[SPOILER] Ending, Simon and bias

[Touchdown]

I've been thinking about the ending of SOMA and it's really wonderful that a game can make you ponder so many things even when you're not playing it. Frictional Games have done a great job with this one. Here are some brief thoughts and interpretations of it after my initial playthrough.


>>Different versions of Simon

In SOMA there are ultimately four versions of Simon:

Simon-1 (Toronto) --> Simon-2 (First Suit) --> Simon-3 (Second Suit) --> Simon-4 (ARK)

Who experiences continuity and when?

Simon-1 = never
Simon-2 = remembers a 'jump' from v1-v2
Simon-3 = remembers 'jumps' from v1-v2 and from v2-v3
Simon-4 = remembers all of the 'jumps', v1-v2, v2-v3, v3-v4

Which jumps do you, as the player, remember? V1-v2 and v2-v3. Therefore, YOU ARE SIMON-3. Your 'real' existence begins when you are loaded into the second suit but you still have a recollection of previous events and thus you experience continuity. So: everything up until the second jump are just your memories. We play through those events because they're a part of Simon-3's subjective experience that he remembers (even though he, in this version, hasn't actually experienced them first-hand).

The only time the game 'switches' between different versions of Simon is in the Post-Credits sequence.


>>Cognitive bias

That also provides a reason as to why Simon is led to believe that he will 'carry over' to the Ark. Because he 'remembers' being 'carried over' twice already. He's convinced that he'll 'jump' to the Ark because in HIS subjective experience, HE carries over, not 'the other Simon'.

And why is it that he somehow misses the facts provided by Catherine? Because of his cognitive bias. In Simon-3's subjective experience (or recollection of it) he's the one who 'carries over' everytime and this deeply rooted emotional conviction overwrites the factual evidence. This kind of behaviour is actually common in real life. Perhaps Simon is just too realistic, too human for a video game and that's why some question his behaviour.

I mean, he remembers 'jumping' from one suit to the other, just an hour ago - surely HE carries over, right? He's been experiencing continuity all this time so why would it be any different now?

That's why he never actually grasps that he'll be left behind until it's too late.


>>Player versus protagonist

This also brings out the problem with the player-protagonist sync, unfortunately. Some say "well, he knew this would happen so why is he angry?" The problem is that players are comfortably sitting in front of their monitors, having all the time in the world to process and analyze the critical information. Simon is terrified, going through a tremendous amount of stress, torn apart by thoughts of his identity, plus there's a bias shrouding his judgement. Players, even those heavily immersed, do not go through the same kind of experience so some might not be able to identify with Simons emotional state.

I personally love the ending, though I maybe wish the Post-Credits scene never happened.

[RMJ]

Simon 2 we call Diversuit Simon. Simon 3 we call Hardsuit

I believe its important that the after credit scene was there. Because it puts things into perspective.

And i was really looking forward to exploring just a bit and getting to talk to the people whom we saved.

And man i feeling sad about Simon 2 and even more Simon 3 left alone at the buttom of the ocean all angry, abandoned and confused.

[kojack]

In Simon-3's subjective experience (or recollection of it) he's the one who 'carries over' everytime and this deeply rooted emotional conviction overwrites the factual evidence.

Great point. I was kind of annoyed with how Simon 3 still didn't get it at the end, but now it makes complete sense consdering his point of view.

[Kein]

Which jumps do you, as the player, remember? V1-v2 and v2-v3. Therefore, YOU ARE SIMON-3. Your 'real' existence begins when you are loaded into the second suit but you still have a recollection of previous events and thus you experience continuity. So: everything up until the second jump are just your memories. We play through those events because they're a part of Simon-3's subjective experience that he remembers (even though he, in this version, hasn't actually experienced them first-hand).

Interesting point, however, there are few things you've missed out and I ultimately think you found a "fleshed out mechanic" where it does not exist even if conditions fit almost perfectly.

First, Simon2 and Simon3 are somewhat equal on this field, they both remember being "transfered out": Simon2 from the Simon1 and Simon 3 from the Simon2 (through Simon1 phase). Now, the reaction Simon3 had at the end will be quite similar to the reaction Simon2 will feel when he wake up (provided you did not kill him if that if actually possible), so in a manner of speaking their "consciousness experience" is very close to equal.

That being said, this is jut a remark I felt pointing out. Real reason why mechanics (or, well, hypothesis) aren't solid in my opinion is because there was none to begin with. The swap scenes are all carefully played and placed narrative points: the first transition scene tells us that a brain scan like that can exist outside of human body, it establishes specific idea and setting, The second swap played that way so the player will have NO doubts that the scan copy/cloning DOES transfer consciousness, ie it is a complete copy of you. Aaand the third scan closes the circle by showing you the "other side" - that it is indeed a complete copy of you and your consciousness and you, as a player, experienced it from every POV possible. You're supposed to have thing complete understand because of the narrative process, not because of protagonist character development mechanics and state.

[Touchdown]

You lost me here. Honestly, I don't really see how does that invalidate my point.

The only thing you say is that Simon-2 and Simon-3 would have a similiar outrage/breakdown upon realizing they'll be left behind and that is... absolutely correct. But that does not affect the "You are Simon-3 all along" theory (or at least I don't see how).

Either way, I see some people consider the 'switches' between different versions of Simon as nothing more than a narrative device to present certain thematics. That is a valid point of view. All I'm saying is that nothing stands in the way of interpreting those 'switches' as part of a subjective experience of a single Simon.

I'm not saying this as "haha, I have discovered a hidden plot twist, be amazed!" but rather I'm just sharing this purely as an observation. I don't even consider it a twist or anything. I like to think that you are left behind at the end of the game not just because it's more dramatic but because it makes sense that Simon-3 would not leave Pathos-II. Hope that makes sense.

[Kein]

You lost me here. Honestly, I don't really see how does that invalidate my point.

This:

Either way, I see some people consider the 'switches' between different versions of Simon as nothing more than a narrative device to present certain thematics. That is a valid point of view. All I'm saying is that nothing stands in the way of interpreting those 'switches' as part of a subjective experience of a single Simon.

I'm not saying it is invalid, I just expressed my doubts. Your idea is way too complex and awesome to be true, haha. As much as I respect FG, I believe in this case it was a simple case of narrative design rather then supercomplex lore and experience delivery.

[SineDeus]

Personally, I'm on the side of Touchdown, and i think that the Frictional team definitely discussed those points in more depth than simply a narrative piece, they have so fully fleshed out this game down even the physics of it that i wouldn't think they would approach that subject lightly. I think the point about you being Simon-3 and the beginning just being memory at the base of the continuity is correct. It makes the most sense that you as the player are Simon-3 and that is the one you relate the most towards, making the player believe at least a little in the theory of continuity, giving more validation to the suicides and making the ending less obvious. You definitely are on point about Simon's experience, and the cognitive bias, if he for one second believes that he won't be able to get on the ARK with his same consciousness, he has absolutely no reason to continue on, it's almost a test of faith. Catherine spends the game as kind of the anti-question to the humanity in Simon, IE she is very down to earth because she has been so far removed from her humanity. Since every Simon is simply a copy of the last one's mind and memory, they do not have the same subjective experiences as the previous, they merely know what they did experience. In other words, each Simon does it's own thing and actually experiences that and can recollect doing what it does, but the future ones can only know what happened previously but they can't remember it. Almost like blacking out drunk and your friends tell you what happened but you can't actually remember the experience. I think that's why the jump between consciousness is slightly problematic, because is it truly the consciousness that transfers or is it just a new scan of your mind leaving where it left off? If that's true than that validates the point that Simon-3 would be the one you play, because all things previous is merely a recorded experience hardwired into your data. Also, in the previews for the game on the page, there is a section talking about the machines attempting to remember themselves previously but it only coming back in mixed/altered forms, glitchy and not fully complete. Since you're a robot all memories can be corrupted and you can remember your previous self as different than it actually was, creating more believability that he didn't quite wrap his head around not getting onto the ARK