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My Homecoming Experience

Student Posts
Lonnie and Sam – Lovers

Start Game 9-13-20

2250

Just started the game, and am already not sure if I should have started so late at night. I’ve played Horror simulation games like Outlast before, and I want no part of that experience – but looking up game reviews I hope there is nothing like that!

2310

Looking through Sam’s personal stuff, I feel like I’m violating the trust of someone I know, even though there are mysterious circumstances of why they are missing.

2313

Saw what looked like blood in a bathtub – turned around and made sure every lamp I could come across was turned on before I investigate the bathtub further – really not in the mood for a jumpscare especially with the thunder going off in game.

2314

Saw it was hair dye – but now Sam’s story about her girlfriend is causing me to get in my feelings, I will continue tomorrow

Continue Game 9-14-20

1425

Just remembered how much not being able to sprint frustrates me.

1428

Just realizing all the Bibles that are stacked up around the house, and am catching on to the controlled burn plotline – not sure how it figures in. But with the Bibles and the religious undertones of the house, and the possible intimate relationship between my sister Sam and her friend – I am guessing there might be a sad conclusion to why she left.

1446

I am starting to think being a completionist is working a bit against me – I am really spending a lot of time reading soap labels and book covers. Also I am still not totally convinced there are no jumpscares because of the tone the thunderstorm sets in game.

1447

Just saw an attic with ominous red lights around it – saving that for last!

1448

Lonnie and Sam are so cute! I feel really conflicted because I am not totally over the horror game vibe – but I want to hear more of the Miss Fits and Captain Allegra!

1500

Laughing at the hidden raunchy wildfire firefighting romance book the Mom hid away!

Escape from Ghost Mansion is not easing my discomort about the possibility of this being a horror game – and neither is the secret passage!

1520

Just read the sign about Sam’s Darkroom – okay, maybe I was overreacting about the ominous attic.

1522

Looking around at the study, learning more about the parents! I really relate to the “How to talk to my teen daughter?” psychology book that was left out – I think I am starting to get a good idea of whats going on.

1630

Took a bit of a break – reading a report about how lights may randomly turn off is not great…

1633

Just realized Boon County is in Oregon – surprisingly topical for the wildfires going on right now! Also, “psycho house girl” scares me again! Is this like the movie Sinister or Poltergeist?

1650

That menstrual cycle assignment Sam wrote was HILARIOUS! Also, the 90’s nostalgia is quite overt – Street fighter, smoking outside the gas station, cassettes – I wasn’t born but I like it!

1700

I think I might be stuck, I’ve walked around for a few minutes and I can’t find the key to open the door, the filing cabinet, or the attic!

2037

Okay, took a break, but made it to the basement, they said “I love you”, so cute!!!

2041

First, you can see the difference between the sisters when reading our character, Katie’s own sex-ed assignment – straightforward and boring – I like Sam way better. Terrence has daddy issues – that criticism was so harsh! Also, Lonnie shipping out makes me very sad that the young love has to end…

2045

Ahhhhh the teenage angst really radiates off the game, especially as someone who had parents a lot like Sam’s – denying instead of confronting conflict.

2050

Im choking up, I’ve never even seen either of these girls and I am so deeply invested in this story. I don’t want Lonnie to go!

2053

Dang, there really are a LOT of secret passages in this house! I am happy to see that there are two writers in the household that are going to crises to find out who they really are!

2101

MY GOD I HAVE GOOSEBUMPS! I can’t fathom how much this game was able to make me feel without having to talk to one human! There were definitely some subplots I paid more attention to than I should have – like the parents, but Sam’s story fills me with a melancholy joy, knowing that she is going to follow her love and just… drive. This game really made me think back on the romantic teen idea of just finding someone to love and following them to the ends of the Earth – because true love prevails. I think there is no other way to describe this game than “it hits you right in the feels!”

Player Narrative Reflection

Quests

Once you have published your player narrative as a page on your site, you’ll need to also publish a post about the narrative that links to the page. That post serves three fundamental functions:

  • it provides a compelling preview of your narrative that summarizes your controlling idea in a sentence or two;
  • it reflects on what you have learned in the process of writing your literacy narrative;
  • when your post syndicates to the class site, that constitutes turning in your narrative.

Some questions to consider in your reflection:

  • How did you approach this essay differently because of the work you had already done writing your literacy narrative? Even though the freewriting questions were the same, did that process change for you because you were writing about playing games instead of about reading and writing?
  • In just one or two sentences, describe the structure of your player narrative.
  • What new idea did you learn while you were writing this player narrative?

Live Thoughts of “Gone Home’s” Beginning

Student Posts

I am beginning to play through the game, “Gone Home,” from the request of my English professor, David Morgen. https://eng101f20.davidmorgen.org/quests/side-quests/side-quest-3-liveblogging-gone-home/. From what I can, the opening phone call makes the main character out to be a young girl who got to be on her own for the first time in a faraway place and has newfound confidence in her self by showing her trying to be independent, thus not wanting her mom to pick her up from the airport. However, the grim music and moody lighting of the start give a quick indication of the game genre. Upon arrival, the dark atmosphere, combined with the slow walking pace and heavy rainfall, gives off a mysterious and grim tone to the game. The note on the door with the names mom dad crossed out to show the main character’s oddities as she searches for her family and piece together whatever she possibly can.

Reflecting on my Path of Reading and Writing

Student Posts

Initially, from events outside my control, I despised the constraints and limits pushed on me when I read and wrote, thus leading me to not enjoy the subjects nearly as much as my other academics. However, additional events outside my control guided me towards a new path of writing and reading. I have learned that not all restrictions are forced, and finding your way of individualizing the experience makes the process far more enjoyable. For example, writing my literacy narrative involves me profoundly thinking about my journey through the reading and writing subjects that I got lost in my creative process. From this essay, I learned I have a lot of love for creating an exciting and thought-provoking piece of literature that I think my one of the topic sentences will be considered probably the most exciting sentence of my entire narrative.

Check out my literacy narrative here: https://wordpress.com/block-editor/page/dangerdolan801811591.wordpress.com/40

Gone Home

Student Posts

I have started the game. My first impression with this game is that it is an open world game, kind of like Grand Theft Auto, but obviously with no violence. I admit that at first I didn’t know how to enter the house so I had to look it up.

I have just entered the house. First, I love that the visuals are immaculate and consistent. The overall theme is dreadful, scary, and quiet. This theme was conveyed very successfully through the wallpapers, the house wooden structures, the dim lightings, the dark colors, and the creepy bathroom on the ground floor.

I am now making my way to the left wing of the house. I am thoroughly impressed at the amount of details the authors put in. The handwritten notes are super realistic. Object arrangements are appropriate as well. The fact that I could grab an object and throw it down the floor or anywhere else gives me the feeling of being home alone, which is true.

One of the handwritten notes. Source: taken by me.

The story line and the clues are difficult to follow but that is appropriate since it mirrors real life. I have collected 3 journals now from Sam. I like her soothing and innocent yet depressing voice as it complements the theme of the house and game.

I am going up the stairs. Seems like the same pattern would occur throughout the whole game. My prediction is that we will be able to find Sam after collecting all the voice recorders and having visited the full map.

Overall, Gone Home’s mysterious theme succeeded in making me crave for more after playing the game. I always felt like there was something missing or about to happen while playing the game. Even though it was dead quiet for the most part, the suspense was all there. I felt like every little detail counts and when put together it would become a huge surprise or substantive to the story line.

Livebloging “Gone Home”

Student Posts

Side Quest 3: Liveblogging Gone Home

Just started playing Gone Home. The opening screen shows a house in the forest during the night. The opening music is very ominous, so I speculate that this game is going to be very tense.

7:14 pm

Opening sequence: I was honestly pretty scared during the opening sequence. I could still hear the ominous music playing over the rain and occasional thunder which raised my heartbeat. There were also a few occasions where I heard the door creak, the wind gets louder, and the lights flicker from the inside of the room. The use of an audio message from the first-person narrator to her mom was a good way to establish character. It was nice how I could attribute a voice and personality to the character. I spent a few minutes looking around the front porch for more items, but I only found the key. I think the rest of the game will also be scary for me, although the sound of rain and thunder will be softer inside the house. 

7:30 pm

In the main room: The first thing I did was go to the bathroom because it was the closest room. There was not much there. I also looked through the right closet, but I didn’t find anything. On a desk, to the left of the stairwell, I found a note claiming that my neighbor daniel was weird, and wanted our house back. There was also a message left on the phone desperately asking for Sam. I will most likely go left to see what I can find before going up the stairs.

7:50 pm

I checked the first drawer and found an obituary for the man that most likely owned this house before. In the closet next to it, I found a list and a journal entry implying that Sam might be depressed.

8:05

Inside the TV room: There was no door to this room, and the TV was on, so that really creeped me out. I looked through the room and there was another journal entry from Samyalking about making friends. Our dad, Terry, seems to be an editor of some kind. He also seems to be obsessed with JFK. I will go to the room next.

8:30

Secret room: I went into the secret room and it was really weird at first. I thought it must have been from Oscar, but it ended up being from Sam too. There was a strange red light in one of the rooms, I will check that out next.

9:30

Honestly, this really scared me. It was really unexpected. I was afraid to turn over the picture, but I was pretty sure that it would be Oscar because Sam claimed that the house was owned by a psycho. I am interested to see what’s in the attic, although I have a feeling it will be a dead body. 

In the secret entrance, I picked up the crucifix and dropped it, and immediately the lights turned off. I immediately turned away and covered my head. I was almost too scared to continue the game, but my fascination drove me on.

End: I finished the game. Honestly, I am kind of disappointed. I am glad Sam is ok and happy, but I was really hoping there were some freaky things going on like Oscar’s ghost haunting the house. I think the game did an excellent job of subverting our expectations and placing things like red paint and scary games in order to build a false sense of fear. I enjoyed my time playing this game.

“Live” From Home

Student Posts

9:45: I’m not sure if the wind is coming from my surroundings or because my computer is overheating. Nevertheless, this front porch is penetrating darkness. The shadow illuminated by the windows could be from a tree, but all that seems to come to mind is the picture of BFG depicted on character books. I’m not sure if my character is coming home of if they rushed home because Sam is in danger, but maybe if I can come inside I’ll know. Just typing this out makes me feel nervous; I’m suddenly hypersensitive to the doors outside the apartment opening and closing as if something is going to happen to me when I go inside the door.

10:30: I’ve been walking aimlessly. It took me too long to find the key. I am filled with anxiety; there is something startling about walking in a large house alone. Not to mention, Sam’s journal referred to herself as the “psycho house girl”. What is wrong with this house?! The weather alert especially made me uneasy. I feel brought back to 2012 during Hurricane Sandy when my family lost power for two weeks. We since moved out of the house, but walking in the darkness with an aimless goal forever remains ingrained, and this game reignited that memory. Darkness is so central to this game that even walking into the light makes me wary.

Side Quest 3

Student Posts

I begin the game with the view of a porch. Unlike the many other games, Gone home doesn’t contain violence, yet it gave players a lot of freedom. With freedom, this game immediately gave me a hard time on how to probe the continuous steps. I had to spend 15 minutes trying to find the key on the bottom of a duck. This experience of probing provided a preview of the remaining plots. As I move around the first and second floor, I discovered that Katie is a rebellious child when she was younger and even her sister, Sam, called her a weirdo.

As I probe from rooms to rooms, I discovered more and more about this family. The father, Terry has some nasty secrets, Sam seems to change a lot as she gets older. The journal would give me a lot of information into the plot and I really like this type of plot progression method.

Side Quest 3

Student Posts

I begin the game with the view of a porch. Unlike the many other games, Gone home doesn’t contain violence, yet it gave players a lot of freedom. With freedom, this game immediately gave me a hard time on how to probe the continuous steps. I had to spend 15 minutes trying to find the key on the bottom of a duck. This experience of probing provided a preview of the remaining plots. As I move around the first and second floor, I discovered that Katie is a rebellious child when she was younger and even her sister, Sam, called her a weirdo.

As I probe from rooms to rooms, I discovered more and more about this family. The father, Terry has some nasty secrets, Sam seems to change a lot as she gets older. The journal would give me a lot of information into the plot and I really like this type of plot progression method.

Liveblogging “Gone Home”

Student Posts

There existed a sense of foreboding in the front porch. With a flickering light, the place grew eerie. Near the window, thundering and rain is what I could hear but as I got closer to the main door, the noise seemed to faint. This hints at the extent of time I spent looking for the key. That attention to detail raised my expectations for what was behind that main door.

I’m an all for clues person. Solving mysteries is my thing. I’m beginning to play this game with caution. I do not know if that’s the right attitude. I just checked the toilet paper for it could mean something. Roaming in the hallways and searching every room minute by minute made me impatient. To my dismay, not all rooms bore clues. Music library was one of them. 

Right now, I am near the dad’s office. I hear two men talking. 

8:00 PM 

Though it turned out to be the TV, that thought was blood curdling. Reading every crumpled note from trash, I could feel what Samantha was going through. I then climbed the stairs. Picking up clues along the way, I reached an area with red lights. It cautioned not to enter if the red lights were on. Though every bit of me wanted to explore that further, I couldn’t find the entrance to it.  

8:12 PM

I’ve just learned about the existence of a secret room. I’m headed there. As thrilling as the path was with the panel opening from the wall, there was a feeling of disappointment on climbing down to the secret room. By then I had reached a conclusion of my own. Probably, Samantha’s parents were too hard on her so she fled with Lonnie, her lover; her parents might have gone to find her. I’m still traversing through the house so I might keep adding more.

My eyes were strained during the game, but I kept going. With pulling every bulb string, I had chills going down my spine. It felt as if unveiling the entire mystery was the only way I could swallow food down my throat.

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