04 - metaphors, form
Metaphors
Lakoff + Johnson give several examples throughout the text of linguistic metaphorical systems. Are there any you found odd, outdated, or different from metaphorical systems that you use, either personally or in your language, culture, or social sphere? For instance, do you speak about conversation as battle, or use orientational metaphors the same way the authors describe?
Most of the metaphorical systems in the text felt pretty standard to my own use. The idea of the “conduit” metaphor was kind of weird to wrap my head around, though. I use conduit metaphors all the time, but I never thought of them as metaphors. I guess those phrases are just so commonplace in our language that it feels to me like they should just be left alone rather than have a name prescribed to them.
Look back through your blog posts. Can you spot any metaphorical systems that you’ve been using unintentionally? What do you think is the motivating rationale (“experiential basis”) behind that system — is there one?
In my writing, I’ve definitely been using the “conduit” metaphorical system a lot, just because you kind of need to use it to say a lot of stuff. Otherwise, I don’t think I use a lot of metaphors intentionally.
Pick one metaphor that involves your topic: _______ is _________. (Your topic can go in either blank.) When you think through this critical lens, what emerges? Are there themes or additional observations/learnings?
“Trust is a bridge” makes me think of how feelings of trust connect people, but that trust is something that must be maintained. This metaphor also works with pretty much any sort of connecting feeling or emotion that two people can share; love is a bridge, care is a bridge, etc.
Bridges definitely carry a theme of connection between two bodies that can never physically touch. We wouldn’t need bridges if we could push islands together and fill rivers in, but we can’t always do that. Similarly, humans can’t read minds, so we need these “bridge” devices (trust, love) to understand each other.
Form
Why this form? Is it a vibe-based choice or a logic-based one? (Both are ok!) Share any references that you might have. Is it literally one form, or are you combining different elements?
I am making a video game mostly because I have wanted to make a video game for a while now– a couple years ago, I took a game development class, where I made a first-person horror game, but I’ve been wanting to use Unity to develop something more abstract for a while now.
I am heavily inspired by a video game called “The Beginner’s Guide” by Davey Wreden. It’s less of an actual video game, and more like a guided exploration of a fictional game developer’s unfinished video game worlds. The player is free to walk around and explore the worlds, but there is a narrator who “guides” the player between them.
I haven’t gotten there yet, but I think I will possibly utilize photogrammetry as another form in addition to 3D modeling.
What are the features of this form? Tell me about its stylistic features, semiotics, experiential elements, its capabilities.
Game development is interesting to me because of how breakable the guidelines of development are. There are so many conventions for game building– anywhere from the mechanics of how players move to the overall storytelling methods– that are found in thousands of games over decades. Some of my favorite games have broken one specific convention to create a unique experience. I’m looking to experiment with these conventions to create a new virtual experience.
What does it ask people to do? Describe a typical user for this form. Imagine the context that usually accompanies the form. What are the expectations that come with this form?
I think an expectation of video games is that there is a “game” to be played. This is an expectation that I will break, since the player won’t need to complete any tasks to be rewarded or “win” the guide.
Interviews
I have not yet completed my interviews– I made a post on Craigslist, but I couldn’t get any responses. At this point, I’m honestly just considering walking around asking people if I can interview them until someone says yes, which could be fun in a spontaneous way.
