I’ve always thought that videogames suffer from a lack of diverse experiences that one can have. When the general public thinks of videogames they think of Elves and Dwarves or space marines fighting nasty aliens. Personally, while these can be fun, I yearn for different experiences, to take on roles that are unfamiliar to me and to thrust me into morally ambiguous situations.
I read a BBC news item this morning that I think could make for a great game. A man has been sentenced for stealing body parts from dead corpses and then selling them to doctors to use in their patients. I thought about this a little bit, haven’t written a proper design doc, but already I think there’s potential in the gameplay and the character you play.
Gameplay – You take the role of this person who steals organs, you have to search for recently deceased, then assume various disguises that let you get close to the body, perhaps becoming the person who performs the funeral services. Then you have tools to use to extract the organs needed. Finally, you negotiate with the buyers and arrange for discrete drops and transfer of money.
Character – Why would someone do this? Why steal organs from the dead and those in mourning? There must be a higher purpose other than money or thrill. The player character wants to save lives and feels that perfectly good organs inside a corpse are a waste. Perhaps he wanted to be a doctor himself, but something tragic happened that cost him the chance to become one. The point is to create a morally ambiguous situation that the player must explore and wrestle with throughout playing the game. Is it OK for sick people to die if organs can be found in corpses? How far does one go to respect the dead?
What do you think, would anyone play this?
© 2008, Reid Bryant Kimball. All rights reserved.