One Chance

One Chance by Awkward Silence

Although I haven't gotten too deep into reading or analysis yet, I think it is important to mention a 'game' called One Chance. This (as well as some of the creators other projects) has been a major inspiration for me wanting to approach the topic of interactivity. What immediately struck me about One Chance was how, despite the low-fi aesthetics, retro soundtrack and the limited level of interactivity, the onscreen world comes across as being highly immersive. The story follows the last 7 days of humanity as a virus threatens to destroy all life. The player can only move left and right with the occasional option to pick a different path. Each day begins the same and progresses in a similar fashion with some events being effected by the previous decisions made. Thematically the issues tackled are pretty big (the end of the world, suicide, the true meaning of happiness) and in my opinion, the treatment of such was done so effectively and without too much pretension. The viewer is drawn into the world and to the characters in a short amount of time (it only takes around 10 minutes to complete) which is something that I put down to the interactive capacity of the media. I will no doubt go into greater detail of this example at a later point but the crux of my view on it is that many of the elements which are believed to be necessary in constructing a convincing on screen world can in fact be supported by interactivity where without it, such space would not be able to reach the same level of immersion. It is the simplest of interactions that makes One Chance really work.