Today, in games that want to kill me with beauty:

Proteus

Proteus is an island/rambling-in-the-wilderness simulation.

Or perhaps a musical instrument in the shape of a virtual island.

You arrive at the island.

(It's a different one every time, though the elements remain the same.)

You walk around.

The weather changes.

The sun sinks. The moon and stars come up.

You follow a frog. Or an owl.

You listen to singing mushroom critters.

The seasons change.

Everything has a tune. Walking creates a symphony.

Nothing else happens.

You can take photographs.

I really appreciate computer games that cater to...

... my inner four-year-old, I find. My top three right now are Proteus, Botanicula, and Windosill. They're all games I'd love to play with my little nephew - if he didn't live 800 km from here, and if his parents allowed that kind of thing, which I'm pretty sure they don't, and which is probably good, because the computer is too hypnotic, really, to introduce a very young child to it. Anyway, these three games are pretty much all about a childlike sense of wonder. Proteus is a garden or park that is just big enough to get a little bit lost in. Botanicula is a terrarium full of strange little critters. Windosill is a toybox full of strange but wonderful toys.

More pics from Proteus

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55101268@N07/sets/72157629989533617/

I gotta stop taking pics while I stroll around the island... my flickr account is almost full.