The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Printable Version +- Frictional Games Forum (read-only) (https://www.frictionalgames.com/forum) +-- Forum: SOMA (https://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/forum-55.html) +--- Forum: General Discussion (https://www.frictionalgames.com/forum/forum-56.html) +--- Thread: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread (/thread-30110.html) Pages:
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RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Alardem - 03-12-2014 Eh, I find a lot of sci-fi's attempts to question the definition of life through the use of robots to be rather trite. Mostly because, in reality, even the most advanced artificial intelligence we have so far is pretty dumb. RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Ghieri - 03-12-2014 (03-12-2014, 09:39 AM)Alardem Wrote: Eh, I find a lot of sci-fi's attempts to question the definition of life through the use of robots to be rather trite. Mostly because, in reality, even the most advanced artificial intelligence we have so far is pretty dumb. To be fair, we're advancing AI faster than Evolution developed us. So it's not unfeasible to suggest computers can become sentient, maybe even in our lifetimes. I suspect that the themes are a LOT more complicated than what's been hinted at. RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - VaeVictis - 03-12-2014 (03-12-2014, 08:55 AM)SomethingRidiculous Wrote:(03-12-2014, 08:00 AM)Abraxas Wrote:(03-11-2014, 08:37 AM)SomethingRidiculous Wrote: Existential angst? Man that thing could really mess with people you know. I mean is life REALLY pointless? Sure, a lot of fear and anxiety could come out of it, but don't they realize that the human psyche is a bit weak? Some people could really get wrecked with this theme. It is kind of interesting but I don't think that Existential angst is a good idea. Maybe if they toned it down a bit it could be something nice. I'm really sorry if that offended you. I'll edit it if you'd like. Quote:I suspect that the themes are a LOT more complicated than what's been hinted at. Yup. There's always the chance we're all completely off base. RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - SeanieTheMan - 03-12-2014 I don't want to play this game and end up wanting to kill myself. Maybe they should avoid the existential angst bit. RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Macgyverthehero - 03-12-2014 How the hell would a game make you commit suicide in real life? Jesus, quit overreacting. This is not like suicide mouse for god's sake. RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Kein - 03-13-2014 But videogames kill! Don't you read yellow papers? RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - SeanieTheMan - 03-13-2014 (03-12-2014, 10:47 PM)Macgyverthehero Wrote: How the hell would a game make you commit suicide in real life? Way to overreact to my clearly exaggeration. Anyway, people were saying thinking about existential angst will mess you up. I'd rather not have that happen to me. RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Damascus Rose - 03-13-2014 (03-13-2014, 05:49 PM)SeanieTheMan Wrote:(03-12-2014, 10:47 PM)Macgyverthehero Wrote: How the hell would a game make you commit suicide in real life? Might not want to play it then, as they said that's the effect they're going for. Or maybe if you aren't really paying attention to themes it won't be very present, they said you need to invest in the environment to really understand it. It's up to you RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - GrAVit - 03-14-2014 I'm not sure if this has been featured yet, but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatization Quote:"Somatization is a tendency to experience and communicate psychological distress in the form of somatic symptoms and to seek medical help for them. More commonly expressed, it is the generation of physical symptoms of a psychiatric condition such as anxiety. The term somatization was introduced by Wilhelm Stekel in 1924." RE: The Ultimate SOMA Discussion Thread - Fortigurn - 03-17-2014 This is what I want (thanks for posting the link). Quote:Frictional are aiming for the same amount of horror, but approaching it in a “very different way”, according to Grip. While Amnesia was scary due to basic concepts, such as fear of the dark or the helplessness of being hunted, SOMA is a much deeper type of fear. “The real terror should come from the player being immersed in this strange world that tells them something about their own existence.” Grip told us. “I do not want players to just scream at jump scares or get scared by distant footsteps. I want them to really ponder some issues and leave the game feeling this heavy lump of existential angst in their chest.” More please. (03-10-2014, 11:17 PM)i3670 Wrote: The realization that life is pointless is nothing to fear. From what I can see they're talking not such much about existential angst in the sense of the nihilist acknowledgement of a lack of existential meaning to life, but more about the existential crisis of gradually losing your sense of personal identity to the extent that you begin to doubt your sense of self-existence, and ultimately lose the sensation of existing altogether so that you are unable to differentiate 'self' from 'other'. In this sense you actually cease to exist, whilst being aware of the fact (producing significant cognitive dissonance, which is profoundly mentally and emotionally destabilizing). That seems far more likely given the plot elements we've been shown so far, the struggle to maintain your sense of self-existence, and the question of what happens to you and your identity when you lose it. This video points very strongly towards existential crisis as a key plot element. |