Production 5: Game Sketch
Although infrequently, my website is sometimes viewed by strangers on the internet, so I am reluctant to share any specific information about my visual novel project. However, through the power of inferencing and “being intentionally vague”, to touch on how Gee’s principles can be applied to my project, I chose to hone in on a few key principles.
I find that Gee’s identity principle is the most applicable. In essence, it involves taking on and playing with identities, allowing the player to reflect on the relationship between their real-world identity and their virtual one. In my game, the player takes on the role of someone who is already inexorably tied to AI, situating them in the predicament already. I think that if I presented an alternative, where the player has to choose whether or not to let the AI into their life, people who are polarized against AI will not engage with the story in any deep way, as they will take the first road out of there, ending the story too early. The best course of action, in my opinion, to foster a deeper understanding of the identity principle, is to make it more of a dilemma.
The identity-shaping actions that the players take, such as choosing to prioritize their values and pulling away from the AI present in their life, will be entirely based on how the player feels about AI in the first place. The emotional weight of their situation makes the ethical dilemma more personal than abstract.
Whether they lean into the uncomfortable or not, the aim of the game is then to open up unique, story-altering dialogue options and endings. I think that the player’s commitment to this virtual role drives their engagement with the game, especially their understanding of AI ethics, risks, and development.
Gee speaks about probing in his work, where learning is a cycle of probing the world (“doing something”) and reflecting on the actions to form a hypothesis. I think this principle is part of my video game, as well as the proposal, because the player must make a decision regarding the AI and how much of their life they will allow the AI to take up.
Stay tuned for more game details!