I just finished the game Catherine on ps3 and it got me thinking.....
for those who dont know anything about it, Catherine is about 32 year old Vincent Brooks. Vincent has commitment issues and his long time girlfriend Katherine is pushing him towards marriage which is the last thing he wants, one night at the Stray Sheep bar after his friends have all left the beautiful Catherine literally falls in his lap. now Catherine is his dream girl, to him shes perfect, and he wakes up the next morning to find her in his bed next to him with no memory of what events transpired. this begins a downwards spiral of events which include Katherine falling pregnant and further hinting at marriage, Vincent hiding his affair with Catherine from Katherine and vice versa and Catherine ending up in his bed every morning and Vincent having no memory of how she got there.
And to top it all of whenever Vincent sleeps hes transported to a nightmarish place where he must scale a tower of blocks, using different means of pushing and pulling them to make his way to the top. And those who fail to make it or fall from the tower die in their sleep.
Now i wont ruin the story for everyone but basically the game is about choice, does vincent want to marry his long time girlfriend or does he want the passion and excitement that comes with Catherine? His choice can be decided by you as there are 8 different endings to the game.
but what really got me thinking is that the whole story is a metaphor, between choosing a life of peaceful happiness or a life full of excitement where you never know whats around the corner. even the tower that Vincent is forced to climb night after night is a metaphor for growing up, changing from being the non committal boy he is at the start of the story before rising to becoming a man who finally decides its time to make some serious life decisions. and this is even shown throughout the game where you start to see Vincent handle situations different and interact with others differently.
But, he still cheats on Katherine and even though he knows its wrong and wants to stop he still cant turn Catherine down and he cant tell Katherine of his infidelity for fear of what might happen. Hes a man who wants all paths open to him but can never make a choice between which one to take.
This story struck me pretty deeply and i think thats because i see alot of myself in Vincent, im only 20 but i still have trouble making decisions because i dont want to choose the wrong path and at times im very non committal, only making my mind up at the very last minute. i want to change myself though, i want to be someone that others can depend on, i want to be the guy that people can trust to make the right choice for the good of others. i think most of all though i want to let my heart lead the way, instead of letting my brain choose the path that would be most beneficial to myself.
So for anyone reading this. What would you in Vincents predicament? Do you think its okay to cheat? and whats a game, book or film thats stuck with you and made you want to change yourself for the better?
its Friday in Australia right now so i hope everyone has an amazing weekend and ill see you on the other side.
The Crownless King
for those who dont know anything about it, Catherine is about 32 year old Vincent Brooks. Vincent has commitment issues and his long time girlfriend Katherine is pushing him towards marriage which is the last thing he wants, one night at the Stray Sheep bar after his friends have all left the beautiful Catherine literally falls in his lap. now Catherine is his dream girl, to him shes perfect, and he wakes up the next morning to find her in his bed next to him with no memory of what events transpired. this begins a downwards spiral of events which include Katherine falling pregnant and further hinting at marriage, Vincent hiding his affair with Catherine from Katherine and vice versa and Catherine ending up in his bed every morning and Vincent having no memory of how she got there.
And to top it all of whenever Vincent sleeps hes transported to a nightmarish place where he must scale a tower of blocks, using different means of pushing and pulling them to make his way to the top. And those who fail to make it or fall from the tower die in their sleep.
Now i wont ruin the story for everyone but basically the game is about choice, does vincent want to marry his long time girlfriend or does he want the passion and excitement that comes with Catherine? His choice can be decided by you as there are 8 different endings to the game.
but what really got me thinking is that the whole story is a metaphor, between choosing a life of peaceful happiness or a life full of excitement where you never know whats around the corner. even the tower that Vincent is forced to climb night after night is a metaphor for growing up, changing from being the non committal boy he is at the start of the story before rising to becoming a man who finally decides its time to make some serious life decisions. and this is even shown throughout the game where you start to see Vincent handle situations different and interact with others differently.
But, he still cheats on Katherine and even though he knows its wrong and wants to stop he still cant turn Catherine down and he cant tell Katherine of his infidelity for fear of what might happen. Hes a man who wants all paths open to him but can never make a choice between which one to take.
This story struck me pretty deeply and i think thats because i see alot of myself in Vincent, im only 20 but i still have trouble making decisions because i dont want to choose the wrong path and at times im very non committal, only making my mind up at the very last minute. i want to change myself though, i want to be someone that others can depend on, i want to be the guy that people can trust to make the right choice for the good of others. i think most of all though i want to let my heart lead the way, instead of letting my brain choose the path that would be most beneficial to myself.
So for anyone reading this. What would you in Vincents predicament? Do you think its okay to cheat? and whats a game, book or film thats stuck with you and made you want to change yourself for the better?
its Friday in Australia right now so i hope everyone has an amazing weekend and ill see you on the other side.
The Crownless King