MURDER IN THE METAVERSE
What values you see in the game, and how they are reflected in the choices made by the game designer
I thought that the main value of this game was the satire of metaverse, NFTs, and other modern technologies that look to play a part in the future. I saw this as a commentary on how our digital personas play more and more of a role in how people see each other and interact with each other. I also felt like there was a value placed on trust. There was a story on how it was built and how we came to suspect our friends.
Thoughts on your experience relevant to the objectives in the rubric , specifically:
How well did the game get you to care about the given topic or cause?
I thought it did really well as a piece of dystopian fiction! I already am not a huge fan of metaverse/NFT/silicon valley hype so I already got the message but it was delivered well.
How well did the game’s use of the medium fit the story?
I think that the use of interactive fiction served the story well, I think words and phrasing of the NFT/Metaverse stuff really demonstrated the absurdity of some of the things going on at the moment.
Did it have choices that were interesting and consequential to you? (Did any make you really stop and think?)
I think that the choices between your friends in the story were interesting. I had to choose between the two types of characters I could be. However, I wasn’t sure exactly how consequential or meaningful those choices felt due to the twist near the end.
At least 1 thing you appreciated or thought was awesome
I absolutely loved the storytelling in this game! You really brought scenes to life and made it so as a I reader I was immersed in settings like the lagoon and the koi pond. The imagery worked well for me.
At least 1 thing you think they could improve on, if they were to turn it into their P4 project
I think that the thing that could potentially be improved is the twist in the ending. I think the pacing of the text in there felt confusing and I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on since the blocks of text were a bit long. Also some of the dialogue bits were overly summarized which made me a bit less engaged in the story.
However, overall great work!
—————————————————-
REMEMBERING
What values you see in the game, and how they are reflected in the choices made by the game designer
I saw the values of this game as relating the individual to the society, both in their present day and their lived experiences. The individual in the story has a job, role, and societal expectations that they live through at the start of the story. However, the individual recalls memories of their time before entering this society with their family. This dichotomy introduces the central tension of the story and the feeling of loss even when you are accepted.
Thoughts on your experience relevant to the objectives in the rubric , specifically:
How well did the game get you to care about the given topic or cause?
I thought the game did great at making me think about the dichotomy between fitting in and having my familial relationships. It gave me high school/early undergrad vibes in that regard.
How well did the game’s use of the medium fit the story?
I thought that this game was the best use of interactive text-based fiction I’ve seen in a while! It made use of colors and text in unique ways where we saw synonyms and day/night cycles that added to my immersion.
Did it have choices that were interesting and consequential to you? (Did any make you really stop and think?)
I think the choices felt a little bit less consequential in this story. It felt like the job I chose and the final decisions would lead to similar outcomes but I think the narrative was so compelling that the choices were still interesting.
At least 1 thing you appreciated or thought was awesome
Ok I thought this world and setting were sick. I was so interested in the character and trying to understand how the world worked. I found the interactive experience super enjoyable since there were so many different things to press and see change like the sleeping through the night color shift. Really amazing stuff and it made the theme feel super immersive.
At least 1 thing you think they could improve on, if they were to turn it into their P4 project
If you were going to turn this into your P4 project I think the move might be to make the characters relationships more consequential. Because the neighbors felt faceless, it didn’t feel like I was making any big choices when leaving the community to try and find my Mom. If there were friends among the community and a feeling of emotional connection that I was choosing to leave by finding my family.
———————————————————
THE COMPANY
What values you see in the game, and how they are reflected in the choices made by the game designer
I saw the values of this game being about anti-capitalism, anti-corporation, and basically anti-Bezos It felt like you were a cog in the wheel of The Company and you were basically fed lies about what the company did and its ethics.
I also felt like there was a component of this that was thinking about the employee’s role in the situation. We were given the powre to whistleblow and/or to sell out to the company which I feel like fits into some of the complicity we see today.
Thoughts on your experience relevant to the objectives in the rubric , specifically:
How well did the game get you to care about the given topic or cause?
I was already on the same page as this topic but I think that the game did a good job of making references to the real world that made it feel meaningful. I liked the reference to the amazon story where they tried to make people drive during a tornado.
How well did the game’s use of the medium fit the story?
I really liked all the puzzles in the game! I felt like I wasn’t just clicking through the text and actually using my brain. I almost feel like it worked too well at certain points as I felt like I forgot I was in a story during some of the puzzles.
Did it have choices that were interesting and consequential to you? (Did any make you really stop and think?)
I feel like the last choice in the story is really impactful and was really well set up to be a strong ethical dilemma.
At least 1 thing you appreciated or thought was awesome
Loved the puzzles and the topic like I mentioned before!
At least 1 thing you think they could improve on, if they were to turn it into their P4 project
I think that the biggest place for improvement would be making the Company seem bigger or more impactful in the players own life. We know it is as we play the game but the impact isn’t super meaningful just yet. I also feel like an emotional connection to other characters would make the final choice more impactful as well.
