I'm the first to admit that I'm behind the curve in enjoying machinima. That said, I find The House in the Middle really creepy. The couch image in particular freaks me out. The artist doesn't really intend creepiness, but the idea of unexplained violence works pretty well here.

Half-Life 2 is rife with such images, particularly in odd places. The designers there have done a nice job building a world in which numerous previous people have tried and failed to defend themselves. Yesterday I encountered a prison cell (another entry on the game's use of the prison some time) with a bed tipped on its side, like a barracade. I also found a small bathroom splattered with mysterious blood.

These types of images, which Bichard makes strong use of in his exhibit, work so well because they portray history and invite curiosity/investigation. Perhaps that's what makes Half-Life 2 so intriguing, despite its "rail-shooter" setup: it uses the adventure-game motif of developed environments shrouded in mystery to evoke curiosity. Thus, HL2 returns us to the excitement of Myst while still keeping our fingers twitchy.

The contrast between HL2 and traditional "Adventure games" stands out particularly strongly right now for me because Jenny and I are working our way through The Crystal Key. CK strongly focuses on art over narrative. In terms of its story, it falls far behind even Myst, but some of its visuals are pretty good anyhow.

Machinima, particularly "still photos" seem to be at the same pole as The Crystal Key. If adventure games move in one direction, they become more like Half-Life2, if they move in the other, they become more like "The House in the Middle."

Cross-posted on Academic Gamers