Ever heard of the game “Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy”? Well, let me tell you, it’s a doozy. It’s one of the hardest games that many people have ever played. Many YouTubers made videos of them playing the game, and many of them soon began to scream in rage at the unfair controls and construction.
In Getting Over It, you start at a rocky plain. A cauldron sits on the screen. The cauldron trembles and shakes. From the cauldron rises a bald man holding a long-handled axe.
Ah, Diogenes. So many people ended up hating this man, not because he’s a bad character, but the game is very hard to control. All of the control you have is your mouse, controlling the tip of an axe. You can use the axe to swing yourself up and over objects that are in your path. That’s it.
Soon, Bennett Foddy himself begins to speak.
He tells us that learning to get over difficult situations is hard to do. Whether it’s ruining a nice shirt, leaving your wallet at home, or having a disagreement with a friend, it’s hard to get over a difficult situation. He tells us that if we’ve already been having a bad day, we shouldn’t play this game, because it will be frustrating.
And from personal experience, let me tell you, this game will enrage you. It will make you scream and want to throw your computer across the room in anger. I will admit, I ended up slamming my laptop shut in frustration more than once while playing this game. I cursed at Foddy’s voice saying meaningless inspirational quotes after I had fallen once again, losing thirty minutes of progress in the span of two seconds.
I’ve never gotten past the first incline.
Normally, when I play video games, I have patience. I usually enjoy a good challenge, which is why I love playing games such as Undertale and Cuphead, games that require problem solving, quick reflexes, and skill. However, this game felt different. Foddy was a constant presence in the game, and would often make light commentary as you continue your ascent higher and higher up the mountain made of the most ridiculous things (construction cranes, a table with oranges on it, and furniture). He makes commentary on how he beleives our society is slowly degrading in what we deem as “art” and “culture.” He calls it a “B culture,” one in which you can take trash and pile it together, and it becomes the next sensation that is popular for five seconds before we move on to the next thing. His commentary is thought-provoking, and you cannot help but pause and take a moment to listen to what he’s saying.
Foddy makes a point in saying that those who succeeded in climbing up the mountain that he has made are different than the rest. He claims that the players, in looking for a challenge, have a stronger sense of resolution and concentration. As you continue your ascent, he begins to become more vulnerable, talking about how he feels drowned in our culture, and wishes that it were different. He wants to make a difference in the world, but he doesn’t know how to go about doing so. He feels trapped under all the rubble that he’s created. He wants to not only share what he’s made, but also share an experience. He wants someone to listen to him. He wants what society as a whole cannot give him: the time out of a busy day to listen to his ramblings and make him feel worthy.
What are we getting over? The feeling of worthlessness, the feeling of inadequacy that gets stronger when we look outside of ourselves. The feeling of being trapped in a substandard culture. Getting over the hope that society will change, because it won’t, at least not on it’s own. We need to get over our own identity and look out into the world we live in.
We need to get over our own sense of self to find meaning in the world around us.
