Passage Cross-stitched Button

216 stitches, about 5 hours. This cross stitch button is from the video game Passage created by Jason Rohrer.

I originally posted this picture to facebook with the following message:

A late valentines message to my wife:

Despite their simple appearance, old sprite style graphics in video games can be some of the most expressive things in the medium. They seem simple, but their abstract nature that makes them so effective. Mario running in Super Mario Bros. consisted of only three or four frames of animation and our minds accept that while more realistic games running at 60 frames a second seem inhuman and clumsy at times because the more real, less abstract appearance creates an expectation in our minds for more realistic motion. This is because our minds fill in the missing parts in the abstract image. It allows games like Corpse Party on the PSP to create horror despite their simple appearance. The abstraction makes the frightening atmosphere even more effective because our brains fill in the abstraction the same way effective horror movies do by hiding the threat and letting the audience's fear of the unknown doing all the work.

I talked about that so I could talk about Passage. Passage is a game by indie developer, Jason Rohrer, and if you haven't played it (you SHOULD, even if you don't like video games) you can get it here for free [link] or you can get it on the iPhone app store for only $.99. It only takes three minutes to play and in that time shows the life of a young couple starting from when they meet. The characters in the game are only 8 pixels high, smaller than Super Mario's head which makes them about as abstract as they can possibly be. The characters have no story other than what you see in your own imagination, have no dialog

The first time I played Passage, and every time since, I saw the man as myself and the woman as my wife, [name omitted]. As I saw them meet and follow each other through a maze filled with obstacles that were difficult to maneuver because they always had to be together and the path ahead of them was often difficult to proceed and collect the treasures throughout the maze. I saw them, grow to mature adults, then elderly, then came the heart wrenching end (and I admit, I teared up a little).

It is possible to play Passage without meeting the woman. You can just go around her and proceed alone. I tried this once and it felt empty. There wasn't any point. The maze was easier but less rewarding. There was something vital missing that made it all worthwhile.

I have Passage on my iPhone and I always will, because every time I play it I still see myself as the man and the woman as my wife because I never, even for three minutes, want to go on without her. I want my life to reflect Passage, through the hard times together, fighting for every treasure we share, and being together as long as God allows.
[name omitted], I love you and want to grow old with you. Walk with me as we make our Passage through life.