Philosophy

Chaser

Follow With Jägerbomb

Type:
Free Download
Developer:
Connor Carpenter

Chaser invites you to follow it at first, you're thinking its another lo-fi arcade game where the emphasis on extremely iconic entities makes the simplicity of the controls stand-out and gives you something to meditate on as you fail over and over. It is that. It is more. But it won't tell you just yet, you've got to chase it.


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Free Will: The Game

Metagame or Philosophical Argument

Type:
Flash
Developer:
Raitendo
Suggested By:
TheDustin

Like Upgrade Complete and Achievement Unlocked, Free Will is metacommentary on games in the form of a game. In this case, the design trope it is addressing is one of the oldest mechanics of the videogame: the ability to replay or continue, the fundamental consequencelessness of "death."

In form, Free Will is a GameBoy-like Flash title, with the sort of black-and-white sepiatone graphics you would expect to see on a primitive handheld device, and the moment-to-moment gameplay is a spot-on re-creation of the platformers of yore. It is, however, only one level in length (despite the existence of stage-and-world numbers at screen bottom, which imply a lengthy Mario-like saga).

The surprise, and indeed the point of this short game, comes when you die and replay. Spoiler and discussion below the fold; you might want to play it yourself first, which won't take long.


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The Chinese Room

Be a Turing Machine!

Type:
Interactive Fiction
Developer:
Joey Jones and Harry Giles

The Chinese Room is a little like Norman Juster's Phantom Tollbooth in interactive form. Taking place entirely in the realm of philosophical thought experiment, The Chinese Room tackles questions about the nature of perception, the foundations of ethical systems, and the theoretical basis of calculus. If you've ever wanted to meet Aristotle or Karl Marx in text adventure form, this is your opportunity.


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