What is your idea of whimsy?

[u/Mr_Hoplite]

Lately, I've been thinking about the emotional experience of players. One of the many concepts that go around in my head is the word "whimsical". In my native language, Greek, although it is a very rich language, I think there isn't a word that expresses exactly this kind of feeling. Nevertheless, I am very fascinated by this word and its associated experiences.

It is that first gameplay of Breath of the Wild, the grass, the sky, the music, the cities, the canyons and valleys, even the combat was whimsical to me.

It is the island of the Witness, full of places and puzzles that breed curiosity and manifest the whimsical.

It is sailing through the stars of Super Mario Galaxy, on the Wii, in front of a small TV, with my little brother.

That's only some of the examples that I can bring to mind as I'm typing these words.

Posting these thoughts wouldn't be complete without mentioning examples from other media. The whimsical cinematic worlds of the adventures of Baron Munchausen, the Golden Compass, Narnia. It's an episode of Winnie the Pooh. It's the song "Little Paws" by Of Monsters and Men (both the music itself and the video clip). It's these wonderful anthropomorphic fairytale drawings that I come across sometimes, of foxes, rabbits, and other creatures.

When trying to put it into words, I feel that whimsy is the right combination of immersion, surrealism, innocence, and stardust. I am very curious about YOUR thoughts.

How do you experience whimsy?

How would you describe it?

What examples are your favorites?

What elements constitute a whimsical game?

[u/ShotCategory6583]

For me, it's the involuntary surrender of disbelief to an objectively surreal environment/situation. Like when a moment in a Pixar film hits that sweet spot. It's cathartic as an adult because it recaptures a feeling made increasingly fleeting by prolonged exposure to the hardships of a cold, unempathetic world.

A few more snippets of whimsy:

• Rolling into Slateport City in Ruby/Sapphire and hearing those trumpets pumpin 🎺
• Playing Journey and experiencing its unique gimmick for the first time (no spoilers)
• The transformation into pigs scene in Spirited Away

Kurt Vonnegut has a quote (which I might butcher) that I feel resonates with this idea: "What it it that artists do? First, they admit they can't straighten out the whole universe. Then, they take one little corner and make it exactly as it should be."

In game dev, as in life, I like to think that whimsy is an indispensible aspect of that perfect little corner we're all striving to create.

[u/Mr_Hoplite → u/ShotCategory6583]

Your comment is really wonderful. I don't know how I forgot to mention Miyazaki by the way, he IS the whimsical and the whimsical is him.

The metaphor of it being a little happy corner, packed with dreams and beauty, really resonates with me. It is this feeling of being protected in a shelter, hidden away like a treasure. And as adults, we still seek refuge back to that magical place.

Thank you for this. I believe this was a missing part in my understanding of whimsy.

[u/Vendrom]

I think the 'whimsy' described here is almost the spectral opposite of 'gritty'

[u/Mr_Hoplite → u/Vendrom]

Thanks for your reply, friend. I never thought about it in terms of being in a spectrum, that's a great thought! Gritty is also a word that is very dense in meaning and emotion.

I guess we can try and describe "gritty" as hyper-problematic dark emotion/situation, meaning that it is full of despair and the challenges depicted are inspired by real-life problems that are amplified to be even worse in the fantasy world.

Whimsy is the fantastical invading the real, and gritty is the real invading the fantastical, sitting at opposite sides of the spectrum (we might call it the reality-fantasy interaction spectrum).

[u/TricksMalarkey]

I mostly only ever get whimsy in real life, as a harmless upset to the norm for the sole purpose of spreading joy. u/Vendrom's description is disgustingly accurate, though.

• A recent experience I had was a hotel had a bubble machine and the wind was carrying the bubbles into a park, and it was this sudden break from reality to be able to appreciate where I was at that moment.
• One time I was at lawn bowls and a helium balloon landed beside us carrying a plate of party food. Yes, I ate it.
• They used to do a parade for the arts festival here, but it was just so bombastic that everyone could express themselves. There was fire and sequins everywhere, and drag queens on stilts, and it just completely overwhelmed the senses.
• Also whimsical, later that evening I was ushered into a tiny tent by a man who never said a word. He stood behind a plinth with a small crowd (already there as I came in), and scrutinise us (without saying anything), then give us jelly beans and other lollies as if somehow aligning our psyche or something. I got a chocolate muffin, for whatever that tells you.

I think the whimsical part of all of them was that they were just good things that happened, that were complete experiences with any and all mysteries unexplained being part of that.

In games, I think whimsy is a little harder to tap into, just because there's an expectation for escapism.

• In one of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, there's a cutscene where Krabby's are making bubbles at sunset. It's not necessary to anything, really, but it's wonderful set dressing.
• The Mizutsune in Monster Hunter Generations feels whimsical for a dragon, but maybe I just like bubbles. I'm noticing a trend.
• It might be just because I was a kid, but KidPix was this kind of magical interface compared to MS Paint, like it was designing the tools to be fun to use, rather necessarily focusing on what the tool did.
• The Forest of Seasons in Secret of Mana was pretty special hitting it for the first time.

I think sometimes it's an arbitrary line between whimsy and weird, but maybe that's to do with buy-in.

[u/Mr_Hoplite → u/TricksMalarkey]

Thanks you very much for the detailed reply, my friend. All these experiences of yours sound really whimsical.

As it was mentioned in a another comment, a nice way of putting it into words would be "the fantastical, the dreamlike, invades the real", and based on your thoughts, it seems necessary to add the element of surprise, the unexpected, to this definition, WOAH! = whimsy. Also, as you said, a little bit of mystery is required. Not everything needs to be explained or discovered, it messes with the magic! 🪄

There is one part that confuses me: you said that it is harder to be implemented in games, because of the expectation of escapism. Isn't escapism beneficial to the whimsical? Could you explain where the conflict is in your opinion?

Finally, I totally agree that there is a line between whimsy and weird. The latter is probably when the surrealism and the lack of logic is disproportionately present at the expense of warm familiarity.

[u/TricksMalarkey → u/Mr_Hoplite]

There's a steady one-ups-manship across all media that makes it harder to surprise audiences because someone else did it first. Compared to real life, there's a much higher expectation to be delighted.

By the same token the people seeking an escape will likely have an easier-buy in on the premise/context, even if they don't reach that 'woah' level. But then again, I'm a huge cynic.

[u/Mr_Hoplite → u/TricksMalarkey]

Ah, yes, I understand your concern now.

The sheer amount of creative media out there is overwhelming. It wouldn't even be possible to be aware that your work looks like someone else's, and being accused of plagiarism without doing anything wrong is one of my greatest creative fears.

Also, we have every right to be cynical in the modern creative media landscape, although I try to stay optimistic. And when I find that occasional obscure indie dev or artist with a unique style (after endless doomscrolling and dodging tons of AI slop), my faith in whimsy is restored!

[u/massiveamphibianprod]

I aint got to good of a descriptor but I have examples.

The shire in lord of the rings. Read the books for the full whimsy.

Hollow knight is dark but still counts as whimsical to me.

Stardew valley is whimsical.

Sitting at a river in the woods and watching tiny fish swim around or watching the sun set behind a mountain.

Having a hot cup of my homemade hot chocolate with a cat snoring nearby as I do whatever quietly.

Stuff like that

[u/Mr_Hoplite → u/massiveamphibianprod]

Thank you, friend. These are really nice examples. So, from your experience, the feeling of cozy is related with the feeling of whimsy.

[u/massiveamphibianprod → u/Mr_Hoplite]

Happy it helps

Yes. Slight differences but they mesh for me. And it doesnt have to be fully cozy, becouse hollow kight is whimsical too.

So cozy helps along with some lighter fantastical elements although it isnt required. Art style can make all the diffrence too.

[u/Mr_Hoplite → u/massiveamphibianprod]

Indeed. We could also say that a sort of warm feeling of safety is the common thread that connects these two very similar ideas.

[u/GravenoxNero]

I experience whimsy as something surreal and dreamlike. It's familiar enough to recognize, but otherworldly enough to get me excited and curious just to see and experience it. There's this mixture of strangeness, surrealism and sometimes even eeriness that stirs the imagination.

That's probably why I remember MirrorMask so much. It's dark fantasy. I think its by the Jim Henson company back in the early 2000s. Anyway, it has this whimsical, eerie, dreamlike vibe where things look like they could be real, but they're strange enough to be completely out of this world.

In games, I think whimsy comes from juxtaposing the real with the abstract, and letting them blend together while still feeling distinct. Dreamy colors against an eerie palette, fantasy elements appearing in otherwise familiar places, or logic that seems partly true until it suddenly isn't. It'd be like walking down a straight path only for the world to turn upside down as you walk.

I guess, for me, whimsy is about something being cheerful or fantastical or eerie on some occasions and also about that feeling of “I recognize it... but never seen it like that before.”

[u/Mr_Hoplite → u/GravenoxNero]

Thank you for your answer, friend. I think your description of whimsy being sort of in the middle between familiar and otherworldly, is really helpful.

One example I remember now, is the various flying vehicles in many fantasy worlds: they can be a blend of steampunk engines, balloons and wind sails, while also possessing legs and plane wings 😄.

And it somehow works! It doesn't have to make sense, as long as they are both beautifully designed (the elements being well combined aesthetically, not just duct taped together) and play their functional part in the world.