how to play


(Action 52)

the mash of competing registers in a videogame manual (neutral technical instruction, map of the territory, emotional prompt) sometimes results in text that can be casually beautiful, mysterious or strange. examples include

haphazardly characterised lists of the fake animals that you must put to death



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(adventures of tom sawyer; blues brothers; dr chaos; deadly towers; deathbots; abadox)

taxonomies of elements


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(chubby cherub; bad street brawler; beetlejuice; castlevania ii)

taxonomies of representation


(fester’s quest)

text descriptions of “what to do” can be staid or grandiose but tend towards the same manic, unreadable repetitiveness of videogames themselves

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(caltron 6-in-1; conquest of the crystal palace; deadly towers; bible buffet)

the game descriptions in the action 52 manual are my favourite and read like dreams





(action 52)

the erotic sublime


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(fun house; slurpy)

the long-lived war over what to call extra player characters

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(astyanax; athena; panama joe)

enticement through rhetoric



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(caltron 6-in-1; caltron 6-in-1; astyanax; video flipper)

tips and hints

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(conquest of the crystal palace; day dreamin’ davey; beetlejuice)

you can post your favoured pieces of instruction manual bricabrac itt.

35 Likes

mighty stone in the shitposting cultural foundation, this stuff

10 Likes

Resident Evil

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De vita Caesarum :

14 Likes

Sabermetrics
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Objects of Power and Desire
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Scenes from the Class Struggle on Caspian
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(Brute Force)

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yes indeed

(Playboy, The Mansion)

6 Likes

scenes from the bomber cosmology

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(Bomberman World; Bomberman Fantasy Race)

do what thou wilt, within the confines of your imagination


(Alien8)

the perversities of crime


(True Crime: New York City)

creation of life

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(Eternal Eyes)

11 Likes

As a Prince, asking the really important questions:


chillin' w/ cousins afterwards...

( Katamari Damacy )





curious modes of transport:


and a precious piece of advice for hobbyists:

(Steambot Chronicles)

11 Likes

been playing this and just so you know, they never say “Mappemon” in game to my knowledge. They do however call them Magical Puppets and occasionally Magical Pappets.

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:sob:

11 Likes