Anyone who knows me knows I have a passion for theatre and for acting. What you might not know about me is my pure and unbridled passion for video games. 

Games, games, games. A bit of a misnomer these days if you ask me. “Video game” is a name the medium has grown beyond, as they are so much more in terms of the messages and stories they can deliver, as well as the feelings they can evoke. And yet they are still often viewed as a frivolous, unimportant sort of secondary entertainment. A child’s play thing. 

And while some can indeed be childish and frivolous (and still infinitely enjoyable), many of these “games” contain no fewer artistic qualities than many of the plays you’ve seen or read. In fact, I’d argue that the Aristotelian elements of plot, character, thought, diction, music, and spectacle apply here as much as in any play or film. 

Whether you’re a life-long gamer like myself, or you don’t know your Mario’s from your Luigi’s, I’ve included a list of games I applaud for their success in proving that video games are truly works of art.

Shadow of the Colossus (2005, PS4) 

Shadow of the Colossus is one of those games that you know is going to be special from the first frame. A seemingly simple story about being tasked with roaming the lands and destroying 16 colossi to save the girl you love, from it’s solemn tone, to it’s perfectly pitched orchestral melodies, to it’s epic, beautiful, minimalist world, Shadow’s presentation is unlike nearly any other game.  

At the center of what makes this tale so unique is it’s feeling of loneliness. With very few interactions throughout the game, the themes of loneliness, self-reliance, and determination color the story. While certainly an adventure game through and through, each exciting moment is often beautifully tempered with melancholy, and even the successful act of destroying the colossal beasts roaming the land brings with it an overwhelming sense of bittersweet remorse. 

Journey (2012, PS4)

Much like Shadow of the Colossus, Journey is the story of wandering alone amidst a great vastness; the player’s simple, unspoken goal being to reach a mountain in the distance.

Unlike Shadow of the Colossus however, Journey’s emotional core is based in the potential friendships forged through chance meetings with other players in the real world. Along this journey through an abandoned civilization, the player is often presented with chance encounters with other people committed to the same goal of reaching the mountain. These encounters can be brief, but more often than not these meetings are lasting bonds which provide players with all manner of support through the game.

I can still recall my final moments playing through this game. Alone and on the brink of death I came across a traveler much like myself, struggling against frostbite to mount the final summit of the mountain. Unable to speak to each other, we quickly found that if we stayed with one another for warmth we could survive our journey together. I was likely sitting hundreds if not thousands of miles apart from this stranger, my journeying companion. And yet in these moments we cared for each other. I cared about them, and they cared about me, and we learned how to silently communicate how best to survive this journey together. I formed a strong, emotional connection with another real human through my TV screen. If this ability to bring people together and change them for the better isn’t what art is all about, then I don’t know what is.

BioShock Infinite (2015, Xbox One, Switch, PS4)

BioShock Infinite does what any great piece of art does: holds a mirror up to our society to show us who we are, and occasionally provides insight on how we can change. Unlike it’s two strictly Horror-centric predecessors, BioShock infinite is a First Person Shooter spectacle about a man recruited to save woman from racist elitists aboard a floating city reminiscent of The World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 in Chicago. Yeah, you’ll just have to play it.

The entire game is essentially designed as a funhouse reflection of our world and our history, taking on themes of racial inequality, social disparity, nationalism, and religious fanaticism. Pair that with fast paced action and some riveting revelations about parallel universes and you’ve got a brain-melter of story worthy of being experienced firsthand through the power of gaming.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (2017, Xbox One, Switch, PS4)

A mashup of a few different genres, Hellblade could be billed as a psychological horror adventure. Yep. Psychological horror adventure. Sounds weird, I know. And IT IS. But it’s also absolutely beautiful and haunting in it’s depiction of human psychosis.

Inspired by Norse culture and mythology, the story follows a young female warrior, plagued with the death of her lover. Her journey to rescue her love from death itself is a nightmare of sadness and rage, and the pain she endures is slowly and ultimately revealed to be a metaphor for the psychological torment inflicted through the horror of loss. The development team at Ninja Theory met exhaustively with neuroscientists and patients of psychosis to properly represent the condition, and the results are truly mind-blowing.

Terrifying, disorienting, confusing, and even beautiful, the developers manage to harness the power of gaming to immerse you in the mind of someone with a terrible affliction in an incredibly unique and very real way, helping you to contemplate a small piece of the nature of mental illness.

Final Fantasy (1985 – 2020, PS4, Switch, Xbox One)

To date there are 15 mainline Final Fantasy games. Some better than others. But pick one. Close your eyes and randomly pick any one of them and you’ll find elaborate, engaging, and infinitely creative plots designed to provoke thoughts on how we see the nature of good and evil.

Set in the style of turn-based role playing games, Final Fantasy is brimming with colorful and often over-the-top characters and dialogue, and always set against the backdrop of oncoming war. The best entries in the series revolve around themes of love, appreciation and conservation of the natural world, as well as topics revolving around rebellion in the face of tyrannical government. 

From a theatre standpoint, I love that Final Fantasy (in most cases) gives it’s cast of characters real personalities (even if they are sometimes a bit one-note) and they actually allow them to grow throughout their stories, allowing us the potential to change along with them if we allow ourselves to be swept away. If you’re looking for great plot and fun characters, look no further.

The Legend of Zelda (1985 to 2020, Nintendo consoles)

There was no way I was gonna leave my favorite game series out of all this. If you’ve even heard of video games, you’ve heard of The Legend of Zelda. Much like Final Fantasy, there are a zillion of them, and almost all of them are top notch.

To be honest I’m finding it incredibly difficult to articulate exactly what it is about these games I find so artistic, because I find nearly EVERYTHING in them to be artistic. I suppose there’s something to be said for it’s ability to simply capture the imagination of a child and hold on until he’s a man in his mid thirties. There’s some kind of potent, unnamable power in that.

What I will mention is one of my favorite design aspects of the game. Designers have made the artistic choice to allow the game’s protagonist, Link, to remain absolutely silent throughout every game, allowing the player to essentially project themselves onto the character. This lovely, subtle vehicle for immersion allows the player to experience the world more fully, not as an audience member, passively taking note, but instead living every moment in the life of a pointy eared elf wielding a powerful sword and striking down oktoroks and bokoblins in search of a magical princess. Let’s see you do that, books.

If you’re looking for your art fix in video games I promise that any of these on this short list will scratch that itch. But I could name more. Oh boy could I. So, so, so, so many more. But I’ll spare you. For now.

Gaming has the power to alter the way we view stories across all mediums, proving that emotions, discovery, friendship, and change can be achieved with something as simple as the press of a button.

As the weeks continue to fly by, I am finding myself more and more DESPERATE for theatre! Yes, watching Zoom performances is fine, and so are the streaming options from places like the National Theatre, but over the past few weeks I’ve turned my attention to the greatest BIG SCREEN treatments of some of my favorite plays. Here are a few recommendations of ways you can watch great drama, adapted for film!

Glengarry Glen Ross: this 1992 film was adapted by playwright David Mamet from his 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning play. It is the story of two days in the lives of four real estate salesman and how desperate they become when the corporate office sends in a new trainer to give them some motivation. The film features stunning performances by Jack Lemmon and Al Pacino, and a star turn by Alec Baldwin, as well. It has some very, very, very strong language, so not a great choice for “family film night,” but the story and performances are gripping. A great watch!

Available on Amazon Prime Video.

A Streetcar Named Desire: Based on the play by Tennessee Williams, this renowned drama follows troubled former schoolteacher Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) as she leaves small-town Mississippi and moves in with her sister, Stella Kowalski (Kim Hunter), and her husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando), in New Orleans. I mean, who DOESN’T need to see Brando’s performance as Stanley? It is truly iconic and was a performance that shattered expectations for film treatments of great plays.

Available on Amazon Prime.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? No doubt about it, this is my favorite film adaptation of a play ever. I cannot say enough about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in this movie: they bring an electricity, and passion, that is absolutely thrilling and very disturbing. This is a hard play, and an even harder film to watch, but it is an all-time classic of American cinema, and based on one of the best plays ever written. A must see, for sure.

You can see the movie on YouTube and also on Amazon Prime.

Amadeus: this 1984 film is based on Peter Shaffer’s hugely successful stage play from 1979. A wonderful, celebratory, and lush period piece filled with gorgeous locations, fabulous costumes, and wonderful performances, Amadeus isn’t just great cinema, it is also educational! F. Murray Abraham’s performance as Salieri is delightfully sinister!

The Director’s Cut is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

Arsenic and Old Lace: I mean, come on - Cary Grant is in this one, and it is utterly charming, hilarious, and so, so much fun! One of the greatest comedic plays in American History, AAOL’s film version was directed by Frank Capra and includes star turns from Peter Lorre, Josephine Hull, and Jean Adair. I could literally watch this movie on repeat it is such a great treatment of a classic play.

Available on Amazon Prime Video!

I’m a bit of an eclectic person, so having one category of recommendations will be impossible. I created a few categories of stuff.

Armchair Travel – (since very few of us will actually be going anywhere) I love to travel. I love to find the unique little nooks, tucked away places that only the locals may know about. My “go-to” source is Atlas Obscura. http://www.atlasobscura.com/

I’ve been a fan since its inception in 2009. Packed full of trips, experiences, oddities, and local folks and their stories, the curious, the weird, the fabulous. Other terrific armchair travel sites:

•  Since they’re currently closed and we miss them! National Parks Virtual Tours: https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/take-virtual-visit-national-…
• To plan your next adventure, Roadtrippers: https://roadtrippers.com/
• Instagram. Seriously. Where do you want to go? My favs are Hidden Scotland and Iceland Explore. But you go where you want to go.

Props- Among the many things I do for a living, I also design and build props. Eric Hart’s Prop Agenda is a wonderful resource. Filled with “how-tos”, product links, tips, and prop theater history. http://www.props.eric-hart.com/ It’s prop person’s rabbit hole of a website. More great resources for prop makers and makers in general:

• Fake N Bake – all things prop food. Just don’t eat it! Also has an historical food time line link. https://www.fakenbakeblog.com/ Look for Fake Food Friday!
• Make Magazine https://makezine.com/ and Make Community https://make.co/ All things maker! Crafts, technology, science, education, lots of maker projects in all categories.

Vintage Anything and Everything- “Ever get the feeling you’re living in the wrong time?” How To Be A Retronaut https://www.howtobearetronaut.com/ Just go there. Retronaut, https://retronaut.com/ a sub site, is filled with vintage images and information behind them.

Vintage Online architectural slavage. Yum:

• Old Good Things - https://ogtstore.com/
• Recycling the Past - https://www.recyclingthepast.com/
• Black Dog Salvage - https://shop.blackdogsalvage.com/

OR visit a salvage yard near you!

Vintage World:

• The Smithsonian Open Access Site - https://www.si.edu/openaccess download any one of the Smithsonian’s available images and freely share! Without asking!

Vintage packaging Jason Liebig collects packaging and labels. He has over 8600 pages on his flickr account. Don’t say I didn’t warn you… https://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonliebigstuff/

Vintage cooking – PIES https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/73869/8-forgotten-pie-recipes-we-sh… Because PIE! I love pie. Out of this list, Buttermilk Chess Pie is something

I’ve made 100 times. It’s killer. But please- learn to make your own pie crust. It’s sooo much better. And even I can do it!

Entertainments:

Movies I can watch over and over:

• The Thin Man, (1934) and all of the sequels. Myrna Loy and William Powell. Lots of sleuthing and alcoholic beverages. And Myrna Loy!!
• All About Eve (1950) Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Celeste Holm. Winner for Best Picture. Backstage drama and backstabbing!
• The Artist (2011) And lovely homage to the silent era of films. And the French guy is adorable.
• About Time (2013) I may have cried a little.
•  Gilda (1946) Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford. Great American film noir. You could make it a drinking game with the number of times Gilda says, “Johnny”… not that we have…but you could. Narrated by a dead guy.
• The African Queen (1952) Hepburn, Bogart, gin, big river, blowing up Nazis… need I say more?
• Sunset Blvd (1950) Gloria Swanson. I mean, come on!
• And pretty much this list: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/100-best-films-ever-hollywood-favorites-818512/item/all-eve-hollywoods-100-favorite-818428

Music I can listen to over and over:

• Talk about eclectic. This list became ridiculously long. So, I omitted it.

TV shows I can watch over and over:

• The Carol Burnett Show. The best variety show ever and will never be duplicated.
• The Mary Tyler Moore Show. “You’ve got spunk. I hate spunk!”
• The Dick Van Dyke Show.
• The Bob Newhart Show I’m sensing a trend….
• Mom. Alison Janney, right? Not just funny, but sometimes it left you a little melancholy. There often was a stabbing point that got you right in the heart.
• Friends
• The Twilight Zone (The universe where we currently reside)
• The West Wing (I wish we resided in that universe)

Good Books that became less than good movies:

• Where’d You Go, Bernadette? Really fun, engaging book. The movie? Not so much.
• Cloud Atlas Great book….TERRIBLE MOVIE. The attempt should have never been made.
• The Help I will get pushback on this one, but really, the book is much better.
• The Girl on The Train Ugh.
• Doubt – Okay it was a play, not a book. But the movie was terrible.
• The Goldfinch. Full disclosure, this is my wife, Jana’s addition. To quote her, “Even if I hadn’t read the beautiful book, it was a horrible movie. Broke my heart.” She’salmost always right. But don’t tell her I said that.

Art - You Can Too!

• Bob Ross and The Joy of Painting. https://www.youtube.com/user/BobRossInc Episodes are available on YouTube and they’re just great. Grab a paint brush and make happy little trees.
• Boarding All Rows. https://www.boardingallrows.com/ Learn to do lino cuts! Very meditative, and fun with sharp objects.

• White air-dry stone clay. Fun with sculpting! https://activaproducts.com/products/10-58-oz-of-white-premier-clay Sandable, carvable, paintable. I used it to make the rabbit heads for Edward Tulane and you can get it at Jane’s Artifacts.
• Sketchbook Skool https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sketchbook+skool Are you sitting in a coffee house, wishing you knew how to start a groovy sketch book so you could sketch that odd guy reading the paper? Here’s some tips and tricks! And just do it!

Curiosities and Uncategorized:

• Messy Nessy. Cabinet of curiosities. Hours of enjoyment. One of my favorite, all time sites. https://www.messynessychic.com/
• The Scale of the Universe http://htwins.net/scale2/ a little mind blowing.
• Chuck Lorre, the producer for many TV series including Mom, Big Bang Theory, Will & Grace, has a website with all of the vanity cards for every episode of every series. http://chucklorre.com/?s=5
• Cat Bounce. Seconds of enjoyment. https://cat-bounce.com/

Thanks for playing!

Music! Perhaps you've heard it once or twice? Our very own Company of Fools Production Assistant Chris Henderson drops the beat and practically gives you his very own mixtape for beating the quarantine blues. Here's what Chris is listening to right now!

1. Distraction Pieces- Scroobious Pip (2011)

Scroobius Pip is a UK native from Essex, England that has been creating innovative slam poetry and redefining British Hip-Hop for the better part of two decades. Pip found mainstream success in 2008 after a collaboration with Dan le Sac, a music producer and former HMV colleague of Pip’s, resulted in the critically acclaimed “Thou Shalt Always Kill.”

To date, Scroobious Pip has released three albums in collaboration with Dan le Sac, two solo albums, and two live performance albums. Scroobious Pip’s second solo album Distraction Pieces is an ode to the turmoil that arises when the self-aware becomes introspective or as Pip puts it: “That’s all the s*** that flies around my head and keeps me sleepless.”

2. The Book of Heavy Metal- Dream Evil (2004)

In 1999 Swedish producer Fredrik Nordström happened upon a chance meeting with a young guitarist by the name of Gus G from the band Firewind while on vacation in Greece. The two took a liking to each other and decided to work together to create a fantasy driven Power Metal band. And thus, Dream Evil was born.

Fredrick and Gus asked a few close friends to join the band, and until the first promotional photos were taken, the band had never been fully met. Dream Evil’s third studio album The Book of Heavy Metal is an adrenaline-fueled ride with searing vocals, galloping guitars, and driving drums that have a voice of their own.

3. Live at Pompeii- Pink Floyd (1972)

Pink Floyd, a band that needs no introduction, released Live at Pompeii in September of 1972. The film’s original cut is a full-length feature comprised of eight tracks and running approximately 60 minutes. The film has had subsequent releases in 1974 as a theatrical cut, 2002 as a DVD, and in 2016 as a 5.1 surround sound DVD and CD pair.

With the natural ambiance of Pompeii helping to elevate the eccentric and energetic performers, Live at Pompeii is rare gem that melds together light and sound to create a unique piece of art that is still unrivaled nearly 50 years later.

4. Appeal to Reason- Rise Against (2008)

Formed in 1999, Rise Against is a Melodic Hardcore Punk band originating from Chicago, Illinois. Rise Against is known mostly for their double time tempos, beautifully melodic guitars, and powerfully crafted lyrics. A few of the subjects that the ensemble tackle includes animal rights, economic injustice, homophobia, and modern warfare.

Rise Against’s 5th studio album Appeal to Reason is a shining example of just how orchestral punk music can sound when melodic guitars and dynamic drums are paired with choruses of harmonic backing vocals. Appeal to Reason is an emotional Tour de Force and a pleasure to listen to start to finish.

5. Stony Hill- Damian Marley (2017)

Son of legendary music and song writer Robert (Bob) Nesta Marley and Cindy Breakspeare, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley has released four solo albums to date and is the recipient of four Grammy Awards and one nomination. Damian Marley, while favoring a more contemporary Deejay style, has continued to push forward much of the movements that his father birthed decades earlier.

Stony Hill is an hour and fifteen-minute journey that forces one to confront their own shortcomings, examine the social constructs around them, and find a greater empathy and understanding for their fellow man.