Jellyfish by Lennart Tange is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Deed
Distant Fantasy by Doxent Zsigmond is licensed under CC BY 3.0 Deed
I’ve spent a lot of the last three years thinking about exactly what I’d like to do and what it will take to do it! I’ve also spent a lot of the last three years consuming media, from books (three years ago I finished my BA in English), movies (the older the better), and even video games, which has inspired the image choice and fantastical score I’ve chosen today. The game itself isn’t important, but it contains a giant purple jellyfish you can summon when the chips are down to help you get through tough parts. The fact that this game and its predecessors don’t have a difficulty meter is unique in the current era, and adapting your style while encountering obstacles becomes not just encouraged but necessary. Much like life!Some games aren’t difficult enough to force people to do that, and there’s a place for easy, leisurely games as well. Some situations in life aren’t difficult enough to force us to change, and sometimes in life periods of respite are necessary too. Resting is important, but not resting too long on laurels.
On a more colorful note, I recently spoke with a friend who told me the retail establishment she worked at started pushing out purple in the last couple months. That made me think of design and marketing, and whether or not my recent reconnection with the regal color was a conscious decision or marketing manipulation. It also made me think of the symbolism behind colors and why artists and designers choose them to represent certain themes (for instance, purple is commonly used to represent poisonous characters).
Hi Paul. My first reaction is the picture reminds me of a cartoon or movie and the audio is soothing and reminds me of a part in a movie that I can’t remember the name of. The audio provides a relaxing experience that causes you to think over life and your future. I see a jellyfish at peace and floating away. The image and audio are a great combination and all links worked fine. Also, great format of everything.
Hi Paul, this was such an interesting post and I loved the BGM you used as a backdrop to your post. It was extremely introspective and I loved how you connected this video game to life and how just like the video game you mentioned, life has its obstacles and we aren’t always aware of those obstacles and their difficulties. Rather than getting discouraged, we should adapt. Very sound advice. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Hi Paul,
This was a great and reflective post. I really like the combination of the image and the audio. The two combine for a very peaceful and meditative experience. Even though the jellyfish is alone, it doesn’t feel lonely. I think the beautiful music helps make it feel that way.
Since you brought up video games in your post, I have to say that this image/audio combination reminds me of the aquarium in the Animal Crossing series. Sometimes, I spend so much time grinding in the game to make more money or make my house look a certain way that I forget to actually enjoy the game I’m playing. Going to areas like the aquarium reminds me to just relax and have fun with what I’m doing.
Hi Paul, I love that word you used – respite. That’s definitely what this audio feels like to me. Your mentioning of video games has me picturing this audio playing during a peaceful, exploration portion of gameplay, but I can also imagine the tempo picking up as you move closer to the next fight or objective. It pairs well with the journey the jellyfish is making in the photo, too, slowly illuminating its path through the vast ocean. A pretty fantastical image, I’d say.