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Emma Morrissey's This is the Police (PC)
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| [March 31, 2018 11:27:36 PM]
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As I've been playing this game, I've started to wonder the 'correct' way to play it. There is a heavy emphasis placed on characterization of the main character--a sixty year old, soon to be retired police chief named Jack. Jack frequently has monologues and soliloquies reflecting on his mental state, how he feels about work, his home life, and his friends. All of these tie into gameplay. I'm trying to play the game strategically, all while taking Jack's life into consideration and acting accordingly. So he's a hardened police chief. Maybe I shouldn't let off coworkers so easily when they ask to call off sick. How should I feel about the mafia asking me for favors? Well, Jack's best friend asked for a cover before fleeing town. As Jack, I should be interested in maintaining the word I gave to my friend, as well as keeping my own family safe.
Understanding Jack thoroughly has added another level of dimensionality to the game. In the opening sequence, he offers thoughts on his own moral lens. He has wild impulses, but keeps them restrained, for the most part. Mediating play between my own moral code, and Jack's has been an interesting one. Sometimes, I will make strategic moves such as purchasing names of workers who plan to testify against me, which I personally would not do, but Jack might. Other times, I decide to let workers off for a day because of a weak excuse, which Jack would not allow. Playing this way has made for an interesting experience that has lead me to consider my own thoughts on morals, and how others see the world around them.
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| [March 30, 2018 10:56:42 PM]
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I've started to get into the nitty gritty of gameplay, and things have gotten much more strategic. I have to weigh my options between sending in an officer who is too tired to do a job or send backup for him and risk not having the resources for another call, and when to just let a call go. Not to mention, the mafia who the main character is also working for, requests that I leave, or throw calls. This has been especially difficult for me because when I do throw calls, the mayor's office cuts funding to the police office and I am forced to fire an officer.
The gist of the game is--how much do I want to care about retaining my job, my relationship to the mafia, or to my coworkers? I spent several in-game days attempting to reach a happier balance with not a lot of success. When cops ask for a day off, I usually give it to them. Despite that, I have fired cops that are threatening to testify against me for something or another. I also try to act efficiently when it comes to calls, but the mafia is frightening enough that I will not respond to a call or send a less qualified officer to respond. There's a careful balance that the game demands that I feel reflects life well. There is always a lot happening that is contradictory. I can only respond as best I can, sometimes aiming for the least negative outcome, instead of some sort of win.
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| [March 29, 2018 06:29:12 PM]
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* note: I know this assignment is late, so I will start it today (3/29) and add two more logs, ending on (3/31).
I have a lot to say about this game, because it is already pretty convoluted only 45 minutes in. I'll focus on one thread that interested me: distancing oneself.
The game begins by introducing the main character who is a police chief set to retire in 180 days. He narrates a bit about his morals while entering a strip club (ironic) that he frequents. He mentions how he has some decency and doesn't just hire a prostitute like the younger officers, and only spares passing glances at the girls. This is similar to gameplay. Nearly none of the strategic gameplay involves much decision making or attention to crimes. I merely dispatch officers I think will do well and await their report, like how the main character only gets a glance of the girls. I am given a brief report, and must act just off of that information alone
This mechanic was intentionally implemented to make work as a police chief feel rote and repetitive/boring. Story happens outside of work - dispatching officers is just something to be done in the meantime. The crime reports are often shocking as well; "a man at the park taking pictures of children", "strippers caught in a barfight", all of which are handled with just a few clicks of my mouse--not to mention, with a soundtrack of upbeat swing music in the background. I think the purpose of this is to allow players to realize that to some police officers, this is routine work which may lose significance over time. Breaking up strippers fighting at a bar is just another day on the job.
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Emma Morrissey's This is the Police (PC)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Thursday 29 March, 2018
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