co-creator of Burnistoun, VideoGaiden ConsoleVania and talks about his latest project, an online form short comedy about a life lived through games

Our parents grew up in the era of television, their lives have been shaped by the box in the undoubtedly flashing corner of the room spewing increasing amounts of content, asking little in return, but attention and servility. So what it means to have lived a life in the era of video games? How has spent decades studying how virtual worlds affected thirties see your own environment, your loved ones?

Robert Florence has given much thought about this recently. The comic writer and actor, known for Burnistoun BBC series sketch Scotland, is about to launch a new online series, The Breast Arcade, which he describes as "a semi-fictional comedy comedy short passes games. "It follows a blogger games, played by Florence, who spent a decade writing and reading, but it is now old and think about what it really means. "He is struggling with the realization that spent much of his life traveling through fictitious landscapes," says Florence. "Now he has to face a transition back into the things of real life."

Hence also it is the dominant influence of social media. The main character is not only an actor, he is a writer too many games - indeed, the series has its own "dummy" blog, apparently recorded own views of Florence in the gaming industry and current controversies , and also acts as an accompanying text of each series. It is a kind of semi-autobiographical, therefore, but in the context biased representation and reality in the digital age. "I suppose it is like that, more and more these days, people have a real personality and a personality that is an invention that people present on the Internet," he said. "I'm kind of two different people, I would say, in terms of real life and online - It is a very surreal and probably a little disconcerting might look like a nervous breakdown ...".

But Florence is a kind of pioneer in the translation of the culture of the game "linear" entertainment. In 2004, he co-host Ryan Macleod line began ConsoleVania show a mixture of surreal game reviews and sketches parodying life to explore and play. The BBC has seen the show, liked it, and ordered a TV version, VideoGaiden again merged with insightful opinions and funny cartoon satirical video game industry. He ran two sets of "offering a counterpoint to more traditional screening programs and Bits Bandits inch. Culture also showed that the game could be for arcane material compulsive, fun and accessible.

Accessibility

not seem to be the target of this time, however. In an episode of TFAA, the main character with another player who collapsed during a launch event at midnight, sitting next to his hospital bed main character remembers about the game he loved, but the tragedy is looming, everything. It seems sad and pensive, far from ConsoleVania. "This is an opportunity for the Internet to do things that are completely out of the ordinary, they are for a limited audience that is done," says Florence. "I'm 35 and I have the opportunity to see what it means to have lived a life that has been colored and informed by the games I've played all my life and that must mean something - . Should affect how we perceive the world. "

There is no opinion, no sketches as such. But it goes back to the basic question in the final. "Each episode of the series is the name of a game," said Florence. "And then an episode titled, for example, Silent Hill, could not offer any sequence of one of the titles in the series, is expected to have a good understanding of why it is so called - in the topics. "

is an interesting time for games, of course. While the industry is still dominated by traditional retailers hits such as Call of Duty and Halo, a huge indie scene has emerged. Now gaming sites are almost as likely to want to write about unusual titles for small studies - the likes of Miami Hotline, 30 flights to love and intestine. As players mature, tastes are increasing and diverse gaming experience from the console downloadable titles cult hit PC, is expanding in response. Games used to treat death as a mechanic and sex as a means of selling goods for teenagers. Now the big questions of existence and extinction slowly finding their way into the story of the game and game systems more complex.

"It feels like a really wanky thing to say, but this is a show for gamers never done anything about life, sex, death and aging" said Florence. "And what we think to yourself, well, why a game program cover these things, but Woody Allen films tell their stories while essentially films for lovers of cinema cinephile; ? Dennis Potter's musical dramas to music lovers for music lovers, and I do not see any significant difference anything - apart from the fact that these guys are incredibly talented enough to try just a show focuses on sex and life and death these things in a fun way, through the lens. play games Mario RPG and fantasy. "

"I loved working with Tom [Bramwell, Eurogamer director] and I knew how difficult it was for him to contact me and tell me that things had to change in the column. Produced immediately when I have said that the contents of the column should change, what I would do, but we parted on good terms altogether it was one of those things - ... was greater than all of us then felt that I could ... see so many people turn their cars, I felt very good on the outside of things. And indeed, it was easy for me to write this column, because I knew that I would not to attend a launch event next Friday and PR people know., I have to. "

When you look back and VideoGaiden ConsoleVania now, this is what comes out. The shows are fun, inventive, irreverent and anarchic important, but try the games as consumer goods, and - for lack of a better word - art. The episodes were not less lively for: reviews of titles like the hand of God and True Crime was great, but were delivered as a punch in the stomach. They were brutal.


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