I Taught With Florence

What's going on everyone?

One of the classes I teach is an elective English Language Arts course dedicated to video games as literature. In this class we "read" video games in same way students are taught to read books. We play, identify, and analyze the many literary elements, themes, and central ideas found in each game. The skills are the same as in their standard ELA classes, only the text medium is different. Florence is a game I love to use as an introductory text for this class. It is a mechanically simple game with a very sweet message that is very accessible to the vast majority of students. The Aim of the lesson is for them to answer the question, "What can we learn from failed relationships?" You can find the lesson plan and materials here.

Florence is the story of a young woman and the heart-racing highs and heartbreaking lows of her very first love. It tells this story through a number of small, easy to solve, puzzles. There are zero spoken words in the game which made it very accessible to my students, whom are all English Language Learners. The game also relies heavily on music and colors to convey the mood and feelings of the two characters in the game. It's also a very realistic portrayal of the ups and downs of a relationship. Spoilers; the relationship doesn't last. That's okay since most relationships don't last forever. What is important is how one moves on after experiencing a breakup with someone whom they thought they could spend the rest of their life with.

The game is told in six acts, each of which contains several chapters. I figured the best way to teach this lesson was to have the students answer one question per act. The first three acts are really about introducing the two main characters: Florence and Krish, and building up the relationship between them. One of my favorite aspects of the game is introduced in Act two when Florence and Krish go on their first date. The conversation is told through a series of jigsaw puzzles. Each time you want Florence to say something you must complete a little puzzle first. One of my students noted in Question 2 that "Every time she spoke she became [had] few[er] pieces. She felt very good with him and you could tell that she was happy." For many people, holding a conversation with someone new can be really challenging. Through its visual storytelling, this game was able to convey that these conversations become easier overtime as you become more comfortable with someone.

From here, Florence and Krish begin a long healthy relationship where they improve each others' lives. Another student mentioned in Question 3 that "Florence and Krish are sharing adventures together every time they get together." Both characters encourage each other to do what they love the most and experience new aspects of life together. They travel together, Florence makes Krish pursue an education in music, and Krish buys Florence a paint set since she is an aspiring artist who is currently working at a boring office job.

We see the two characters move in together and live happily for several months. The students noticed that they had to "throw away some of their stuff because they don't have enough space." Many of the students in my room, some of whom have already considered moving in with significant others, admitted that this was something they had not thought of yet (My students are a bit older than the norm so this is a thing at my school). Other students of mine do already live on their own. Those students shared some of their experiences living alone, or with roommates and talked about the compromises they have needed to make. They made a number of connections to spending so much time at home due to Covid. Moving in with someone is not easy and both partners will need to make sacrifices. Another important aspect of this act was how Florence became more productive in her normal life outside of the relationship. "She is happy to go to her job. . . She is working more faster." This part allowed students to make connections to their own lives and reflect how they often do better in school when their home life is better.

The relationship deteriorates in act five. In a similar fashion as the puzzles in the beginning of the game that showed Florence and Krish getting closer, puzzles in this section show how they drift apart. One student said,"as time passed the realized that they were not compatible and ended up in discussion and decided to finish [break-up]." Another student wrote that "the puzzles represent their relationship and then the fight."These things happen and it was really special to hear my students speak openly about how they have reacted in similar circumstances with significant others, friends, or family members.

Like in real life, Florence is able to move on after breaking up with Krish. It is not easy, but she manages to put the fragments of her life back together. She doesn't just get back on her feet. She actually ends up better off than before, or even during, her relationship. Krish pushed her to pursue her dream of being an artist and she finally decides to take the plunge after some self reflection. From here the students answered the Aim which was "How can we learn from failed relationships?" Some of the points that were brought up by students were

1. "She started loving herself to do what she likes to socialize and share with her mother."

2. "I think you'll learn after a failed relationship that things can change especially as you grow older. People who want the same thing in the beginning can want different things in the end."

3. "That you must let go of what does not help you advance and achieve your dreams and that it is okay to let people go from your life. You can remember them and learn from those experiences."

4. "I agree with the messages because relationships don't always last long. Sometimes people change their minds and people move on. People can get tired of their partner, it depends on the case."

In the end, Florence decides to pursue life as an artist, something that Krish had wanted for her. Yes they broke-up, but he changed her life for the better.

I cannot recommend this game enough. Not just as a means of teaching, but something you should play for yourself. It only takes about 35-40 minutes to play through the whole story. It conveys so much by doing so little and acts as a perfect entry point for someone who is not really familiar with video games in general. It is absolutely unique and this is a game I want people to know more about.

Thanks for reading,

Zack

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