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JChambers's This is the Police (PC)
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| [February 16, 2018 11:03:02 PM]
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I logged on today planning to anger the game's resisdent mob boss by playing the game using a minimum of criminal tactics. I was surprised to find that this wouldn't be an option. I was immediately shot dead by an assassin's bullet while reading the paper. At first, I was a bit upset by this turn of events. After all, how am I supposed to play the game my way, if I am punished for my good acts. That is when I came to a realization: Maybe the game developer wanted me to experience a different take on the material.
I feel as if the dev wanted to tell a specific story. I use the "Fire All Black Cops" scenario as an example. Personally, I found this scenario to be a bit heavyhanded, but I think that is the kind of commentary that the Weappy is going for. The idea that players should experience the lifestyle of a dirty cop is not something that I am completely against. I think whether This is the Police (TITP) is consdered comentary, fiction, or any combination of the two, it can be enjoyed. It was actually a little shocking when I died violently during what is basically a management sim. I restarted the game and decided to fully embrace the role as a dirty cop, seeing where the twists and turns to would take me.
I have to say, it really is fun to watch the story unfold, having to deal with the eventual repurcussions of skirting the law that Jack is supposed to uphold.I liked taking a path that I would normally avoid, and trying to deal with issues that I normally would not be presented with in more straight-laced playthroughs. I do, however, think that an argument could be made that the setting and backdrops of racial strife could be seen as exploitative. In the end, I feel that the game dev is actually using exagerated versions of real issues to make a statement, and ask the player to experience something a bit more uncomfortable than standard good/bad guy situations.
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| [February 15, 2018 11:52:54 PM]
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As I played through This is the Police, I noticed that I was willing to allow main character (Jack) to be bribed into allowing the commission of less serious, victimless crimes. I do not feel that this is a big deal. In fact, I think the setting and the backstory are a bit more interesting when you allow the main character to be a bit on the corrupt side. It seems like the corruption lends itself to the whole "Mike Hammer" vibe that the game appears to be trying to pull off. Also, I learned a bit more about the main character's past.
Potentially abusive past actions committed by Jack are suggested through a series of rather leading Rorschach Test's. If true, this information greatly changes the context of a previous plot point from yesterday's play through: Your wife may have left due to your character's potential for physical abuse. Again, I do not think that this is a major issue morally, as this game feels more like an interactive detective tale. I plan on reserving judgement for the full reveal that must happen at some point later in the game. That said, This is the Police gives you a number of unsavory options to choose from while attempting to forward the story. From bribery, to questionable orders given during police interactions with civilians, the game is rife with unacceptable behavior, and I for one can not wait to see which moral dilemmas are presented tomorrow.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 15th, 2018 at 23:54:58.
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| [February 14, 2018 11:51:23 PM]
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I am an academic criminal. I realized today that I did not start a game log that is due tomorrow. I rushed home after class and purchased "This is the Police" with every intention of knocking out thirty minutes of gameplay, and then quickly hand jamming an entry. I easily spent four times the requirement playing the game.
This is the Police is an interesting mix of gameplay and story elements. It immediately presents as a Mickey Spilane detective novel, complete with Mike Hammer-like narration. The simplified, faceless presentation, along with the vaguely 70's/80's era setting go a long way towards pulling me in. Finding little bits here and there such as a rotary phone, or the police uniforms are nice touches. The mix of story and management sim is the real draw for me, however. So much so that it was easy to miss a good bit of the murky ethical choices. That is until the game hit me over the head with a choice that I found a bit too on the nose: Fire all black cops or City Hall will make you pay. I did not find this to be that tough of a decision, and I would have appreciated a bit more moral grey area. As it stands, the decisions I have found most difficult have involved team make-up and the hiring process. I actually found myself questioning which individuals to hire based on the possibility of needing to balance teams for possible future social scenarios. In the end I ended up using the characters with the highest ratings alone. I say this as someone with previous experience hiring individuals. As an member of boards that helped hire individuals for specific teams, I initially did not have pictures of the potential team members. This was done to help avoid any type of bias prior to face to face interviews. The game actually did make me question hiring practices, and that is something I had never seriously considered before. I am looking forward to seeing what else this game makes me question.
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JChambers's This is the Police (PC)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Wednesday 14 February, 2018
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