a partial list of things for which i am grateful Devon Guinn

This appears to be a short game - well, not that much a game but a list of things, as the title says. There is one thing listed on the screen at any given time. Clicking on any letter of the current word or words shown makes the next item in the list appear. This new thing begins with the letter you clicked in the previous word(s). It is not obvious, at least immediately, what makes the game end (it does so usually after about 10 or so moves, sometimes sooner), maybe after you click on a letter that has been exhausted already. The items listed are very varied.

All in all, it’s a positive, even if short, experience, reminding how we can be thankful for many different things in our lives. As I said, there’s not much of a story, but on the other hand the game is perfect in itself. It’s a cute idea, but maybe there could be more substance in it. Is it fiction? Only if we are supposed to find a backstory behind the things listed, to paint us an impression of the author’s (or “protagonist’s”?) life or thoughts, so to speak. But I doubt that is the meaning here; it sooner is just a list. The replayability value is great though, as it takes many playthroughs to arrive at the various possible alternatives. At this point I would rate this a

I went in to view source to find all of the things.

[spoiler]a partial list of things for which i am grateful
caramel apples
avocado halves
american sign language
bell’s oberon brew
allergy medicine
amber waves (of grain)
angels, if they exist
armadillo stuffed animals
brothers, half, whole, in law, and by choice
bees (buzz, buzz)
beans… yum
baby nephew
beatboxing and the people who do it
cucumber, carrot, and cream cheese sushi
cousins
crafts and arts
cotton picking ancestors to whom i owe it all
clean public restrooms
dark matter researchers
durable shoes
dogs
devon (myself)
dad
elmer’s glue
eloquent speakers
egg-free cake mom makes
everyone who has ever smiled at me
epi pens
eucerin (it fights eczema)
friends
facebook (is that bad?)
fireflies
farts that go unnoticed
flirtations
gooey mac and cheese
gushers fruit snacks
good movies
gun control laws that work
games of the board variety
harvard square
hot showers and hot sauce
healthy snacks
help of all kinds
horror movies
zzz’s on the weekend
zippers that don't break
zap zone laser tag
zarf
zoom zoom–my first car was a mazda
you
yogurt
yelling swear words, sometimes
years i have left
yesterday
x girlfriends (sic)
x’s and o’s
xylophone funk breakdowns
x words in scrabble games
the) internet
ice cream
independence
ingredient lists
instant messaging
july breezes
jigsaw puzzles
jubilant songs
jocular teachers
jingle bells
kisses
kids who ask important questions
kites, even though i never fly them
kitten videos on youtube
keepsakes i’ve collected
love, when it strikes
mom

lost things found again
lamps that are the perfect brightness
legos
lunchbox notes, growing up
michigan

money (in moderation)

movie theater popcorn
mashed potatoes
nice dentists
noses
north-pole-dwelling gift givers (real or imaginary)
neatly crafted arguments
no’s, when they are what’s best
optimism
orange slice garnishes on glasses of beer
orgaization systems (even if i rarely use them)

ostriches

oprah
parties with good music
passionate artists
people who say “please” and “thank you”
poop infrastructure
parmesan cheese
peaceful protesters
quick hugs, or long ones
root beer
quarters with cool designs on the back
quippy tv writers

question answer music moments
quality assurance, as a thing that happens
roses
reading for pleasure
rocks that look like faces
roads
sister
stepdad
sunset, sunrise, and everything in between
steak
slime, like on nickelodeon
spisy
tea with honey
timekeeping technology
tinder (sometimes)
topic sentences
tomorrow
understanding professors
uncooked veggies
underwear that makes you feel confident and comfy

usb cables
unusually good days
visits with grandparents
volume buttons
virtual reality innovators
very old books
villains in kid’s movies
water access
weekends doing whatever
washing machines
weird street art
weather forecasters[/spoiler]

I did this, in part, because I struggled with the color contrast between letters that had been selected and letters that hadn’t yet been selected. This made the game difficult for me to play and enjoy.

This feels like a very personal work. I feel bad/weird about rating it. (But, then, the author did submit it to the competition so people would rate it… so…)

Overall, I think I just don’t get this game. The mechanic of the game, clicking on letters to explore the list, doesn’t seem (to me) to add anything to the experience of just reading the entire list.

Thank you both for the feedback!

I’m totally happy to discuss the game ending mechanic/any other aspects/the general thought process behind the piece, if anyone is curious. Also, as this is my first comp, I’m unsure what proper protocol is on authors responding (other than not suggesting how to rate submissions). It was definitely fun making this more experimental piece as an alternative to Bookmoss, my other submission.

Best,
Devon

I recommend these thoughts on responding to reviews publicly: heterogenoustasks.wordpress.com … unmuzzled/

Not mentioned there: traditionally, IFComp authors have posted a “postmortem” post about their general design thoughts about their game, but only after the competition has ended. As the rules of IFComp have changed over the last couple of years, it’s interesting to think that any of y’all could post your postmortem at any time now, even immediately, even right here in this individual game discussion thread.

But I don’t think I’d do it quite like that; it would be too on-the-nose. It might appear to directly respond to the review, and especially it might look like attempting to sway the vote by argument.

I dunno. Maybe post on the authors-only forum and ask what they think?

Short, but enjoyable. I posted a review on my blog: blog.templaro.com/review-partial … -grateful/

  • Jack

Included a review of this game in my second video on the IF Comp:

youtube.com/playlist?list=P … rSxDkVX6pV

The review can be found at timecode: 26:40

-VGAPH