Blog 6: Until Dawn

Until Dawn creates tension in multiple ways.  The first way is the coloration because there are very few things that are brightly colored.  Considering most of the game is darkly colored, it makes the player feel very unsafe.  In addition, the only time that the player gets any bright colors is when you are seeing through the wendigo’s eyes, which is shown different oranges, reds, and light blue and white for the humans.  This vision adds even more tension because it is unnatural to see like this, unless you’re looking through a thermal camera.  The coloration is something that has been in everything we have read or watched during this section, except Uzumaki.

Another way that this game creates tension is through the usage of the quick time events and choices to make.  These quick time events and quick choices really add the tension because you do not have but a few seconds to react.  You do not have time to methodically think about the outcome, you just have to go with your gut instinct. During these quick times events, I did end up killing a few of the characters.  One of the characters that I killed was Jess.  Another character I killed was Emily. These deaths were caused because I am horrible at the quick time events. 

The last main way that this game creates tension is through the use of the supernatural and the strange.  This game uses the wendigo, which is a supernatural creature that is based on Native American mythology dealing with cannibalism. In addition to this, the wendigo is also evidence of mutilation of something natural because, as you can see in the picture below, it is very humanoid, but not fully human.  They have unnaturally sharp teeth, can only see movement, and are extremely tall and gangly. The themes of the use of the supernatural and the mutilation of something natural is seen in Uzumaki (with the twisting of bodies), Crimson Peak (with the spirits that are haunting the main character), and Through the Woods (as evidence in “The Nesting Place” with the fiancées face twisted and creepy).

Overall, I love Until Dawn.  The story telling in this game is some of the best I have heard. This is due in part because of the interaction level with the story telling.  Almost every choice or action the player makes effects the way the story progresses.  Even something as small as killing an animal can change the outcome of the game.  There are some things, though, that are set in stone.  For example, some of the characters’ deaths can only happen at the very ending.  Another thing that helped make the game so great was the use of the sound.  Sometimes there was absolutely nothing on the audio track, which made the story even more eerie.  Other times there was so much going on with the sounds of a flame thrower and screams from the wendigo.  All of these elements played a huge role in making this game a really good story and a horrifying joy to play.      

Blog #5: "Jesus Camp" and Blankets

        

          The documentary “Jesus Camp” and Blankets are similar in many ways.  The first way is how Craig and the children in “Jesus Camp” are treated by adults.  Many of these kids in the documentary are too young to really understand what is going on, which shows that their “beliefs” are forced upon them by their parents.  There are instances where the parents of the child make them raise their hands or not watch things because they’re “evil” (i.e. Harry Potter).    Much of the same thing happens in Blankets, where Craig’s mother is the one who basically forces Craig to follow the Christian path.  This can be seen in a few different panels.  For example, on page 28, the teacher says that Crag’s mother would be disappointed in his work because she is a “[…] good Christian lady,” which puts a lot of pressure on the Craig to feel like he has to follow the rules because who wants to disappoint their parents at that age. Craig’s parents’ religion can even be seen in the décor of the house because there are posters with Christian sayings (pages 30 and 38) and crosses and other Christian memorabilia around the house such as a cross (page 44) and Jesus’ picture (pages 201-208).  In addition to this, Craig’s mother does not allow them to stay out and play a little bit longer because they have church early the next morning.   Lastly, during the camp scene on pages 80 and 81, one of the boys specifically says “You reading the Bible? Aren’t we forced to read that thing enough here?” This shows that it is not all of the kids’ chose to be at this camp and to believe in Christianity.  These all show how their parents force their religion on the children, instead of letting them explore the world on their own.

            Another way “Jesus Camp” and Blankets are very similar is what happens at camp when there is not a counselor or someone with a lot of power around.  In “Jesus Camp,” when the kids are to be in bed, you learn what they really do.  These kids often goof off and act like monkeys and do not act in ways that would make “Jesus” happy, according to the counselor that comes in and clams them down.  It’s interesting to note that during the day, when there is someone with power around, the children act like perfect little angels and do what “Jesus” would want them to do by singing and praising God.  This same exact thing happens in Blankets.  On pages 80 and 81, it is an hour past lights out and the boys are chatting about things like girls’ chests and feeling them up.  Later, on pages 105 to 107, we see what happens when these, now older, children do at camp when there is a counselor around.  In these panels, we see how they sing and praise God and act like they are Christians through and through, even though that is not the case as shown on page 117.  This shows that both, Blankets and “Jesus Camp” are relatively accurate in how these people are represented and how they act when there is or is not an adult around.  There are more similarities between Blankets and “Jesus Camp,” but these were the two most prominent similarities that I noticed.