TITLE
Getting acquainted with death and Mexican tradition through Grim Fandango
AUTHOR
Rowen Cameron
PUBLICATION
Eurogamer
YEAR
2022
ARTICLE TYPE
Book Excerpt
FROM THE ARTICLE
Death. “The greatest of all human blessings” according to Socrates, “a very dull and dreary affair” to W. Somerset Maugham, and “always around the corner” as observed by Carter Burwell. But, ultimately, the inevitability of all living beings. It is the one experience that is guaranteed and that the human brain will never truly know fully: both accepted and incomparably frightening.Death has been explored in countless mediums since humanity first began to explore artistic expression and creation, often drawing on commonly recognised beliefs or customs and the representation of the soul. In gaming, the act of death and being dead has often been utilised as a theme, a conclusion, a key plot element, or a shocking twist. And games that explore the state of being dead, while adding original tweaks, even now still tend to veer towards spirits, ghosts, and similarly ethereal beings. This was certainly the go-to in the ’90s during the growth of 3D gaming, following that commonly recognised imagery. Particular cultures were rarely explored. Until 1998, when Tim Schafer’s second solo venture crossed over and hit the stores.
GAMES MENTIONED
Grim Fandango
EXCERPTED FROM
Lock-On Volume 004