So, the "Before the Law" short story by Franz Kafka and the "Before the Law" flash game at http://www.theoddmanout.net/games/beforeTheLaw.html share more than just a name. In fact, they share the exact same story, as the flash game is, in truth, just an interactive way to experience Kafka's story. It's a very basic game, with rudimentary art work, mainly just dark lines and some wind blown grass. Many of the lines in the game are word for word from the short story and the whole premise is the same. You have the man from the country approaching the gate to the Law, where he is stopped by the guardian of the gate who tells him that he is not ready to go through. The first path I took was Kafka's ending, where I chose to wait and was rewarded with the man from the country growing old and dying, learning, futilely, that the gate was specifically for him, and that it would now close with his passing. The second time I went through this game, I walked up to the gate and flipped the metaphorical bird to the guardian. He vanished away, telling me that I had made a brave and bold decision. The world, at this point, kind of crumbles away into nothingness, leaving a direct path to the "Law." It happens to be a book, but when it's openend, the country man finds that it contains nothing. I won't lie, my first time reading through the short story, I was left wondering what the greater message I was supposed to walk away with was. I'm not saying that the game was eye-opening, or even correct, considering it was created by a living person, which, I can assume, means they hold their own opinions and visions of what message was supposed to be conveyed. I appreciate how the game presented the second ending in a less obscure way though, even if it can't be called "the meaning." I felt like both were similar in design, because I felt like the story was meant to be minimalistic, an unnamed man from the country could, theoretically, be anyone, and the guardian wasn't really concrete or set in stone either. The look of the game followed that train of thought, just using outlines of the two characters and never giving them faces or names. It was a nice touch. I also like how it tapped into the human psyche, like the moment when the guardian tells you to stop, so, after reading the story, the logical choice was to stop. He told me too, so I will. This leads to the larger message of the story though. If I have it right, it's implying that the only person that can stop someone is themselves. Not necessarily a new line of thinking, kind of cliche, but still a strong message that can resonate at anytime. However, even then, as the country man, even when I just walked by, the Law was empty when I looked into it, suggesting that I wasn't ready to really see the truth that was my Law. So, I walked into it learning that when I was ready to learn the truths of the world and life, the best thing to do would be to look inside, to let myself find answers inside...well...myself. Overall, I wouldn't necessarily call this a game, but it was an interesting take on an older story, and a cool way of using newer technology and media to teach a lesson. I really feel like that's what more games should strive to do, rather than keeping everything in a grey zone while trying to make the action the main focus. Yes, gameplay is important, and so is how "pretty" a game looks. However, if games are ever to be taken seriously as an artistic form, some sort of narrative must exist, and not just a narrative for it's own sake, but one that holds a microscope up to society and those who inhabit it.