NAME

       between - a game about consciousness and isolation

SYNOPSIS

       between

DESCRIPTION

       Between is a video game written by Jason Rohrer about consciousness and isolation.

       Between  is  a multiplayer-only art game. As a result, some people like it, many people do
       not get it and some people hate it. Search the internet for the author's name and the game
       title to find some discussion about the game before dismissing it. Some sample discussions
       and reactions are listed below.

       You can play Between with a friend or stranger over the Internet. Both players will see  a
       field,  sky,  clouds, a square structure and a shimmering tower. The interface reveals the
       initial controls (reference below). The players place red-green-blue blocks on  the  field
       and  pile  them  upwards.  Placing  blocks over the shimmering tower causes pleasant tones
       while the colours match. Soon enough the players will not be able to match any more blocks
       with the complex patterns and colour variety in the tower. To the left is a bed indicating
       sleep. To the right is a bright room indicating wakefulness. Cycling through the dream and
       wakefulness  states  gives  players  three  different  realities  in  which  to  build the
       shimmering  tower.  Eventually  in  the  state  between  dream  and  reality,   mysterious
       interactions  between  the  two players block placements and reality cycling patterns will
       result in blocks with new colours and patterns appearing on the field.  These  new  blocks
       can then be used to match more and more of the shimmering tower over time...

       The  most  interesting part about this game is the emotions it evokes within the player of
       the game. The ultra-low-res pixel art helps here, by not  being  too  distracting  and  by
       leaving plenty room for viewer interpretation.

USAGE

       Between has no command-line options.

       The left and right arrow keys move left and right.

       The spacebar is used to place or grab blocks.

       The b/n keys are used to change the colour of the placed blocks.

       The s/w keys are used to sleep/wake the player.

       The Esc key is used to quit the game.

       The  game  resolution and use of fullscreen or a window can be set by editing the files in
       /etc/between.

SEE ALSO

       The website: http://www.esquire.com/features/best-and-brightest-2008/rohrer-game

       http://www.destructoid.com/jason-rohrer-s-new-game-between-is-out-111382.phtml

       http://mile222.com/2008/11/jason-rohrers-latest-game-between-leaves-me-unenthused/

       http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3853/persuasive_games_disjunctive_play.php

       http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/42515

       http://kotaku.com/5096755/disjunctive-play-and-otherness-between

                                          December 2010                                between(6)