I’ve already talked about enjoying games that young Drew would enjoy. It’s a very pleasant sort of nostalgia. In fourth grade, I remember getting a book at the book fair about a boy my age who befriended a young vampire girl. I don’t recall if staples of general vampire mythology were enforced. For instance, I think the vampire friend was the boy’s age, and not centuries old or some such thing.
I hail from a more unsophisticated time (this would have been 1980). It was the boy’s story exclusively; he was at the center of the tale. The girl is the Other and a source of anxiety. College Drew likely would have found some sort of psychoanalytical reading to latch onto. Nowadays, books have young women vampires for protagonists. They get their own books; they are the center of their lives. This is good; I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Still, young Drew loved that book. He loved the idea of having a vampire friend. As I said in my review of Ghost Hunt: I dreamed of finding the switch that would allow me access to a hidden world of magic.
The Abandoned House Down the Lane
EldritchRenaissanceCake
spoilers
AHDL is an Adventuron game in which a person grows increasingly obsessed with an abandoned house on their street. Before long, they are dreaming of it. One night, they rise from bed and break in. A strange force compels them. Once inside, they encounter a few speed bumps. Things must be picked up and dropped; a faucet must be turned. This would have been a good level of mechanical engagement for me as a young person. I would have felt accomplished, but rarely frustrated.
Like some other reviewers, I did not examine the faucet. Psychologically, I wonder why? I consider myself conditioned to examine everything. Perhaps in some way I am examining things in order to find a use. Because the faucet had an apparent use, I never examined it. If the faucet didn’t work, on the other hand, I’m sure that I would have had a look. Anyway, that isn’t a criticism so much as it is food for thought. I usually examine things, except there are cases where I don’t. Apparently without thinking about the difference.
I loved the friendly vampire. The hugging vampire. This is an element that is nice as a reversal of expectations. It’s also nice for the sheer niceness of it. I would have loved to befriend a vampire as a child, to enter the world of magic made plain by their existence. The hard thing for me to accept would be the closing of the door: the next day, it’s over, as if it never happened. I wouldn’t have wanted to return to a world without magic.
Nevertheless, this is another case where young Drew would have enjoyed an Ectocomp story. The puzzles would have been just enough to make me feel victorious. The nice details of the home and the surprise wholesomeness of the ending would have felt really satisfying. It is a positive emotional experience to imagine how much fun I would have had with The Abandoned House Down the Lane as a young person.