There is a Shiny Brass Lamp nearby
I've been coy enough for too long.
The next documentary I am working on is about Text Adventures, or Interactive Fiction. It is called "Get Lamp". It has a introductory website (GETLAMP.COM) and I've been noodling with it for about 3 years. I got serious about it in June and have been spending significant time on it since September. This is, of course, in addition to my other duties and projects.
Now why, after finishing a massive film project, would I set off on a new one? Well, it's fun, for one thing. It's honestly a great time travelling around, meeting people, and getting down for posterity the thoughts and statements of what I consider to be some important folks. After a decade of wanting to make movies and then not actually doing it, it's great to accomplish what I used to dream of doing when I was a teenager. So there's that.
I could go on about the goals, the people, the planning, the intentions, but I'll leave that for another time. The GET LAMP website has a bunch of statements and other information that the curious might enjoy.
The rough plan is to film for a few months in the beginning of 2006.
I do have to stress that almost no potential interviewees have been contacted, so no fair being offended at not getting a letter; I like to do research and know a subject very well before bothering people with mistake-filled phone calls and e-mails. If I set off to do something like this, I want it done right. Also, this obviously isn't set in stone and if I run into a problem, financial, logstical or otherwise, I'm not going to tilt at a windmill to make a movie in spite of reason.
But right now, the skies look clear.
Anyway, there you go, now you know.
Comments
Heh you wanker. BoingBoing is practically now your official press release room. Also, you need to maxx more.
Posted by: Punching Judy | October 20, 2005 08:48 AM
I love text adventures, so I'll be keen to see your Getlamp documentary. I just thought I'd mention that a few months ago, I was playing "Mornington Crescent" online - but Zork-style. (Unfortunately, it was interrupted by the London underground bombings - but hey, it had been fun.)
For a transcript:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/F2137311?thread=367676&skip=2640&show=20
BBC - h2g2 - A Conversation Forum
Read from post 2656 onwards.
(I am 'uncle ghengis' btw)
Posted by: Howard Dickins | October 20, 2005 08:53 AM
Enjoy the boingboinging, Jason :-)
Posted by: A Reader | October 20, 2005 08:57 AM
Also, I posted it on Boingboing. Not Jason.
Posted by: A Reader | October 20, 2005 08:58 AM
Looking forward to finally seeing Steve Meretzky :)
Posted by: Michel Vuijlsteke | October 20, 2005 11:08 AM
If I were you, I'd chat with some folks on ifmud --
http://ifmud.port4000.com:4001/
That, and the rec.arts.interactive-fiction and rec.games.interactive-fiction newsgroups are the center of the contemporary IF community.
Also, check out Nick Montfort's book "Twisty Little Passages" from MIT press for good resources.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 20, 2005 02:24 PM
Dear Jason,
I did this once upon a time.
"Star Trek: The Kobayashi Alternative" was the first "sanctioned" Trek text adventure.
Check with me for details.
Best! -- Diane
Posted by: Diane Duane | October 20, 2005 04:03 PM
Man ....
First BBSes now *this !!!!
Does Jason know what cool buttons ta push or *what ?!? lol
I'm SO lookin' forward ta this ....
Posted by: Cary Groneveldt | October 20, 2005 07:06 PM
Hi Jason,
If you'd like any input on the preservation of text adventures, specifically for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, drop me a line. I'm in the middle of producing an article on the subject for Adventure Probe magazine.
If you could also help me track down some adventures as yet un-preserved, I'd appreciate it.
Cheers, Steve
http://tzxvault.retrogames.com
ZX Spectrum Tape Preservation
Posted by: Steve Brown | October 21, 2005 03:02 AM
The newsgroups are a poor place to look for text adventure info. They will just spout about IF, not text adventure. The MUDs are the place to go, they are the real preservation of the text adventure "lamp", so to speak.
Posted by: Scarface | October 22, 2005 05:08 AM
This is fantastic news! I bought the BBS doc for my dad for father's day; he, my brother and i had such a time watching it, delighted that this amazing epoch of the information age we happily lived through had finally gotten a fair treatment.
Now this; rapture! My first text adventure game was Scott Adams' "Adventureland", in the form of a fat old cartridge for the Vic20. After that, it was various games from Aardvark Software; 'Mars', 'Pyramid' and 'Derelict', all on tape cassette. 'Zork' was the one that doomed me as a geek; I played (and talked about) each one incessantly, much to the derision of my peers. And so on...
Anyway. Great idea, awesome title, can't wait to pre-order it!
>exit room
Posted by: yelahneb | October 24, 2005 01:17 AM