The Right Games for the Right Time
I’ve been thinking a lot about Blood on Mars.
It’s not any kind of secret that Blood on Mars is designed to by a takedown of the kind of techno-capitalist nonsense that’s currently ruining our world. The thing that bugs me, though, is this: Blood on Mars presupposes that a billionaire who dreams of colonizing another planet can be successful at doing so. I’ll be honest, these days, that idea leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe that’s pretty but I don’t really care; I have a justified hatred of people like Elon Musk. Even assuming their success as a foundation for their downfall is too much for me.
Even taking away the Mars portion, I find that means I’m thinking about assholes like Musk and how they operate, just, way too much. I don’t think it’s good for me right now. I like the idea behind Blood on Mars. I think the reality where I feel good about writing it is a different one than we live in now.
That’s probably why You Are the Wilds cropped up in my mind. It’s a game which celebrates the impermanence of humanity. The Wilds are eternal, like the Dungeon and the Tavern before them. The regular state of the world will always reassert itself, even after we are long gone, individually or collectively. That’s the kind of thing which gives me some hope and some catharsis. Coming up with an elaborate backstory to justify killing a fictional technocrat just doesn’t.
So Blood on Mars will likely take its place on the shelf with games like Devil’s Night; ideas that I loved and started serious work on until I encountered serious problems with the subject matter. Stuff that I felt icky trying to explore.
I’m glad that I came to this realization before I put more work into the game. I’m also glad that I’ve been able to write Wilds like I have. It’s the game I need right now.
If you haven’t, go back You Are the Wilds on Kickstarter now. That or become a patron and you’ll get it (as with all my games) when it’s finished.
See ya,
Tracy