This week in dNoPE we’re talking about the role of storytelling in video games with Conner Rush, founder of FYRE Games. What can video games do that traditional media can't? What are the challenges?
Conner discusses how his approach to storytelling has shifted from the more linear cinematic approach of his early games, such as Summerland, to one that is more meta-narrative. There’s the usual quick fire round of “Yes or Nope”, a dice #ASMR Challenge, plus a pretty strong “Nope of the Week”.
Links:
Thanks for listening to dNoPE! To learn more about who we are and what we're doing, join our Discord and follow our social media by using the links below. Have questions, comments, or ideas? Shoot us an email!
Join our Discord: http://discord.gg/dNoDice
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok (@dNoDice)
Email us at: social@magicave.io
This week in dNoPE we’re talking about the role of storytelling in video games with Conner Rush, founder of FYRE Games. What can video games do that traditional media can't? What are the challenges?
Conner discusses how his approach to storytelling has shifted from the more linear cinematic approach of his early games, such as Summerland, to one that is more meta-narrative. There’s the usual quick fire round of “Yes or Nope”, a dice #ASMR Challenge, plus a pretty strong “Nope of the Week”.
Links:
Thanks for listening to dNoPE! To learn more about who we are and what we're doing, join our Discord and follow our social media by using the links below. Have questions, comments, or ideas? Shoot us an email!
Join our Discord: http://discord.gg/dNoDice
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok (@dNoDice)
Email us at: social@magicave.io
Olivia Serio
Hi and welcome to dNoPE, the podcast expansion for the dNo Universe. I’m your host, Olivia Serio:, community manager at dNo and this is episode 5. I was really excited, I got to speak to one of my friends, Conner, who is a video game designer and developer from West Virgina. And unfortunately, while we were recording, instead of picking up from sound from the mic I was speaking directly in to the whole time it recorded to my headphones, so you’re going to see a little bit of a dip in audio quality here. But I’ve done my best. I’ve learnt so many things, the past four episodes and I hope you enjoy what we talked about anyway. I know I did.
Olivia Serio
Thank you so much for joining me today Conner.
Conner Rush
Hi, thank you for having me.
Olivia Serio
Why don’t you introduce yourself a little bit. Tell our audience who you are and what you do.
Conner Rush
So my name is Conner Rush. I am 21 year old computer science student at WVU in the States and I run a games studio called Fyre Games, that is F-Y-R-E Games and so right now, it’s kinda like a one-man studio with a lot of freelance aide. And we’re specializing in narrative games, that comes with multiple genres, mostly drama, horror. And I like making swords, I like doing that, it’s fun.
Olivia Serio
Well, that’s a little bit why we have you on today, is to talk a little bit about storytelling, and storytelling in games specifically. I know, one of your most, your most recent games has come out. We Never Left, is a horror game that I refuse to play because it is too scary.
Conner Rush
You did. I tried multiple times.
Olivia Serio
Yeah, I mean Chase, who has also been on this show, has played it and I, she cried, so…
Conner Rush
She cried.
Olivia Serio
Chase is a little bit like….
Conner Rush
Compliments to the chef.
Olivia Serio
She, she does, she does have like, I mean like she’s stronger than I am because she actually played the game. But I also know that she scares easy.
Conner Rush
But would you cry. Do you think you would cry?
Olivia Serio
I don’t think I would cry because like, being scared doesn’t make me cry but like, I would definitely have nightmares for… ever probably.
Conner Rush
Fair. I’ll take it. I’ll take it.
Olivia Serio
But the game design does look really cool and I’m like, this is the biggest compliment that I can give you, is that your game looks like the kind of game where I would refuse to play it but still desperately want to know the story. And so I would look up the plot on Wikipedia.
Conner Rush
You, can you do Let’s Plays?
Olivia Serio
Maybe. I could maybe do a Let’s Play. I could maybe watch a Let’s Play.
Conner Rush
I know that Gab Smolders played it. If you’d like to watch Gab Smolders play through We Never Left, I can send you think link.
Olivia Serio
I would appreciate that. You know what, we’ll post a link in the episode description. We’re going to link your game and your studio ‘cause…
Conner Rush
Thank you very much
Olivia Serio
…because we love promoting the artists we have on the show, that’s half the reason we have you. But yeah, so storytelling in games. So, games are unique right? Like they have this interactive medium that is separate from things like books and movies and television shows and stuff. Where like you have that interact, the closest thing to, in traditional media is like “Choose Your Own Adventure” novels. Or those like, I think Netflix has done a couple, choose your own adventure TV shows, but video games definitely have a lot, It’s different. What are some of the strengths, you think to telling, like video games as a story telling medium?
Conner Rush
So, especially in my more recent stuff, I’ve steered away from the choose your own adventure type stories. And I think that gaming is a great medium to do that sort of thing with. In fact, I think that it is the ideal medium to do that sort of thing with, but for me, it’s never appealed to me, making that kind of story. Just because I feel like I can’t focus on one thing. If you’re doing a choose your own adventure, I feel like by nature, one of the stories is going to be worse.
Olivia Serio
Yeah, like, it’s not the one you want people to go towards.
Conner Rush
Like, like if you’re doing a choose your own adventure. I feel like there’s right choices and that’s for a lot of games. In that if you don’t pick the right choices then your story is not going to be as good as if you did pick the, I’m using air quotes, this is not video, but “right” choices.
So I’ve definitely always steered more towards singular narratives and, but what I have done instead is, I think gaming is the perfect opportunity to bring in more meta-textual elements. Where the player is directly called out as being the controller of the narrative. One game I’ve seen do this, actually two games by the same developer, Davey Wreden. I think is phenomenal writer but he did the Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide which, I cite those as stories that you could not tell in any other medium. You couldn’t make a Stanley Parable or Beginner’s Guide movie because it being a video game is so intrinsic to its plot. Also games like Inscription, the whole meta narrative, meta narrative is, the whole point here is that it’s the perfect opportunity to explore that and I’ve been exploring that a bit.
Olivia Serio
Ok, so I know that one of the most recent games that’s kind of dealt with that is the The Last of Us. The TV show is obviously currently airing and I know that you’re a huge fan of that game. In what ways do you think that the game tells that narrative, that maybe is lost a little bit in translation or things that they’ve had to change for the show? In order to kinda adapt that kind of thing? 'Cause normally we see it in reverse, right. So you normally see movies turned into video games and things like that. This is, I think one of the first really successful adaptations, of video game to cinematic.
Conner Rush
I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t say that because we have Arcane, and Arcane is phenomenal.
Olivia Serio
Oh that’s true.
Conner Rush
Arcane was amazing and Arcane did very well. But you see The Last of Us is an exception for me because I don’t think it had to be a game. I think that The Last-
Olivia Serio
Interesting.
Conner Rush
I think The Last of Us, its story, its... everything about it doesn’t need to be a game and I think them telling it in a TV show tells the story just as well as the game does. Of course, there are things being different.
For one, a game being interactive doesn’t intrinsically make it more engaging, so games have to do a lot more to hold attention. You’re holding someone for hours and hours on end, you have game play, you have action sequences, you have to have puzzles to help like, you know, vary things up. Where in a TV show you can replace all those things. So we don’t have big Clicker fighters in the show, at least to the degree of the game. We don’t have ladder moving puzzles, we have more introspective narrative. We have more character study. Episode three is the perfect, like, crux of that; is exploring this character’s back story, that we never do in the game. And I think it is incredibly strong for doing so.
Olivia Serio
So you’ve mentioned a couple of games, Stanley Parable, Beginner’s Guide that could not be told through any other medium, other than games. Are there some were you think “Oh yeah, that could’ve been a TV Show” or that could have been a movie but it’s better having been a game.
Conner Rush
Better having been a game. I’d say that if we’re sticking with Naughty Dog... Uncharted. And I think we’ve seen proof of that with the Uncharted movie. I don’t know if this a hot take or not, I don’t think it is, but I thought that movie was terrible. The Uncharted movie was awful. I think Uncharted being a game, which is very clearly inspired by action adventure films like, Indiana Jones and that sort of thing, it is so cool to have that in a game, where we haven’t got a game that... what am I trying to say– captures it in that sort of scope. We had Tomb Raider, and Tomb Raider was like the intro to adventure. We’re doing this crazy treasure hunt/adventure/action movie thing in a game. Then Unchartered comes along and like really ups the production value, and makes it this like spectacle with big set pieces. And you get to, like, interact with it. It’s something that you can control and be a part of and I think it makes it so much cooler being a game. I can’t really explain why it’s better being a game beyond that. I just think it is, and if Uncharted were a movie, which is is now, it’s not as good.
Olivia Serio
I mean, that’s fair enough. What, so, I guess, when you’re writing these stories and these games. Like what’s, I’m a writer. I’m not as good in fiction, I tend to write plays and scripts more often than I write novels but I know that the approach to kinda coming up with a narrative is different for everyone. But I imagine it’s a particularly, kind of, different beast when you’re thinking about game, and gameplay, and interaction elements, and how to involve the player in the story telling. So what’s your process like, like in that way?
Conner Rush
I usually approached it very film-like at first. So Summerland is an example, which is a game I made, for those that don’t know. I made the game called Summerland, that’s an example of a story I don’t think needed to be a game necessarily. I did add elements that kind of adapted to that. So there’s a lot of questioning, were you are asked your stance on moral issues, and this isn’t like specific issues. It’s more like on just general, broad, ethical concepts, that I do not explore in depth because I was 18 making it and I have never studied moral philosophy, ethical philosophy in my lifetime. So I added these questionings because I wanted the player to kinda be involved, more connect them with the situations that this character was going through. And maybe question their own ethics and what they consider right and wrong. That’s kinda how I adapted it but I think without that I think it just works as a movie. I mean, it’s a tight hour and an a half. It follows a pretty standard structure. It’s, y’know, it’s a movie. But since then, I’ve been trying to do more meta-narrative and I think it strengthens the games by doing so.
So We Never Left is the first one where I really delved into that. Where the player has to, themself, control the things happening. And has to onset events and has to create the situation and put themself in it, where in a movie you’re kinda sitting back and watching. Here you are directly causing the things that are happening. I don’t want to say exactly what I’m referring to. Chase crying doing it kinda attests to that, I think it works. And that I think that, and I think I’m going to go more in-depth with meta-narrative, in terms of making it more of the narrative is involving a player. And that’s for my next game, which I’m not going to spoil yet because it’s very, very, very, very, very, very early.
Olivia Serio
Yeah, I mean, that makes sense. Seeing a little bit. I mean I’ve seen some gameplay, obviously watching Chase play and then watching people play at DualCon, which we were both recently at. In what way, when you’re like, so obviously with some of your earlier games, it was very kind of on the rails, like cinematic going through piece-by-piece. And I know with We Never Left, things are like a little bit more exploratory, that they don’t necessarily have to happen in particular orders. How does that effect kind of what you’re doing, like certain trigger events. Or its like those, is it like those stories were it’s like it’s a deck of cards and you can read the cards in any order. How do you deal with that kind of…?
Conner Rush
Well, I will say for We Never Left, I’m glad you think that because it’s 100% false. We Never Left is very railroaded, it is very linear. There is one course of events to take place. You can’t really manipulate events but I’m glad I created an illusion where it seems that you have more freedom than you do. That is a compliment to me.
But then, my next game is a bit more exploratory but not in a narrative sense. So it is linear, my next game is going to be very linear but within those linear chunks of game. So let’s say there’s like 7 chunks of game, you can really just go around, mess around with whatever. Things will happen in the same order and you do have your, like, mission, your objective. But you're, you know you’re kinda free to like wander around this environment. You can interact with some optional things, see what’s going on. There’s some collectibles you can pick up, which are all optional and you can just breeze through the story in this linear fashion if you want. But I like to keep all the important stuff linear, constructed, cos that’s just, like, the type of game I like. I don’t like super open-world, super open-ended games. I like linearity in my stories, so I keep it like that. But then I, y’know, I sprinkle in a little exploration. I’ll sprinkle in a little optional dialogue here and there. And that’s just fun. I think it’s entertaining to explore that part of gaming, were you’re not able to do that in traditional media. Yeah, that’s about all I have for that.
Olivia Serio
So I know, we’ve talked before, you have not done, you don’t have a huge amount of TTRPG experience but you have played DnD a couple of times.
Conner Rush
I have, yes.
Olivia Serio
And in what ways do you think like there’s kind of. I have often described playing tabletop games as kind of offline video games, in a lot of ways. Especially in terms of story games, and storytelling, and collaborative storytelling. And kind of similar to what you’re talking about in, in terms of there’s linear chunks when you’re playing DnD. You have your mission, you have the objectives, you have the things you do but how you get there is totally different. And a lot of DMs have talked about how their players do things and they have to kind of adapt. And it’s more improv style. Do you, do you see that, like, kinda when you’ve, when you’ve played DnD, kinda this correlation. Do you think there could be more correlation in other games. Thoughts?
Conner Rush
Definitely not in my games. You’re giving me too much credit. My games are so linear. I make linear, cinematic, narratives. My games don’t really involve choice or anything. And that’s by design, I don’t really like that sort of thing. That’s why I make what I make. But I do see in other games. Like one I’m recommending to everyone recently, even if I don’t think I’m going to like it very much, Disco Elysium. And I recommend anyone into tabletop RPGs, please play Disco Elysium. I have not played it because I do not think I’d enjoy it. It’s too much RPG stuff, too much character upgrading, too much options, too many things happening and I get overwhelmed.
Olivia Serio
Too many decisions to make.
Conner Rush
Too many decisions to make. So, here’s the thing. I’m such a perfectionist that if I’m playing a choose your own story, or RPG of any kind. I have to pick the best options.
Olivia Serio
Oh my gosh, I’m the same way.
Conner Rush
In my mind, I’m like, I love the Walking Dead, right? I would sit at every screen when it was giving you a big choice for like 10 minutes. Just like wondering, what’s the best option?
Olivia Serio
Oh, so you’re better than me. What I do, is I just google. I google “what should I pick?”
Conner Rush
Good ending. Go find us the good ending.
Olivia Serio
There is, I do that, so, I mean it’s such a different vibe. But in Stardew Valley there’s like little moments of RPG stuff, were you have these cut-scenes with characters. And they ask you questions, and if you use certain responses, you can lose friendship points with them, But if you chose other options you can gain, and some make no difference whatsoever. And I am so terrified, like I don’t want them…
Conner Rush
I get anxiety.
Olivia Serio
… to hate me. I’m like I know it’s just a game, and I know it doesn’t matter but I don’t want them to hate me. So which one do I do to make them like me more?
Conner Rush
I do the exact same thing. I google what is the best option in this scenario because I can’t handle. Because I feel like if I pick the one that doesn’t get the outcome I like, then I’ve failed. I feel like I did it wrong.
Olivia Serio
I know.
Conner Rush
So that’s why I will not play Disco Elysium.
Olivia Serio
The other, I did something not quite the same but similar. Have you played Undertale?
Conner Rush
OK. So here’s my experience with Undertale. I have played it. I bought it and I was loving it, but my thought was like I don’t want to, I want to kill as not many people as I can. I want to kill as few people as possible so I started the run and I guess, I just totally misunderstood one of the tutorials. Or I don’t know, maybe the tutorial was made badly, I don’t know. But I totally missed where I was able to talk during combat.
Olivia Serio
Oh my god, no!
Conner Rush
I was in my first fight, and I think that was with Toriel and…
Olivia Serio
Oh Toriel is so easy to accidentally kill.
Conner Rush
I was just, like, “Ok, I’ll deescalate and talk.” So I’m just trying to find the talk button and can’t. I cannot figure out how to just like talk to Toriel.
Olivia Serio
I’m pretty sure it’s spare.
Conner Rush
Whatever it is, but like, I just end up murdering everyone, because I thought that was my only choice was just to kill everyone.
Olivia Serio
Yeah, no, and it’s, it’s such a difficult game to play on a genocide run, like.
Conner Rush
I forget which fight I got to. I think it was Undyne. I got to like the first Undyne fight and then learned that I could talk to people. I figured out how to do it and then I did not touch the game after that. Because I was like, I just wasted so much time.
Olivia Serio
Yeah, no. I, thankfully, before I played that game, I had someone tell me, like, either kill no-one or kill everyone. Don’t go in-between.
Conner Rush
I’m wondering if it was the game’s fault or my fault? Did I not pay attention well enough or did the game fail at teaching me how to spare.
Olivia Serio
I think that was maybe a little bit your fault.
Conner Rush
It might have been my fault. Cos I could, not for the life of me, figure it out.
Olivia Serio
But yeah, I mean, one of the things that we’re kinda doing in our game, HexGen, which you’ve seen a little bit of. And obviously I talk about it a lot is kind of blending, there’s a little bit of storytelling, I think there’s not a ton of storytelling in it yet. It’s definitely a little bit more of a Rogue-like, which tends to be less… like ours isn’t very narrative heavy. Unlike, for example, Hades, which is very narrative heavy, which is one of my favorite things about that game.
Conner Rush
How does Hades pull off what it does?
Olivia Serio
I don’t know.
Conner Rush
It has to have a million lines of dialogue for every character.
Olivia Serio
They made, they made a, they made a deal with the gods or something to get that game.
Conner Rush
However many times you die, it’s always unique dialogue whenever you come back. It’s so impressive.
Olivia Serio
It’s so, so good.
Conner Rush
Not only is there unique dialogue but it references your previous play throughs. How does it do that? How does it…
Olivia Serio
I don’t know. Its dark magic. It’s incredible, the studio is… I’m so excited for the next game.
Conor Rush
Hades 2 right?
Olivia Serio
Mm-mmm. I could go on and on about Hades but we are running short on time so instead I’m going to ask you some “Yes or Nope” questions.
Conner Rush
OK. Yes or Nope.
Olivia Serio
Yes or Nope. Let’s see. These are a little bit, little TTRPG-style heavy but I think you’ll be able to hold your own.
Conner Rush
I probably won’t.
Olivia Serio
Can dice be cursed?
Conner Rush
Yes.
Olivia Serio
Can dice be uncursed?
Conner Rush
Is that, are we, are you making uncursed a meaning not cursed or the opposite, like blessed dice?
Olivia Serio
Like, if your dice are cursed.
Conner Rush
Oh, can you uncurse them?
Olivia Serio
Yes.
Conner Rush
You see, I don’t know the rituals of tabletop RPGs. I’m going to say yes. I feel like that’s got to be some sort of ritual out there were you can uncurse your dice.
Olivia Serio
OK, when you’re playing…snacking at the table? Or because video games, snacking at your, like snacking while gaming?
Conner Rush
See, snacking while gaming is a bit harder because uh, controller, two-hands. I’ve found so many situations where I’m playing like, say The Last of Us for example, I’ll be playing and just stand still for 30 seconds while I reach in a grab my sandwich, take a bit and put it down. And I’ll get killed every now and then but. Snacking at the table top RPG table, yes. 100x yes.
Olivia Serio
Session Zero?
Conner Rush
Is that like were you’re just introducing yourselves?
Olivia Serio
Yeah, Yeah, like, like getting to know each other, building your character, getting to know the world, no gameplay.
Conner Rush
Yes.
Olivia Serio
Can you have too many dice?
Conner Rush
Yes. Well, wait, wait, OK. Are we talking like too many dice like in your collection or in a game?
Olivia Serio
What’s… does that change your answer?
Conner Rush
Yes. In your collection, have as many as you want. It doesn’t matter. Do you, make yourself happy. In a game though, I feel like yes. Too many, that gets confusing. Games can be too convoluted.
Olivia Serio
Fair enough. Fair enough.
Conner Rush
If I’m rolling 15 d20s, I’m done.
Olivia Serio
OK. Would you be an adventurer? Like dropped in to, like, a fantasy-esque world.
Conner Rush
In real life?
Olivia Serio
You, Conner.
Conner Rush
Yes.
Olivia Serio
Are dropped, you would be an adventurer?
Conner Rush
No.
Olivia Serio
No, you would not be an adventurer?
Conner Rush
No. I would not be an adventurer. I’m too cautious.
Olivia Serio
Nope? Nope?
Conner Rush
Nope! Sorry, I gotta say it the right way, I’m sorry.
Olivia Serio
Have you ever played a TTRPG? I know the answer to this question.
Conner Rush
DnD. Once.
Olivia Serio
Would you let other people use your dice.
Conner Rush
Yeah! Because my dice I got for free in a goody bag. So yes.
Olivia Serio
So there you go.
Conner Rush
Those are the only ones I own.
Olivia Serio
So you’ve played DnD once. I want you to imagine that character in your brain. Would you party with them?
Conner Rush
Hmm, early stage or later stage? They are a bit of a partier. Their whole personality I based very heavily off Gilderoy Lockhart from Harry Potter. He, like, big hero, celebrity-type dude but is a total jerk. Like a total just, faker.
Olivia Serio
Completely made up?
Conner Rush
Yeah.
Olivia Serio
So would you party with him?
Conner Rush
I think he would be a good partier? I think he’d go hard, he’d buy everyone drinks. I just wouldn’t want to talk to him.
Olivia Serio
Fair enough. Would you trust him to guard your drink?
Conner Rush
No! Nope, nope.
Olivia Serio
Would you trust him to guard your treasure?
Conner Rush
Nope.
Olivia Serio
Would you use digital dice, characters, tile sets to play your TTRPG?
Conner Rush
Yes, I’m not a purist. I’m in a band and I place bass with a pick. I’m not a purist in any degree.
Olivia Serio
Oh! Oh, that is controversial.
Conner Rush
Very controversial, but I.
Olivia Serio
I have, I have one last task for you.
Conner Rush
Is this going to be the spiciest one?
Olivia Serio
Oh no, I don’t have, thats, the questions are done. That was the last question,
Conner Rush
Oh, OK.
Olivia Serio
I have one last task for you.
Conner Rush
Task.
Olivia Serio
Task. I’m going to see if you can tell the difference between a d4 and a d20.
Conner Rush
OK, what are you going to do?
Olivia Serio
I’m going to roll them and you are going to listen.
Conner Rush
Close my eyes.
Olivia Serio
These are, these are, these are the two dice.
Conner Rush
OK
Olivia Serio
Which one is this?
[Rolling Dice sound]
Versus, this is the second one.
[Rolling Dice sound]
Conner Rush
Oh those are lighter than I thought they were going to be.
Olivia Serio
I’m going to do it again.
This is the first one.
[Rolling Dice sound]
This is the second.
[Rolling Dice sound]
There we go.
Conner Rush
First one was the d4. You’ve giving me a bad look…
Olivia Serio
The first one was the d20.
Conner Rush
The first one was the d20? Argh!
Olivia Serio
The second one is the d4. See ready, here, you can hear it, it sounds more round.
Conner Rush
That, that one sounded more round. I feel like the first one had two clunks.
Olivia Serio
That’s the d4.
Conner Rush
Ahhhhh. I’m so dumb, I’m so stupid.
Olivia Serio
You’re, no, I mean I’m doing a blind dice test here so.
Conner Rush
I never want to do another podcast ever again.
Olivia Serio
Noooooo.
Conner Rush
I’ve been made to look a fool.
Olivia Serio
Noooo. It’s OK, Chase, Chase got it wrong too, so.
Conner Rush
Well Chase is a genius. I feel better now.
Olivia Serio
Chase couldn’t tell the difference between, she thought when I said d100, it had a 100 sides, so.
Conner Rush
Does a d100 not have 100 sides?
Olivia Serio
No, it has ten sides.
Conner Rush
Oh, that makes sense.
Olivia Serio
Yeah.
Conner Rush
Why is it bigger than a d10?
Olivia Serio
It is a d10 but it has different numbers on it. When you roll a d100 in game, you roll a d10 and a d100 and the 100 tells you the first digit and the d10 tells you the second digit.
Conner Rush
That makes sense. I got ya.
Olivia Serio
But yeah, that was dice ASMR.
Conner Rush
Well, I appreciate it. I feel, it wasn’t close enough to the microphone. I feel like it needed more like, whispering up here. Like here’s the d20, here’s the.
Olivia Serio
I’ll take that in to account next time. The, I’ve had so much fun talking to you.
Conner Rush
I’ve had a good time.
Olivia Serio
It’s fun, it’s fun to actually interview your friends about things and like, get their answers to questions. What would you say this week’s “nope” is?
Conner Rush
Is this like a gaming hot take or something of that nature?
Olivia Serio
It can be. This week’s “Nope,” like “absolutely not.”
Conner Rush
Absolutely not. Errr, so I’ve voiced this opinion to you, and I think I even told you beforehand I would use this. I think that it is impossible to make a good Backrooms game. All Backrooms games are a nope.
Olivia Serio
I don’t know what a Backrooms game is.
Conner Rush
So do you know the idea of “No Clipping” in games? Which is where like you can disable collision in games and fly through everything.
Olivia Serio
OK, yeah!
Conner Rush
So the Backrooms is this internet horror story, that spawned. I don’t even remember where it spawned, I think it was like 4Chan or something, were you no clip the reality. And let’s say you’re sitting at your computer, everyday life and you just fall through the world. And you land in what feels like this gross office space. No furniture or anything, just yellow wallpaper and brown carpet, and like ceiling tiling as far as the eye can see. With gross, yellowish, florescent lighting. So liminal space, and that’s the idea, and you’re just stuck there forever. That’s the idea of the story.
You cannot make a good Backrooms game because either you are faithful to what made the Backrooms scary, which makes a boring game. Or you add more threats, and add more gameplay and things to do, which then ruins what made the Backrooms so appealing. So it is a paradox, Catch-22. Cannot make a good Backrooms game.
Olivia Serio
This week’s Nope is Backrooms games. I guess.
Conner Rush
All Backrooms games.
Olivia Serio
Thank you so much for joining me today Conner. I’ve had so much fun talking to you.
Conner Rush
Thank you so much, Olivia, for having me.
[Music]
Olivia Serio
Thank you so much for listening to dNope, the podcast expansion for the dNo Universe. If you want to learn more about who we are and what we’re doing. Go follow our social media at @dNoDice. That’s D N O D I C E on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. For the latest updates and to join in on the community we’re building, you can also join our Discord. By going to Discord.gg/dNoDice or following the link in our episode description. Thanks again for listening and we hope to see you around soon.