The story takes place in a world that has been all but destroyed by an evil supercomputer called AM. The context for the story is the same as the original short story so readers of the book will feel right at home. I think this was a great decision because it allowed the strengths of a video game format to be played up by emphasizing immersion, choices, and involving the player as an outside force. The game’s story does differ from the short story but it’s in this new experience that we’re able to explore the world and its characters more deeply. Harlan Ellison wanted to shift the focus and sharpen it more on the characters, their flaws, and really push the limits at the time for gauging morality and having the decision to make pure and evil choices. Video games may not have been the author’s preferred medium but Ellison helped propel the industry further in terms of being considered an art form by those outside the industry while also injecting some more mature themes into gaming for players to experience and process. The story itself isn’t that long, only consisting of about 6,000 words but one of the goals of author Harlan Ellison when development began was to delve deeper into the characters, their struggles, and to design a deeper experience than other video games being released. The narrative of this story is an interesting one but what’s really captured the imagination of readers everywhere is how thought provoking this tale is and the struggles of its characters. The award-winning short story has no doubt helped inspire many other authors as well as infiltrating the nightmares of many but more importantly, it remains a thought provoking and essential piece of literature almost fifty years since it was originally published. It’d be impossible to truly appreciate and discuss this landmark horror title without first talking about the short story of the same name that it’s based off.
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