Many video games would put the player at the centre of their design, whether to serve them or to test them.
'You Are Worthless: A Video Game Where Nothing Happens', is not that kind of game.
(Click on images to enlarge them)
Starting from the centre of what can only be described as 'A Void,' the player must walk in real time all the way to the very border of the map, forging their own path while experiencing entirely different and distinct sights and sounds from a human-eye perspective, none of it in the slightest interactive or reactive to the player's existence.
Should the player do absolutely nothing and simply leave the game standing idle, their character will slow to a standstill and an ominous darkness will gradually creep in and shroud the screen. If the player is too late to return to their play session, they will have been transported right back to where they first started the game.
This highly experimental exercise in endurance is inspired by 'Screen Theory', as pioneered and executed by opera writers Robert Wilson and composer Philip Glass, who sought to numb their audiences into a state of 'Waking Unconciousness' by exposing them to hypnotically repetitive imagery and music, all at an utterly glacial pace.
The impact of their 5-hour-long breakthrough piece, 'Einstein on the Beach' can be felt today with such works as 'Gerry' by Gus Van Sant, 'Desert Bus' by Penn & Teller, 'Koyaanisqatsi' from Francis Ford Coppola, 'Morgen und Abend' by Georg Friedrich Haas and the many so-called, 'walking simulators' hitting the market today.
Everything from the level design and the sound to the promotional material has been made to reflect this style. To make players feel utterly lost and completely alone with their own thoughts filling the empty space left in their minds. Highly polarised opinions and controversial response is not only expected here, but also welcomed.
'You Are Worthless: A Video Game Where Nothing Happens' is available to download for free on Windows PCs.
FEATURES:
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Travel in ANY DIRECTION in a 2+ HOUR unskippable single-player trudge toward the end credits
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ONLY BASIC MOUSE INPUT is required in order for the player to look around and walk throughout the world
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MINIMAL KEYBOARD INTERACTION, making most input augmentation peripherals compatible by default
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HARDCORE GAMERS NEED NOT APPLY; finely-tuned minimal controls account for many physical needs and skill levels
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Unique DARKNESS RESET MECHANIC hinges on your attention span: the game lets you in, but it won't let you out
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NO WAY TO SAVE OR PAUSE; the journey through the void must be finished in one single sitting
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No text, no health bars, NO FLASHING IMAGES, no distractions; just you and what lies beyond the horizon
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Highly contrasted, BLACK AND WHITE, low form style achived with UNREAL ENGINE 4
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Also featuring audio pieces from NASA's public domain 'Sounds of the Planets' recordings
Credits:
Created by: George Cheal for The Bonsai Treehouse
Additional Sound: William McKie for Wicker Games
Additional Modelling: Krishna Dudhee for Creative Kid