Unmanned

Unmanned is a game centered around the life of a UAV pilot and the decisions/struggles that arise in his life. After watching Jose play it in class, it was clear this game was unique. But after trying it myself, I could truly appreciate it. Since I had the luxury of seeing it played in class and discussing it already, it was not as difficult at first, and after the second time playing, I was able to achieve most of the medals. Analyzing this game with our reading of Roger Caillois' article, their seems to be a lot of overlap. For one, the purpose of the game seems to be centered around achieving all of the medals in the game (agon). In order to achieve these medals you have to perform each scene in the proper way. This is where alea and mimicry arise. When making the decisions on what to say, or to think, especially in the part where you attempt to choose the correct lyrics to the song, there is a great deal of chance involved. The same goes for when you talk to the woman UAV pilot and try to "win her over." In order to achieve the medals, the player pretty much has to guess the right answers. Mimicry takes a role in this as well, because in order to have a higher chance of guessing right, the player must mimic a certain person or mindset. For example, when the main character is with his child, I took on the role as a concerned parent and chose the decisions as if I were a father. Therefore, the ultimate goal in this game seems to revolve around the competitive nature of the player (agon) but the means to achieve this is through chance (alea). Mimicry plays the role of altering the alea and thus the game itself.