Sam Barlow (Immortality) On Games As Imperfect Immortality Machines

Origin Story

Sam Barlow is the writer and director of Immortality, Telling Lies, and Her Story and the founder of the Half Mermaid production company. His most recent games are interactive fiction experiences that allow players to search through archives of footage such as police interrogations and video calls. Sam’s latest game, Immortality, asks players to comb through footage from three unreleased movies to uncover what happened to actress named Marissa Marcel.

We spoke with Sam about the untapped possibilities in video games and how his stories work to expand what games can do. We also talk about the interesting nature of the archive game. Plus: what's the point of making art, anyway?

Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp

Episode Notes

You can follow Sam Barlow here.

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Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch

Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper