When I was 14, I dumped my first girlfriend over my school's internal e-mail service. The entire drama was played out over two rickety computers somewhere in that colossal building while no one was any the wiser. I have no doubt those messages are still stored somewhere in my school's server. I always wondered if the teachers followed what was going on secretly. Drama can be addictive, as Catherine Love has proven with her latest indie development endeavour.
don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story captures the often-secret self-indulgent high school drama between students more closely than I've ever experienced in any medium. Taking on the role of an English Literature teacher of a typical class of disinterested students, you discover that the school has developed a Facebook-like social network for students to both openly and privately communicate with one another. What they don't know is that their teachers have permission to see everything. As you get to know the private lives of your classmates and watch romances or rivalries rise and fall, you must do your best to keep the invasion of privacy a secret while supporting your students as best you can.
You may be reading and wondering how any of this can be compelling as a "video game". The truth is, don't take it personally... is less of a video game and more of an interactive novel, like Capcom's Phoenix Wright series. You spend much of your time reading through walls of text and occasionally deciding on a path to branch the story. There's no challenge to be had here and the level of gameplay is akin to that of a Choose Your Own Adventure novel. If that's already turned you off, your mind will probably not be changed. What makes don't take it personally... so compelling is the authenticity of the writing and how completely relevant it feels as a document of modern times.
Catherine Love previously wrote and developed the critically acclaimed Digital: A Love Story and has a wide variety of written work available on her website. The expertise she has as an author makes a potentially boring concept of a text adventure about high school drama utterly fascinating. As you progress through the main plotline, you also follow the often complex messages that the characters are exchanging with each another. Though the graphical style is firmly in the animé camp, the writing style is modern and full of recognisable slang. Characters behave in a believable fashion and each are clearly defined. If you're still in high school, you probably know people like this. If you're older, you'll certainly remember elements of life in high school and empathise with what the students go through. It may sound trite, but I felt myself caring because I felt like I had been there. I knew these silly arguments, these sudden romances and the bullies always ready to spread gossip. It's incredibly eerie how Catherine Love has captured the life of how a future high school student would be that it's breathtaking to read at times.
Graphically, don't take it personally is extremely basic. Portraits sweep in and out of frame next to pre-rendered backdrops and much of the screen is taken up by fat text. Despite that, the presentation is clean and intuitive. Sound design is poor, with repetitive, looped melodies that get old fast and the notification sound of a new message will irritate you. I recommend muting the sound and reading along like this is a novel. You'll get more out of it that way.
As an avid reader, don't take it personally... had me gripped immediately. While its animé art style and lack of any meaningful gameplay mechanics may be a major turn-off for some, those with an open mind will discover a rich and well-written fictional microcosm of a time in life which most people are more than aware of. In the words of Jeff Gerstmann, "high school fucking sucks". don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story doesn't suck; it soars above its source material and hits you hard with enough emotional resonance to make you laugh or make you cry. Besides, it's free to download. Go get it now.
