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525:"I release all of the source code that I write as free software (free as in "freedom") into the public domain so that others can learn from my work and make use of my source code in their own projects. I also release all of my software in compiled binary form (in other words, "ready-to-run") into the public domain, with no restrictions on use or redistribution."
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that can move from left to right as time progresses. There are no instructions. The environment is a two-dimensional maze with treasure chests scattered throughout, some in relatively hard to reach places. Points are earned for collecting these chests. After a short time, the player will encounter a
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The game is devoid of a traditional plot, instead allowing the player's choices to author an abstract representation of a life. The protagonist may choose to maximize his life as a treasure hunter by remaining alone, or choose to marry for companionship, which will last until his wife's eventual
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In the beginning of the game the player is positioned near the left side of the screen, thereby limiting his ability to see backward (the environment to the left of the player), with a long and narrow expanse of environment available to the right. As the game progresses, the avatar's relative
208:. The size constraints for Gamma 256 led Rohrer to present the game in a blocky 100x16 pixel resolution. No entrants were allowed to exceed 256x256. Games were also limited to five minutes in length. Rohrer created all of the content, including the music, and the
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position on the screen gradually shifts to the right, with less visibility to the right and more visibility to the left. The speed of the player also slows as time progresses, and the representation of both the avatar and the wife visibly age.
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female character who will marry the protagonist if touched; this choice, however, will increase the difficulty of navigating the maze, as the female will begin to accompany the player and restrict certain avenues of movement.
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was one of eight submitted entrants that were screened at
Kokoromi's Gamma 256 show, a competition that asked designers to create a game in 70 days that used as low a
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In the game, the player spends five minutes experiencing a character's entire lifetime, with results that many commentators have described as emotionally powerful.
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death. Regardless of the choices the player makes, the fixed length of the game and the aging of the protagonist ensures death for the player character as well.
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was intended as an abstract metaphor for the human condition. Rohrer has stated that repeated playthroughs help emphasize the finite nature of the experience.
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were influenced by the death of an elderly neighbor, as well as his own changing life circumstances after starting a family of his own.
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The visual presentation of the main character is loosely based on Rohrer himself, with the female character modeled on his wife Lauren.
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The lack of any victory conditions coupled with the inevitability of death have led some to question whether
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123:. Rohrer himself has been an outspoken proponent of advancing the artistic integrity of the medium.
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119:. Since its release it has become a significant entry in the burgeoning debate of
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288:. In March 2013 the exhibition opened in the Philip Johnson Galleries.
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551:"MoMA Exhibit to Feature 'Pac-Man' and 13 Other Video Game Classics"
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479:"AVC at GDC '10: An interview with art-game creator Jason Rohrer"
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at all, or whether the word "game" is a sufficient label for it.
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501:"The strange, sad anxiety of Jason Rohrer's The Castle Doctrine"
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435:"Jason Rohrer: The Most Brilliant Game Designer Who Wasn't"
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Commercial video games with freely available source code
352:"Poetic Passage Provokes Heavy Thoughts on Life, Death"
457:"Living Inside and Outside Jason Rohrer's Passage"
249:At the 2007 Montreal International Games Summit,
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324:"Does "Go Right" Point the Way to Games as Art?"
380:"Can D.I.Y. Supplant the First-Person Shooter?"
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305:"Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology"
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149:in which players control a male
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499:Alexander, Leigh (2013-08-06).
378:Bearman, Joshuah (2008-04-21).
322:Wickman, Forrest (2012-04-30).
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350:Thompson, Clive (2008-04-21).
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237:) and selling the game on the
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549:Indvik, Lauren (2013-02-27).
408:Rutkoff, Aaron (2008-01-28).
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477:Dahlen, Chris (2010-04-13).
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145:most resembles a primitive
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640:Side-scrolling video games
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459:. Music & Literature
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280:as one of the first 14
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111:is a 2007 experimental
241:appstore for $ 0.99.
596:in MoMA's collection
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229:and assets into the
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539:on itunes.apple.com
410:"The Game of Life"
385:The New York Times
257:and as unusual an
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45:Jason Rohrer
635:Linux games
630:MacOS games
615:Indie games
503:. Gamasutra
282:video games
245:Exhibitions
227:source code
193:Development
52:Platform(s)
40:Designer(s)
604:Categories
557:2014-07-24
553:. Mashable
507:2014-07-24
485:2014-07-24
463:2014-07-24
441:2014-07-24
419:2014-07-24
391:2014-07-24
361:2014-07-24
333:2014-07-24
292:References
255:resolution
113:video game
620:Art games
276:selected
210:pixel art
141:In form,
665:Freeware
270:New York
202:Kokoromi
137:Gameplay
133:" game.
89:Art game
84:Genre(s)
593:Passage
575:Passage
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182:Themes
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61:Mac OS
356:Wired
328:Slate
65:Linux
173:Plot
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
