Wednesday 26 September, 2018

This last session of the game that I played was the most shocking and most revealing out of the previous times I had played the game. I was able to fully complete one run through of the game. The thing that caused this time around to be revealing, was the fact that once I had fully played through the end of the game, there was a list of 5 points in the game that I had made decisions on what do to. It showed that I decided to be non-violent in the protests, I chose to protect my family over anyone else, and it showed that I was loyal to those I was close to and never gave up any information while in the interrogation. Going into this game I had decided to make choices based on what I believed in. It is so shocking to me that through playing a game for 2 hours, it was able to analyze the choices I made and come up with an evaluation of what sort of morals I hold. Most of the points that the game presented at the end were accurate to who I am as a person. I do not like to be violent if I have a choice. I protect my family, whether that be chosen family or family by blood, and I would do anything to make sure that they are safe. As for the last point, I have never told a secret that someone has asked me not to tell anyone about. I have had these morals in my life since elementary school and they have been developed over a long period of time, but the game was able to figure them out through 2 hours of gameplay. I think this is a game that everyone should play at one point or another due to how the game evaluates your inner morals, and it can provide some insight into what you really believe. This game overall had so much history embedded into it, and it provided side by side comparison photos from the game to photos of the actual protests that took place in Iran. Everything about the game was based on a true story and that is why I think it made it so much more real for me. Someone lived through this reality. I got to see the world through their eyes for a few hours while I sat in my bed in my pajamas. That is what really made me so invested in this game. I highly suggest that everyone plays this game.

Great job Alex! You bring up some good points! How would the game feel different if it gave you more time to make decisions? What kinds of things did it do to make you feel a connection to your “brother”? How different would the gameplay feel if it wasn’t based on real events? You talk a lot about how immersed this game made you, do you think the level of immersion was why the game was able to learn so much about you?