.

But no. It's not just the idea. Anyone who has even cursory knowledge of game development knows that ideas don't make games, they don't even sell them these days. You need proper implementation and that is what this game is lacking.

I appreciate the twist on the idea of status bars, but after the first second of holding right arrow the jig is up and you can stop playing. There's no subtlety to draw you in nor are there any assets asking you to stay.

To bring things full circle, this idea (inevitable outcome despite player input) has been done before in much better ways (see MGS4 tunnel sequence, the Shock games, Half-Life for God's sake), but because this one is so blatant and because it has indie strapped to the front all you hipsters come in and laud it as something it isn't.

Since the production is practically non-existent and the idea is nothing new there's still the chance it could stand as experiential and emotional, but I never got that. The lack of any real effort just made the whole thing seem forced and cold instead of sympathetic and understanding. To me I was doing what the dev wanted me to rather than what the game world made me do.

So I guess you could say I don't like this game because it's lazy, and since it was released without being properly finished I assume the creator figured it was clever enough to stand as an idea rather than a fleshed out game. That's pretty much the definition of pretentious right there.

Really all you indie cards should be striving to notice these common cliches when they're done well by being hidden and subtle rather than needing them forced down your gullet to appreciate them.

This game is really sad. I can't believe how helpless you are. I liked the music and all, but this game is not really a game at all. It's more like an interactive short film. I feel sad for the old man. He just can't take care of himself anymore, and everything that made him human becomes controlled by drugs and machines. It's just sad. So sad.

I think most of the people who don't like the game are disappointed by the fact that it is not really a game. Presenting it as a game initially is important. The point is the loss of control. A YouTube video wouldn't have been effective in conveying this at all. Perhaps some more responsive control in the beginning would have better conveyed this. Maybe that would only infuriate players more when control was taken away. Perhaps a small but actually engaging main objective not taken until the end would work.

There's probably a million ways to make a "pile of crap" in any endeavor and providing a compliment shows that something was done right. I understand if you don't like the game and why you would say so (but do keep your charisma). Saying the art is failed pixel art indicates someone who wasn't raised with a monochrome computer does not understand part of the old computer reference. Maybe this could be fixed. But lets make comments not just with a frame of mind "this does not please me" but with suggestions. I think this game should be considered as a sketch. Don't complain there isn't any paint. You wouldn't complain (I hope) if an artist showed a sketch with some new ideas. Most sketches can't be be sold but have value nonetheless.

Did many people actually dislike the game then post a compliment? I find that far fetched. I enjoyed the game. It was a quick little story told in a few minutes. Nothing more, nothing less.

To be pretentious, it has to claim to be something it is not. If Stephen Lavelle has made any claims about it being insightful, deep, or even good, I have never seen it.

The other criticisms are fair.
It's not fun, it's not deep, it's not accurate, and it's not a game. But it is interesting, it does affect me emotionally, it told a story in a way I haven't seen before, and it says a lot more about the human condition than 99.9% of games out there.

That makes it noteworthy in my book.