Today I Die

"Today I Die" is a free online game created by Daniel Benmergui.

You can read a fine A.V. Club review here, which is how I learned of it...

The scene opens underwater, with the body of a dead woman floating limply in the dark. The rock tied around her waist suggests that her demise was no accident. A handwritten poem floats above her:

dead world
full of shades
today I die.

Nearby, the words “dark” and “painful” swim among fierce-looking black fish and jellyfish who glow when approached. Through point-and-click experimentation, it becomes evident that players can re-write the story and change reality by discovering and swapping new words into the poem.

To say that I think this little game is a brilliant piece of interactive art would probably discourage some of you from trying it. I would recommend this game to non-gamers, but I fear gamers and non-gamers alike may not give this one a chance and you really should...

The brilliance of the game is discovering how it works on your own which will probably frustrate a lot of people.

My suggestion: click on everything within the game screen. You can move words *and* objects selectively. Replace words in the poem to alter the scene. See how altering the poem alters the imagery. You can play without listening to the audio but the audio is a lovely accompaniment.

You can PLAY THE GAME HERE.

Some of you may give up. I hope you don't. There are at least two endings, both really sweet.

Two other games by Daniel Benmergui that I really like:

Storyteller

I Wish I Were the Moon

I could go blue in the face trying to convince non-gamers (and gamers) that something genuinely poetic and artistic can be created using the medium of a videogame. If you don't have the curiosity to try it, you'll have to trust me that Benmergui's doing something really unique and amazing and subversive with the medium.

I've said my peace.

In other news, I thought I was gonna be able to get through Monday without talking to anyone but I had to have a talk with my manager about a matter. This is going to be one of those weeks, brothers and sisters...