Avo, Stadia, Arcade, Bandersnatch, and the New Grammar of Television (and Games) — Part 1: Form is substance

Part one of a four part series, in which a new game about an avocado and a young inventor sketches out new ideas for both television and videogames. Google’s Stadia does likewise. Apple’s Arcade and Netflix’s Bandersnatch do not.

This is part one, looking at mobile interactions and lean-in, lean-out. Part two unpicks the broader context of platforms and formats. Part three explores the new grammar of television and games. Part four summarises an optimistic narrative for tech and format invention.

Ed. A few years after I wrote this, Apple hired Playdeo’s Jack Schulze and Timo Arnall (conflict alert: they’re good mates) to work on various projects, including their own augmented reality ambitions. That put an end to the Avo game discussed here, but continues their creatives lines of enquiry. I’ll fix up the links later.

This might seem a stretch, but a small game — or is it a TV show? — ostensibly about an avocado and a young inventor, just released by a British entertainment studio, may just be sketching out a new grammar for games. (Or TV shows.)