Austin Kleon

Share this post

At the edge of my map

austinkleon.substack.com

At the edge of my map

What to do when you hit the invisible wall of understanding

Austin Kleon
May 17, 2022
71
73
Share this post

At the edge of my map

austinkleon.substack.com
Ortelius's 1570 Theatrum Orbis Terrarum map

Hey y’all,

My friend is going through some big life changes. Changes I don’t fully understand. So I am doing what I think a good friend does: Listening. Asking some questions. But mostly listening.

Towards the end of our phone call this weekend I said to this friend, “I have to be honest with you: I have reached the edge of my map.” I said I wasn’t scared or upset or anything like that. I just know I’m at the edge of my map.

Terra incognita. Uncharted territory. “Here be dragons.”

The invisible wall in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild

I then tried to explain to my friend the idea of the “invisible wall” in video games. The invisible wall is a boundary that restricts the player’s character from going any further in the video game’s world. In some open world games, when you hit the edge of the map, your character will just walk in place. Facing the expanse, moving towards it, but not getting anywhere.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Austin Kleon to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2023 Austin Kleon
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing