What is "deus ex machina"

1690s, from Modern Latin translation of Greek theos ek mekhanes, literally "the god from the machina," the device by which "gods" were suspended over the stage in Greek theater (see machine). The fem. is dea ex machina.

n. 1 Any resolution to a story that does not pay due regard to the story's internal logic and that is so unlikely that it challenges suspension of disbelief, and presumably allows the author, director, or developer to end the story in the way that he or she desired. 2 A contrived solution to a problem, relying on an agent external to the situation.

n. any active agent who appears unexpectedly to solve and insoluble difficulty

Deus ex machina (: or ; plural: dei ex machina) is a Latin calque . The term has evolved to mean a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the inspired and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability or object. Depending on how it is done, it can be intended to allow a story to continue when the writer has "painted himself into a corner" and sees no other way out, to surprise the audience, to bring the tale to a happy ending, or as a comedic device.

Deus Ex Machina was a computer game designed and created by Mel Croucher and published by Automata UK for the ZX Spectrum in October 1984 and later converted to other popular 8-bit formats.

The game was the first to be accompanied by a fully synchronised soundtrack which featured narration, celebrity artists and music. The cast included Ian Dury, Jon Pertwee, Donna Bailey, Frankie Howerd, E.P. Thompson, and Mel Croucher (who also composed the music). Andrew Stagg coded the original Spectrum version, and Colin Jones (later known as author/publisher Colin Bradshaw-Jones) was the programmer of the Commodore 64 version.

The game charts the life of a "defect" which has formed in "the machine", from conception, through growth, evolution and eventually death. The progression is loosely based on "The Seven Ages of Man" from the Shakespeare play, As You Like It and includes many quotations and parodies of this.

Despite critical acclaim at the time, the game did not conform to conventions of packaging and pricing required by distributors and retailers and the game was sold mail-order only direct to the public. It was heavily pirated and subsequently gained cult status as an underground art game.

In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die.

A re-imagining of the game went into production in 2010, under the title Deus Ex Machina 2, once again under the design and creation of Mel Croucher. The new cast is led by Sir Christopher Lee as The Programmer, with Chyna Whyne as The Machine, Chris Madin as The Defect, Joaquim de Almeida as the Defect Police, and original Ian Dury session vocals.

In 2014 Mel Croucher released a book about the game's (and his) history, and the making of the new game. The book is entitled Deus Ex Machina - The Best Game You Never Played in Your Life. The sequel was eventually released in 2015.

" Deus Ex Machina" (from Latin, meaning "god from the machine") is the 19th episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Robert Mandel and written by Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. It first aired on March 30, 2005, on ABC. The character of John Locke ( Terry O'Quinn) is featured in the episode's flashbacks.

Deus ex machina is a Latin term literally meaning "god from the machine", and is used to indicate a person or event which provides a sudden, unexpected solution to a story.

Deus ex machina may also refer to:

Deus Ex Machina (band) is an Italian progressive rock group. Members include Claudio Trotta (drums), Alessandro Porreca (bass) Maurino Collina (guitar), Alessandro Bonetti (violin) Luigi Ricciardiello (keyboards) and Alberto Piras (vocals).

Deus Ex Machina is a popular Greek hardcore punk band from Athens formed in 1989 by Dimitris Spyropoulos and Dimitris Manthos, with Spyropoulos and Yiannis Venardis (the group's drummer) having already been early Greek Punk scene's 'veterans' (they were members of Adiexodo).

The band's lyrics are often political having references to subjects such as the War on Iraq and the Mexican Zapatista Army of National Liberation movement.

Deus Ex Machina is the first full-length album from former Leaves' Eyes frontwoman Liv Kristine. Unlike her follow-up, "Enter My Religion", she only co-wrote two songs: the title track and "In the Heart of Juliet". The song "3 am" is a duet between Liv Kristine and Nick Holmes of Paradise Lost.

It was re-issued in 2007 on Candlelight Records, with the catalog number 338.

Deus Ex Machina is a Singaporean death metal/ thrash metal band, and is one of the few extreme metal acts from Southeast Asia that has gained a following in Europe and the United States. They represent a rarity in the Southeast Asian Metal scenes in favouring a more melodic musical approach and concept-based poetic lyrics in contrast to the more aggressive and brutal stylings of the region. They are also a highly internationalized band, with a background of having band members from different parts of the world.

Deus Ex Machina is the debut album of composer Paul Schütze, released in 1989 through Extreme Records.

Deus ex Machina is a piano concerto by the American composer Michael Daugherty. The 33-minute work was jointly commissioned by the Charlotte, Nashville, New Jersey, Rochester and Syracuse Symphony Orchestras. It won the 2011 Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition for a recording by soloist Terrance Wilson and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Giancarlo Guerrero.

Deus ex Machina was recorded and released on Naxos along with a work from earlier in Michael Daugherty's career, the Metropolis Symphony. The album was nominated for a total of 5 Grammys. In addition to Best Classical Contemporary Composition, it won in the categories of Best Orchestral Performance and Best Engineered Album, Classical.