Boa Retina
After the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, the good folk at itch.io created the “Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality” in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. 1,741 items from 1,391 creators were included in this bundle. This column not only serves to highlight those games, projects and other items from these generous creators, but is also a reminder that Black Lives do, and always will, Matter.
While the fight for racial equality and justice was news story #1 for only a few weeks, the movement did not stop when the coverage moved away. Protests march on, human rights violation occur daily, and justice continues to not be served. We must never stop fighting for what is right.
If you have the means and/or time, you can find ways to help at https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/.
Boa Retina - $2
In a world where the ability to find exactly what makes you, “you” is forever at our fingertips, it feels like it’s never been harder to be accepted for who you are. Both in “society”, and personally.
Jenn Raye’s visually stunning Boa Retina is a short but intense digital exploration through an incredibly intimate self reckoning. The ever present Eye berates and judges you, as you sort through the abstract collection of “proof” of your own existence.
This Eye very much fell into father figure territory for me, but the words will sting true for anyone who is familiar with the rejection upon confessed truth of a “loved one”. Where hope for understanding is instead met with anger, incredulity and a narrow worldview, the idea of “finding yourself” goes from scaling a mountain, to trekking to the moon.
Having such a large negative influence on your very being is claustrophobic in its constriction. It’s hard enough to deal with as is in any situation; immensely more so when it comes to struggling with your own physical and mental self.
Your digital exploration ends with an sensational audio-visual spectacle that only stepped things up from the already moody psychedelic optics. It’s an intensely personal, “full of feels” ride.