Audio:
The music and sound of Chapter 1 are quite strongly defined by elements of retro futurism, typically in the use of synths and even the odd theremin to hammer in the feel:
Visuals:
The visual influences for this chapter are a bit of both old and new. Particularly Simon Stålenhag, who I originally discovered through my fondness for Findus och Pettson:
- Simon Stålenhag (almost everything he makes)
- Ron Cobb (amazing spaceships)
- Ridley Scott (great industrial designs)
- The Duffer Brothers (Stranger Things, lots of good era-defining elements to look at)
Literature:
Chapter 1 has been inspired by so many myriads of different books and stories, it’s hard to really list them all. However, there are a handful of books and writers that stand out above the others:
- The Dirk Gently Omnibus and the general style of Douglas Adams has been a great reminder; even in the direst of moments, the universe can often be laughably bizarre and unpredictable.
- Neuromancer and almost everything else by William Gibson in that style, has helped a lot in defining the corporate cultures and the deeper existential questions that are posed throughout the chapter.
- H.P. Lovecraft and his many stories have meant a great deal when it came to focusing on the mystery and dread of existential horror – the ‘force-of-nature’ villains that we learn to live with rather than try to deal with or even comprehend.
Games:
Above all of the other categories, games have probably had the greatest influence on my creative process, simply due to their influence on my life in general. Here is a list of the games I believe to have carried the most influence on Chapter 1, across the different categories above:
