This week, we talked about perspective in video games, as well as nostalgia, using the game ‘Night in the Woods’ as a framing of both. To begin, perspective is crucial in games, as it determines the nature of gameplay as well as setting up what role you, as a player, take in the game itself. For example, If you are playing a game like “The Legend of Zelda”, you control Link throughout his adventure from a third person perspective. While you play no part in the story, you are controlling a character that the story revolves around, making the player an omniscient guide to victory for Link. Originally, when the playable character was being designed for “The Legend of Zelda”, many different names were considered, but Link was chosen in the end because originally, the character traveled to the past and future, becoming the “link” between time. Shigeru Miyamoto also designed Link to relate to all players and “have the opportunity to be heroes like the character”, making him the “link” between the player’s imagination and the game. Another example of perspective in games is the “first person” perspective, where you see the events of the game unfold in front of you, and characters around you address the player as if they are the protagonist. For example, the recent “Doom:Eternal” sees players take the role of the “Slayer”, a gun wielding super-being bent on eliminating the invading forces of  Hell. Throughout the vast majority of the adventure, you see through the eyes of the Slayer, are referred to as the Slayer, and more or less become the Slayer through customization options, whether that be decorating your ship or decorating the Slayer himself. Perspective can differ greatly not only from genre to genre, but from game to game as well. A good example of this is with battle royale shooters such as with “Fortnite”, in which you control an avatar of your choosing from a third person perspective, and with “Apex Legends”, in which you play from the first person perspective of a fleshed out champion with special abilities and voice lines. The second part of this week focused on nostalgia, and its prominence in our everyday lives. “Night in the Woods” plays on a different form of nostalgia, one that is deeply personal. The game plays on the setting of a small mining town in Pennsylvania, giving nostalgia to those with that very specific past, such as the developers. That would be like if I made a game about suburban Buffalo life, it’s something that I remember fondly, but something that gives others completely different feelings. Nostalgia for a time period is certainly seen a lot now, but this subtle form of nostalgia feels much more inviting, like a look back through a window of time you never saw before.