A while ago I was asked by my friend Philip from Noiseless Chatter to partake in a project. At the time it was a secret project in which he had chosen many different individuals to pick something specific to use to tell a story about them self. The thing they had to choose was a specific kind of entertainment. A movie, a novel, a statue, and in my case possibly a board game. I was unfortunately unable to write for the project due to time constraints; however, I truly liked the idea for the project and would like to talk about it about today.
Art’s in Entertainment’s Kickstarter page launched less than a week ago and is already 25% funded. The page discusses the motivations for the project and the six different books that are coming out from this project. Philip goes into detail discussing how we view art in our world and how our critiques are only based on how art relates to other art and not necessarily how it makes us feel as an individual, how the art shapes us, and how the art helps us understand our selves better. That is the main point of this project, to help bring back the idea that art has an effect on the people that interact with it.
My favorite part of this project was the idea that you had to choose one thing that you could help tell your story. A form of art that you could use as a narrative to help you understand yourself better. For me that would be board games. The trouble I personally had was thinking of a single board game that that could help me tell my story. If I were to even begin to try I would have to start out with Key to the Kingdom. I believe that game had a huge impact on me as a child. It was the first game that allowed me experience the genre of fantasy. It allowed me to see that heroes are the individuals who fight against the darkness and the are willing to sacrifice them self to do so.
However, my journey into board gaming really beings a few years ago, when I first played Talisman. This game was the catalyst to my current obsession with board gaming. It is strange because Talisman is a game that the community typically does not like very much. That such a game could lead me to be come more involved with a this hobby is strangely serendipitous. It was all down hill from there as I started to love components and rules. With collecting being a natural habit for me, growing a vast collection of games and a better understanding of the culture was almost second nature. Today, I love teaching games and helping people understand which game they would enjoy most and simply just talking to other people who are as passionate about their hobbies like I am about board gaming.
I would say the main take away from my ramblings is that these stories are written by individuals who are passionate about their chosen art. Whether that be a satirical comedy television show that got you through bad times or a strange musical device that helps you think about the differences between what is real and what is unreal, you do not want to miss these books. I hope you check out the project and I hope next time I can contribute. That is all for today folks, see ya next time!
-Kyle