Don't Roll a One

The Fear of Geometry

A phenomenon that I’ve seen crop up in different media is the use of geometric shapes as otherworldly counterpoint to the “normal” world. It’s eerie without being traditionally creepy, but I wonder if there is some base fear these portrayals are delving into or if it’s just become shorthand for unknowably alien.

Exploring the Monolith in '2001: A Space Odyssey'
The Monolith, 2001: A Space Odyssey. A stark rectangular slab draws your eye with its mystery.
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Ramiel, Evangelion. Similar blue octahedrons also appear in 2001’s star gate sequence.
Image result for no man's sky atlas
The Atlas, from No Man’s Sky.
Oxenfree. I still don’t know what this triangle thing is, but it’s presented in wonderful contrast to the rest of the game’s more traditional 2D style.
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The Trigon, from Sword and Sworcery. The uncanny nature is maximized even more than Oxenfree due to the rest of the game limiting its design to pixel art. Its “world” literally cannot have triangles in it.
Observation, by No Code, features a signature hexagon and a fairly direct line back to HAL and 2001.
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One response to “The Fear of Geometry”

  1. Insomniacs: 186 Herculis – Don't Roll a One Avatar
    Insomniacs: 186 Herculis – Don't Roll a One

    […] touch on Observation in my post about geometry and fear. It takes place in a cramped space station where some ineffable shenanigans are ramping up. […]

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