Bluffocracy – James Ball and Andrew Greenway
A quick read which humorously sets out how the Oxford Philosophy, Politics and Economic degree became the route for the governing classes of Britain, and how it creates people who are good at “bluffing” – an overnight cramming approach to any topic, just enough to get through. This comes, they argue, at the expense of deep expertise and thought which leads to the civil service, politics and media favouring generalist bluffers at a cost to the general quality of public services. Reads well with Ian Dunt’s recent works.
The Big Con – Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington
It is hard to disagree with the fundamental argument of this book: that over-dependence on big consultancies has weakened governments’ ability to learn, improve and deliver, and has done so for businesses too. There is plenty of evidence provided, from the basic “land and expand approach” consultancies take to cross-selling their wares, to the “pro-bono” advice they can give to shape policies which they then bid to deliver. Yet the book was not a compelling read, I found it a bit repetitive and lacking in vigour, the case studies were missing something. Which is a shame as there is a lot to learn from the findings and the recommendations.
The Last of Us Part I and Part II – Naughty Dog
Usually these notes are about books but as an occasional gamer, I had to note my experience of The Last of Us Part I and Part II. These two games are utterly extraordinary. They deserve all the awards and accolades. Every technical achievement, in terms of user experience, level design, visual quality, rendering of skin, face and hair, are all in utter service to the story.
I haven’t watched the HBO TV adaptation but I can completely see why they would want to do it: The basic building blocks of an apocalyptic post-pandemic world (written pre-Covid) where society has essentially collapsed, and those infected become zombie-ish, doesn’t feel that novel. Yet it is. The characters, the acting, the stories they tell and the world they inhabit are utterly compelling and feel very real. The moral dilemmas, the encouragement to empathise with “enemies” in Part II are all so powerful. I was completely entranced, even though at times horrified by the choices characters made.
I was left wondering what I would have done in their situation. And I continue to ponder the story. It’s that good.
The second part is much, much longer than the first. And there were moments when I wondered how much longer it could go on, but it delivered.
I can only think of one other series that I have played, Max Payne 1 and 2, which had anything like the emotional weight and power to their story telling. And even though I knew I was in a linear story, I could do almost nothing to change what happened, it felt incredibly immersive. I was experiencing this drama in a different way to watching TV drama.
I wouldn’t want every game to be like this, it would be emotionally exhausting. Sometimes I do just want to pootle around in a Subnautica submarine discovering alien fish. That’s fine. But it’s something to experience gaming as storytelling so utterly ambitious, which totally delivers. To my mind, this is a masterpiece of imagination and storytelling, regardless of the medium.
Jason Kitcat 