At least it isn't "Madden 2011: the film"...

I try not to post things directly like this, but I think it's worth it.  News and rumors of the upcoming Myst film gets me excited. The Penny Arcade guys have it right, both in opinion and humor.  Myst has some of the simplest, but also engaging stories around it, even if it gets lost in some of the gameplay. 

Myst is one of those games that changed how I not only look at games, but storytelling in general. At the end of the day Myst was just the next new point and click puzzler, but it's lasting effects are still being seen in development as the title set new standards for immersion.  The unique environments, stunning lighting, musical composition,
and character acting created an incredible world that was easy to get lost in.  It was one of the first games that I really wished that I could go explore in real life.  Needing a fix, I inadvertently deepened my desire by reading the three novels that not only flush out the story in the game(s), but also go on to define the cultural context, and it's pride-filled rapid decline, that laid the foundation of the small isolated island that became my world. 

The concept of creating worlds and and exploring other creations had me hooked, and I wasn't the only one.  Uru, the fourth game in the Myst line-up, was an attempt to bring player interaction with each other into the puzzle solving.  Received with mixed reviews, Uru was eventually shut down, but it's cult following and (eventual) open-source nature, kept it alive.  Fans were able to still interact, and have crafted their own stories and tales that revolve around the core Myst universe, even with some support from the developers after they realized what an amazing thing they had on their hands.  Hardly the sort of thing that the new Myst player should even consider getting into, but I appreciate it on that abstract level.  It seems amazing to me - a game whose story is about created worlds and the issues that surround those creations has spawned a fan base that's passionate about creating stories that rest on the foundations laid by the game.  I don't know many developers out there that hold any high regard for fan-fiction.  I've read a few fan-fiction writings out there, and it always seems like it bastardizes the original work.  I don't get that vibe with Uru though, and it seems the developers agree.  What other reason would they have to support it?


Full article and comic link here.