Part 1 A Reign-like prototype failed

For my final major project, I wish to attract players into moral choices without long story and triple-A scenes. So what I can do is modify some scene from reality and raise player’s empathy.

For moral dilemma, a common sense is that both decisions are in the middle area of right and wrong. And the only restraint is that players cannot choose both. First, I refer some rules from Moral Machine made by MIT media lab, which set some non-typical trolley problem situation and collect answers from participants.

They adjust the situation from an unstoppable trolley to a brake-failing driverless car. And two option contains crushing into elder people group and kittens. Participants of Moral Machine can also see the comparison of their choices among average to get a better understanding of their ethical thinking process.

In the beginning I wish to start a prototype like Reign, which the players will perform as a king and to balance 4 kinds of power by either-or questions. The game is easy to get started by sliding left or right like the mobile apps. But to be a good king is rather hard. I really like the idea and the either-or structure is similar. But the problem is designing the 4 key indicators within the game.

I tried introducing a media system into the trolley problem, which will immediately respond to players’ choices by media comments. So the indicators can be representatives from different groups like child-care, animal-care, antiracism, and maybe other groups.

But things start to get tricky. If players try to maintain balance between groups, then the game will not be a moral question, because player will be criticized anyway. All they have to think is which group they can screw around and which cannot. It’s not about choosing between lives but more like avoiding or avenging media. So far, I cannot think of a good mechanism based on Reign and I have to give up this one.

Part 2 A satirical game prototype.

Last time during the lecture I shared something about witnessing the player’s choices. With them knowing that one group have their friends or loved ones, will they stick to their original stand? That might be like a questionnaire game that can help player knowing who they are but I am still not satisfied. Personally, the walking simulator without a good story is not that attractive to me.

But unfortunately, the idea have already been made by a developer, and the game is called Dr. Trolley’s Problem. The idea is to test all variant of classic trolley problem and see the percentage of each choices. It contains almost all classic moral questions and each problem is displayed by a level.

Also there are other trolley problem-related game is under development. One that interest me is the one who had a utilitarian mode. The word, utilitarian reminds me of what people will do facing the trolley problem. They will compare that 5 life outweigh 1. What if we can make it with more detail, will players compare like this?

So the prototype start to form up. As MIT Media lab shows, if more details are presented to participants, they will have inclination like intend to save younger subjects. So what if we boost that inclination and make the rate in public?

That’s basic idea for the FMP in early stage.