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Nickel Boys' Storytelling: Radical in Movies, Common in Games

2024-12-12

Nickel Boys has emerged as a significant contender in this year's movie awards season. Adapted from Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, it weaves a tale of an abusive reform school in Florida. The story toggles between the 1960s and 2010s, following two young Black men's incarceration and the subsequent law enforcement investigation.

Uniting Cinema and Gaming in a Unique Narrative

First-Person Cinema vs. Gaming

Nickel Boys stands out with its almost exclusive use of first-person point-of-view shots. While not the first to attempt this style, it is rare in sustained film narratives. Comparisons can be drawn to Robert Montgomery's 1947 film noir Lady in the Lake and various other examples in different mediums. But in gaming, this perspective has been commonplace since the early days.

Video game developers have been placing virtual cameras in 3D spaces since 1992 with Wolfenstein 3D. Even before that, they faked it in role-playing games. Players have always wanted to see through their characters' eyes. However, the purpose in Nickel Boys is not about immersion in action but generating empathy and challenging identity notions.

There are many examples in gaming where first-person is combined with different elements to create unique psychological realities. Games like The Chinese Room's Dear Esther, Fullbright's Gone Home, Campo Santo's Firewatch, and Giant Sparrow's What Remains of Edith Finch explore family histories and personal tragedies.

Editing and Perspective Shifts

The film's editing is a powerful aspect. It plays the two protagonists' perspectives against each other, splicing and lining them up for stunning moments of convergence. This is a technique rarely seen in video games, although there are some good examples like Brendon Chung's Thirty Flights of Loving.

Occasionally, Ross breaks out of first person to take a third-person view, tightly framed behind a character's shoulders, creating a destabilizing effect. Shots like the poster shot of the two boys looking up into a ceiling mirror together are both artistically and emotionally captivating.

Comparing Cinematic and Gaming Narratives

There is a level of sophistication and playfulness in how Ross sets up the movie's first-person form and breaks it that is not often seen in games. But the subjective, enveloping storytelling that Nickel Boys taps into is familiar to most gamers.

For those currently captivated by the film, dipping into some gaming's first-person greats would be a worthwhile experience. Nickel Boys opens in limited release on Dec. 13 and expands to wide release on Jan. 3, 2025.

Epic Games' highly anticipated annual holiday sale is currently in full swing. This year, as in the past, the company is offering a delightful selection of free games that users can claim during the sale period. According to a recent blog post, the store will have 16 free games available for grabs.

Uncover Epic Holiday Surprises with Free Games

Discovering the Free Games

Epic has yet to reveal exactly which games will be on offer during this holiday sale. However, in previous years, they have treated gamers to some truly amazing titles. For instance, Destiny 2: Legacy Collection and Control were among the big games given away. So, there's a good chance that this year too, Epic has some wonderful holiday surprises up its sleeve. It's an exciting time for gamers as they wait to see what free gems will be added to their collections.

The anticipation builds as gamers eagerly await the announcement of the free games. It's a moment of excitement and possibility, knowing that they might get their hands on a game they've been longing for at no cost. Epic's track record of providing quality free games makes this sale even more enticing.

Paid Deals and Rewards

Alongside the free games, there are some excellent paid deals to sift through. Games like 35 percent off Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Star Wars: Outlaws offer great value for money. During the holiday sale, Epic is also going the extra mile by giving users 10 percent back on their purchases as part of the Epic Rewards program. This is a significant boost from the usual 5 percent, adding even more value to the shopping experience.

The combination of discounted paid games and the bonus rewards makes this holiday sale a must-visit for gamers. It's an opportunity to not only expand their game libraries with free games but also to make some great purchases at discounted prices.

Time to Claim and Enjoy

The sale will end at 11AM ET on January 9th, 2025. This means that gamers have a limited time to claim the free games and take advantage of the paid deals. It's important to keep an eye on the store and act quickly to ensure you don't miss out on any of the amazing offers.

As the countdown to the end of the sale begins, gamers are gearing up to make the most of this festive shopping event. Whether it's through claiming free games or scoring great deals on paid titles, it's a time to indulge in the world of gaming and have some fun.

The promise of artificial intelligence in healthcare has been a topic of great interest for years. While there have been glimpses of its potential through pilot programs, the healthcare industry is now on the cusp of large-scale deployments. However, there are several significant issues that need to be addressed before this can become a reality. Michael Meucci, the president and CEO of Arcadia, a health data platform company, is actively working on these challenges every day.

Acting on AI Abundance via Workflow Integration

Although pilot programs have demonstrated the potential of AI, true integration into daily workflows remains a rarity. In 2025, scaling successful AI applications will be a top priority. For AI to truly reshape healthcare, it must seamlessly become a part of care team workflows, transitioning from isolated systems to integrated, actionable tools at the point of care.By embedding AI in workflows, healthcare organizations can make a significant leap. Instead of being passive, like ambient listening or automated note-taking, AI can become an active decision support system that clinicians can trust and rely on. Its effectiveness hinges on its ability to support, not interrupt, clinical workflows. Integrating AI into real-time decision-making processes means creating systems where clinicians don't have to step out of their routines or rely on additional tools. Instead, they should have AI-driven insights available directly within their current interfaces and processes, such as the electronic health record. AI should serve as a silent partner, augmenting the abilities of clinical teams without demanding additional steps.For healthcare leaders, it is clear that they need to prioritize investments that enhance workflow integration over isolated AI functionalities. Building infrastructure that facilitates AI's real-time availability and directly feeds into clinical operations will yield sustainable gains. As these systems mature, they will lead to an era of scaled AI deployments, making AI a critical, reliable resource within healthcare delivery.

The Holistic Patient View as the Foundation for AI Application

In 2025, a true holistic patient view will be the cornerstone of AI applications. This requires a robust data infrastructure that harmonizes various data sources, such as clinical, claims data, and social determinants of health data. By doing so, AI can draw insights that support patient-centric care regardless of who interacts with the patient.A comprehensive and longitudinal patient view enhances the value of AI. It provides a reliable foundation of patient data that anyone across the enterprise can trust and leverage. For example, in an AI-driven call center, staff can view not only a patient's insurance benefits but also relevant health information, like open care gaps. This enables agents to answer questions and act with empathy and precision, such as nudging a patient about a screening.The holistic approach means that whether a patient is interacting with clinical staff, support personnel, or even financial services, they receive informed support tailored to their unique health journey. To make this vision a reality, healthcare leaders must prioritize data standardization and invest in systems that promote scalable access to real-time data. With these investments, healthcare organizations can empower every employee to act as a knowledgeable touchpoint in the patient's care journey, enhancing the patient experience through proactive, patient-centered care management.

Reducing Push-Pull Tension in the AI Lifecycle

Healthcare organizations often face a push-pull tension between the drive to adopt AI systems and internal resistance due to regulatory, ethical, and logistical concerns. This tension reflects the broader industry conflict of advancing AI while encountering roadblocks that slow down deployment.To overcome this in 2025, healthcare leaders must adopt strategies that fuel AI innovation while streamlining governance, compliance, and risk management. AI should be established as a core component of their operations without creating additional hurdles. The acceleration of AI should be purposeful, targeting high-impact tasks that can be automated to free up human resources for higher-value work.Healthcare executives should start by identifying low-value, time-consuming tasks that AI can take over, such as data entry or basic patient queries. Delegating these tasks to AI enables clinicians and their staff to focus on complex, patient-facing interactions. Strategically automating repetitive functions will help organizations improve productivity and reinvest the gains in expanding the reach and effectiveness of AI systems across the enterprise.