Where There's a Will

Whilst I have yet to play Bioshock, I am well aware of the thinking that went into it - Not that I could escape it anyway. Much has been made of how the makers were inspired by the writings of Ayn Rand and it’s implementation of the concept of free will into the game mechanics. I like the idea of the gamer having their perceptions challenged through their actions and the game progression – and it would seem that game makers are following suite.
I’m also interested in games that pull the rug out from under the player: leading them for on so long before the gradual introduction of an idea that challenges the gamer’s actions and makes them consider what they are doing before they realise it (ie Shadow of the Colossus).

These two ideals seem to have given many game developers pause for thought in how convey the story they want to tell and the response they want to get out of the gamer. So, to shamelessly capitalise on these trends I present my own spin on these ideas: Using the ingredients of ‘free will’ and the ‘bond of trust’, I present my own synopsis for a game plot in the (seemingly vain) hope that someone important is reading this.

The game begins with a character who, for the purposes of this synopsis, is named Barry. Barry is released from something – cryogenic suspension would be the most workable source – to find himself on a medical table. Barry’s memories are jumbled and unclear but the thing he remembers the most is a glorious Hawaiian beach. However, the facility is under attack from some unknown enemy so Barry takes up arms to defend himself and to find some answers to his existence.
So far this sounds like it’s all been done before but this is but the first step towards a massive twist: As the game progresses Barry is driven only by the memory of the Hawaiian beach – the only thing he recalls and the only thing that seems closest to peace of mind. But as he progresses, Barry picks up clues to his past, suggesting he was a former secret agent and a murderer of many.
BUT! The big twist is at the end: At the end of his journey, Barry realises his journey has been a sham: he was indeed the product of scientific experiment and he was indeed released from cryogenic suspension but it wasn’t by the scientists who operated the facility: It was the antagonists he been fighting all through the game. It turns out they were some liberational force (or something) who opposed humans being operated on in such a manner. And the memory of the beach was fabricated: The one thing he been driven by doesn’t really exist at all and was merely implemented into his mind by the scientists as a test for brain research. Beyond that, his entire memory has been wiped clean.
And thus the game ends with Barry liberated from experimentation and fabricated memories. But then he makes a choice: He rejects it. Instead, Barry makes to conscious decision to return to cryogenic suspension, favouring to remain with his dream for all eternity.

A compelling scenario and one which has the potential to work. It deconstructs the notion of free will in game and provides some spins on some gaming formulas.
If anyone would like to take up such a challenge, contact me. We’ll talk.