Writing Exercise: howmanybirds.com

 Contextualize: howmanybirds.com

Unfiction is a more recently defined piece of media with various examples throughout time – it is a project that posits itself as real, situating its characters and problems in a world that could be, at first, no different to examine than our own. Works that fit inside this genre in a more recent context claim the label with pride, pushing familiarity and comfort to their limits, but older examples certainly exist. To most, the reference point for unfiction is something like The Blair Witch Project, a movie that exists almost more as a phenomenon than a film, mostly due to how real it feels. “How Many Birds” by Brent Watanabe walks a fascinating line, conforming with pieces of eclectic internet interest from the 2000s and 2010s like “Can Your Pet” and “This House Has People In It,” while also expressing reference to the artist’s previous work, that of futility and anguish. I’d argue that the notes scattered throughout, references to a real, concrete story within the narrative, and the overall tones and references of the piece call out to a very specific piece and genre of storytelling, one that exists in a modern internet context unapologetically.

There isn’t much online about “How Many Birds,” at least from a non-privileged audience standpoint. There is a website (howmanybirds.com), a thirty-minute game, and a reference to the project on Watanabe’s site, reading: “How Many Birds. 2024, website / animation / game. code, animation, micro games.” The game itself is a whirlwind, and best experienced blind and fully immersed, but that is part of why it is so effective. In an absurd, projected way, “How Many Birds” takes the player on a whirlwind of a ride, prompting introspective questions and provoking sympathy for a story that we know is deeper than anything that could be investigated on first viewing. It would take hours, longer even, to nail down the narrative that this story is communicating, but that is alright. It’s importance is in that it feels real, that it provokes empathy and an unknown melancholy, consistent themes in Watanabe’s work. There is so, so much more to be found in this project, and I feel as if playing the game was only the first step in a fascinatingly absurdist rabbit hole.