Greetings fellow travellers! On this, the 23rd submergence, we have all sorts of fine things to share with you. Chris delves into the creative mode of Mini Motorways. Floss returns from their Big LARP Summer for an essay on the concept of “bleed” and how this might apply to video games as well as live-action roleplaying. Finally, Keith wants you to read a classic video game bibliography.

The Bathysphere crew
Christian Donlan
Florence Smith Nicholls
Keith Stuart

Contact us at bathyspherecrew@gmail.com

Delightful games

Mini Motorways has just received a new Creative mode, which allows you to place buildings and have a little more control over the landscape you’re playing on. I’m fascinated by this idea, since the core of the game as-is is the gap that opens between your plans and your general lack of control over things. More Mini Motorways is always good news - and this is a free download wherever you purchased the game. CD

Interesting things

This is a fascinating response to something I’ve been thinking of quite a lot recently: what forms can neurological art and literature take? I guess the correct question is, are there any forms they can’t take? CD

This week, I’m making two recommendations of things that you may have already heard of, but which I experienced recently and would like to share anyway. The first is the Mucha Museum in Prague, which includes a lovely collection of the Art Nouveau artist’s work. I particularly appreciated seeing the theatrical posters that he made a name for himself with, and couldn’t help but wonder what he would think of video games. FSN

My second recommendation is the speculative fiction novel Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. One of the two LARPs I took part in recently was inspired by the book, which centres around a House with infinite rooms, lined with statues and with its own strange ecosystem, including an ocean that causes floods. I’ve seen people refer to it affectionately as “a video game,” and it definitely has the aura of a roguelike. FSN

Essay: Bleed Between Worlds

For the past few weeks I’ve been pretending to be two people who are very definitely not me. Well, I say people, one was essentially a giant rat and the embodiment of a community’s greed, but still. The point is, I took part in two LARPs, that is, live-action roleplaying scenarios. Looking back over my memories, the thoughts and feelings belonging to my character bleed into my own. Where do I start and they end? This phenomenon of emotional transference between player and character is indeed known as “bleed,” and it can have both positive and negative consequences. Now reflecting on my intense experiences, I’m wondering if it’s possible to experience bleed when playing video games, and what could developers learn from LARP designers in terms of managing it?