In an industry dominated by violence, competition, and antagonistic game mechanics, Casus Ludi’sBlancis a wholesome breath of fresh air that foregoes many of these modern gaming conventions to tell a more heartwarming story. Best experienced in co-opmultiplayerbetween close companions,Blancfollows a young fawn and wolf pup in the aftermath of a snowstorm, and they must work together using their unique strengths to overcome various obstacles and environmental puzzles.
In an interview with Game Rant, Florent de Grissac of Cassus Ludi reflected on the trend of violence and antagonism in modern gaming, and how there are many other kinds of stories that can be told besides “compete and win.“Blanc’s emphasis on the cooperation and companionship between its characters is meant to bring the players themselves closer together, and experiences like these have proven to be perfectly fulfilling and meaningful without being frustrating, negative, or competitive.
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Blanc’s Developers Recognize That Games Like Doom Still Have Their Place
Because they are an artistic medium, de Grissac believes video games hold incredible potential for expression and experimentation, but developers have only begun scratching the surface of what is possible. Just like in music or film that can span from death metal andslasher filmsto dreamlike ambient soundscapes and Lifetime romance movies, video games can tell stories of brutality and violence or more heartfelt tales like companionship and love. Game developers can take this even further with their choice of gameplay mechanics used to convey these stories.
I’m not against dark, violent entertainment. I playDoomand, more recently,Metal: Hellsingerbecause it’s fun. I’m just convinced that video games are a medium like video, like music, and you can do anything with music, you can do anything with video, you can do anything with video games. But right now, most people just try one thing. Well, not one thing, that’s an exaggeration, but there is not that much that has been tried with video games. For the last 10 years, there have been more and more experiments that have been really interesting. Like video games that are personal diaries, or video games used as a kind of therapy in the face of terrible events.
Variety is important in any artistic medium, which is why gamers who playgames likeDoomshould still appreciateBlancand vice versa. Nobody wants to hear the same story over and over, and people generally don’t want to play the same game over and over either. AlthoughBlancis the polar opposite of many of these violent and dark video games, they’re all equally valid and fun uses of the medium.
As Developing Becomes More Accessible, Innovative Games Like BlancCan Grow More Common
Although developing a video game is certainly not easy, the technology and tools available such as thepopular Unity enginehave made it increasingly possible for developers to experiment and innovate. People all over the world have incredible ideas and stories to tell, and the more accessible the process becomes, the more likely it will be that these ideas come to fruition.
There are more and more people creating games since it’s way more accessible than years ago, so it’s great to see more and more people doing various things with video games. And I think any kind of entertainment, whether video games or even not entertainment, has a place. It’s just that right now, the vast majority of video games are competition, fighting, and everything. We don’t deny them. They totally have to exist. Maybe we just need less than that and more of other things. The same goes for cinema and TV shows, of course.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in nonviolent and relaxing gaming experiences. Games likeDisney Dreamlight ValleyandAnimal Crossinghave appealed to massive amounts of players because they don’t burden players emotionally with concepts like defeat and competition. It would be interesting to see this expand into other forms of media, as the most popular TV shows and films tend to be incredibly dark likeGame of ThronesorThe Last of Us.
Blancreleases February 14 on Nintendo Switch and PC.
