Thoughts on ascii by venam:
Once in a while someone asks me how and why I do ascii art. I reply
that its similar to a puzzle, finding the right piece that fits at the
right place. However a puzzle is the antithesis of an ascii art piece,
a puzzle re-creates order out of chaos while an ascii piece creates order
out of order by injecting chaos and liberty in the mix.
Ascii art is the reification of liberty from constraints, its a display
of power over our limits.
Similar to what JordiGH said about Chrono Trigger gameplay:
So why the hell would anyone choose to use such a
restrictive format to get a point across? Precisely because it is
so restrictive. Being forced to process your message through such
a form forces you to be clever and artful in how you go about doing
it.