The story of the Backrooms is often associated with the concept of liminality, which refers to a state of transition or 'in-betweeness.' The idea here is that the Backrooms exists in a liminal space between our world and another realm. Not only is the Backrooms in a liminal space, but it can also only be accessed through various liminal spaces such as service corridors, utility closets, or abandoned buildings. Or, through a transitory state of mind, as the original creepypasta suggests. [1]

For this log, I'd like to talk about the Backrooms and liminality in a more specific sense. In Jungian psychology, liminality is associated with the concept of 'the shadow.' Jung believed that the shadow represented an unconscious part of our mind that we repress or deny. The shadow would often manifest in dreams and myths as a dark, terrifying figure. But it also could be represented by space - a setting, locale, a structure.

The Backrooms can be seen as a manifestation of the Jungian shadow in that sense. An endless maze filled with infinite interconnected rooms or hallways, often with impossible or abstract geometry. An unsettling structure that lies just outside our perception of reality. A setting in the outside of everyday life where unconscious aspects of our psyche manifest.

Jung also believed that the process of individuation, or the integration of the various aspects of the psyche, requires a confrontation with the shadow. This involves facing and integrating the dark, repressed aspects of the psyche in order to achieve a greater sense of wholeness. As a player, escaping from the Backrooms might represent such an 'integration' back into reality. One emerges from the Backrooms a new and self-realized individual.

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[1] "I was about halfway done with filling in my information when I slumped back in my chair. I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night prior, and I was exhausted." (https://www.creepypasta.com/the-backrooms/).

I've seen this game floating around for a few years now but never actually played it, so when I came across it again, I decided to give it a go.

The backrooms as a concept was a creepypasta that I initially thought was mildly interesting. But like most creepypastas, it immediately turned to shit as the horde of unoriginal internet users swarmed to it with the most asinine, generic, F-Tier SCP style content, including this game. What could be an interesting little game of secret areas, trippy world/level changes, or meta-textual content is instead just a series of endless empty hallways with Spooky TM figures standing about. It's mechanically indiscernible from any other "Wandering hallways" indie horror game out there and does nothing to expand upon the original creepypasta, aside from giving you a dumbas stopwatch for the sake of "gameplay".

It is free, and short... but still not worth your time.