BLOG POST #3: The Prescott Empire

The concept of empire is exemplified in everyday life, including popular culture. Within Dontnod Entertainment's episodic adventure game, Life is Strange, the Prescott family exemplifies a modern notion of imperial expansion through their domination of the sleepy town of Arcadia Bay. In the game, the Prescotts are tycoons, like the Trumps on a smaller scale. The strength of the Prescott family is clearly demonstrated in their influence over Blackwell Academy, the local boarding school. Though the establishment was not founded by the family, the Prescotts donate large sums of money to keep its doors open. In fact, the girls' dormitory is named the Prescott Dormitory.

Because of their financial contribution to the school, Blackwell Academy makes accommodations for Nathan, the youngest member of the Prescott family, and his severe behavioral issues. He has his academic record wiped clean, brings weapons on campus without any serious repercussions, and receives special treatment from administration.

But it isn't just the school that they practically own. The Prescotts practically own all of Arcadia Bay. They bought the rights to the harbor, stealing many jobs from average residents who used to fish for a living. With the harbor belonging to the Prescotts, there is even talk around town about renaming the bay. The family also wants dominion over Arcadia Bay's second most significant natural landscape: the woods. With their proposed development of Pan Estates, the Prescotts would build tracts of luxury homes for the people of Arcadia Bay, which would serve as no real benefit to them because they are all financially struggling.

The influence of the Prescotts can also be seen as a parallel to Aeneas' influence in Virgil's epic poem by both party's relation to destiny. In The Aeneid, Jove prophesies that Aeneas will go on to Italy and his descendants will eventually found the Roman Empire. This inspires him in everything that he does, including spurring him to leave his love, Dido. On a similar note, the Prescotts have their own destiny to follow. The particular details are blurry but, from the context of Sean Prescott's email to his son, Nathan (pictured above), the Prescott Destiny seems to be related to total domination of Arcadia Bay.

The Prescotts influence is dispersed all throughout town yet they will not stop until, like empires, they destroy themselves. Nathan essentially dug himself into his own grave by desperately seeking out a father figure and finding one in a serial killer. This destroys the Prescott family reputation, leaving only ruins of their former self-proclaimed glory.