Some Car Boys thoughts
Just wrapped up the finale and like everyone Iâm still reeling from it. I wanted to sketch out a few thoughts on the show that hopefully I can return to at some point.
1) This is the best exploration of games in a work of fiction to date and should be a model for filmmakers and writers going forward. Not only does Car Boys explore modern digital gaming, it does so by using one of the most basic forms of a game: improvisational storytelling. The plot and mythology of the show emerges from Nick, Griffin, and the fanbaseâs interactions and interpretations of of the game, culminating in that amazing BeamNG.drive title reveal at the end. Actual play podcasts like Adventure Zone and Friends at the Table have tapped into this before, but this is the first time Iâve seen it done so well in a visual medium. Maybe the most exciting thing about Car Boys though, and what I just canât stop thinking about is that Nick, Griffin, and the fanbase are not the only ones telling the story, they arenât even the main authors.
2) Car Boys is technology telling a story about itself. Where most stories about technology (Black Mirror, Blade Runner, etc) are by necessity from a human perspective, Car Boys reverses this and offers something new. The main author of Car Boys is BeamNG.drive. The thrust of the plot is driven not by what Nick and Griffin do to the game, but what it does back to them. The glitches and psychedelic imagery are so haunting because they are beyond our control and maybe even our understanding. What is the game doing and how is it doing it? How do I, the player, begin to understand my place in this digital space? How do I understand what this space is and what its for? This is part of what made the ending of the series so touching. Two small storytellers, lost in a digital infinity still finding meaning.
3) Humans have always looked to the heavens and created stories. We see comets and stars and assign them meaning. We create gods and look for life. Car Boys turns our eyes towards some kind of digital heaven and does the same. It is the best exploration of technology Iâve ever seen and I canât wait to see what Nick and Griffin do next
Edited to clarify and expand on a few of the ideas! Iâd also love to know whether the first ending was scripted or the result of dropped call. If its the second it really solidifies the idea of this being a story told by tech.
