Not Getting it...

One of the perils of upheavals & periods of self-reflection is things that don't really warrant the level of scrutiny being caught up anyway.

Recently, I've been playing Braid and reading The God of Small Things.

And I don't particularly like either of them.

Which means, that with the critical acclaim for both of them, I'm wondering just how out of step I am with general consensus and am I missing out on some essential experiences.

I've spoken to a number of people specifically about Braid and what bothers me about it. I feel like, with specific puzzles, it breaks the contract it's established with the player. I find the writing overwrought. When I'm playing it, I feel as though I'm trying to work out the precise steps the designer wants me to go through, and not in a supportive way, but in a confrontational, take it or leave it way. I appreciate what it's doing on an intellectual level, and at the core, I agree with that, but it leaves me cold. You only have to look at the critical response to it though to see that I'm clearly the minority.

With The God of Small Things, I found myself scrabbling for something to anchor me to the story. I'm not sure if it was the unfamiliarity of the names, or the flowery style, but I couldn't engage with it really until near the end, and even then, the stylistic flourishes were almost overwhelming. There's an overabundance of simile and imagery, which on a number of occasions stuck out like a sore thumb for me. At best, the author's voice stretched just a little too far, added too much to the description, and reminded me that I was reading a story, something constructed, and that there was an authorial voice behind everything. At worst, I found myself questioning the choice of image & simile rather than letting it enhance the effect of the writing, kicking me out even further. If I hadn't had to read it for class, I doubt I would have made it further than a quarter of the way in.

This isn't the first time I've wondered if I knew what the hell I was talking about. I've attended short film screenings and disliked every film shown while the audience has laughed and applauded around me. I've gone through short story collections and found nothing engaging in any of them while reviews praise the economy & diversity of the content. I've strolled through art galleries with friends and argued about why I didn't like the work at dinner afterwards.

It's a strange feeling trying to present constructive arguments why you didn't connect with something because it forces you to confront your own tastes and preferences (something that's happening with some regularity at the moment anyway) and still feel that there's probably nothing anyone can say to sway your opinion, nothing you can say to sway theres, and that somehow, in some small or large way, you simply don't get it.