Embody

"Embody"

By Madison Ellis

A group of amorphic alien anthropologists have studied humanity for millennia, but their observational research methods are no longer viable. In order to progress with their studies, the aliens need to create a flesh avatar capable of blending in perfectly with other humans. Here's the catch, though; if the avatar isn't just as neutral, unnoticed, and unjudged as the anthropologists, then it will be destroyed.

"Embody" is an exploration of physical identity; it relies on social and emotional constructs around body image to create the 'perfect' body for human interaction. As the game progresses, though, the player realizes that it is impossible to create this body. Every line, every curve, every ditch and divot in the human body comes with relational baggage. We are a judgement people, and our bodies hold an incredible amount of power over who the world sees us as.

The onset of new media has encouraged scholars to study the role of selective portrayal in personal identity. When discussing the duplicity of online and physical identity portrayals, Danah Boyd states: 

    "Unlike face-to-face settings in which people took their bodies for granted, people who went online     had to consciously create their digital presence. Media studies scholar Jenny Sundén describes this     process as people typing themselves into being. Although Turkle recognized that a person’s                 identity was always tethered to his or her psyche, she left room for arguments that suggested that         the internet could—and would—free people of the burdens of their “material”—or physically             embodied—identities, enabling them to become a better version of themselves." (Boyd, 37)

Today's digital age has encouraged people to cultivate their internal identities with a precision and intentionality unseen in the physical world, but what does that mean? Boyd describes an emancipation from physical bodies enabled by the text-based interfacing of social media sites. This emancipation, however, is an illusion. Humanity has not transitioned to purely digital interactions, which means that our uncontrollable physical forms hold as much power as our demonstrated internet identities. External appeal and internal construction still carry the same weight.

Just like digital representations of status updates, likes, reblogs, and visible friendships, physical bodies act as visual representations of assumed inner traits. Soft, feminine curves may indicate a caring or matronly nature, while tall, masculine thickness could typify assertiveness and success. People cannot control their bodies with the same ease that they control their online presence, however. They can alter it with expensive surgeries, crash diets, and mods, but ultimately someone's body will be theirs for their entire life. Structure, metabolism, aesthetics... those are pre-programmed into human DNA. Although we have the power to re-code our online selves, we haven't yet hacked our own physical makeup.

In addition to exploring the assumptions connected to various body types, "Embody" attempts to show how impossible it is to construct a 'perfect' body. No matter what form the player ends up creating, the alien Consul destroys it because it doesn't fit humanity's ambiguous, ever-changing ideal human form.

Human identity relies on a complicated mix of internal existences and external cues. While we have specific control over how we present our mental selves via social media or human interactions, we cannot change the identities inherent to our bodies. No matter how we may try, our bodies are the one area where we lack complete control. 

Treatment

Executive Summary:

Control your conscience in this 3d, hyper-realistic space room as you use psychological selection and manipulation to create a viable flesh avatar.

Overview

High Concept:

Imagine you are a floating speck of sentience. You’ve studied humanity for years, but now you want to walk among them. First, however, you need to build yourself a vehicle—a flesh avatar, if you will—that perfectly mimics the human form. Here’s the catch—since you have no physical self, you have to use your individual psychological prowess to manipulate the construction of your avatar, and your superiors will destroy any body they deem ‘unfit’ for use.

Genre:

3d, single-level, thought-provoking soft horror vibe. The world is cold, mechanical, and incredibly detailed to allow for a thorough immersion in gameplay.

Hooks:

· It’s pretty
· It’s creepy
· It’s interesting
· It explores physical ideals and their relation to social/personal judgment in the human world.

Gameplay Highlights:

· 3d hyperrealism for complete psychological immersion
· The initial levels is guided vaguely, but the player has more control of the game as the player builds their skill.
· Player can access surveillance files that log how their current avatar is doing on the physical plane, allowing the player to analyze the judgments made of the body type and the avatar’s interaction with normal humanity.
· Audio design subtly supports feeling of quiet unease.

Technology Highlights:

· “Embody” will be an online game

Art and Audio Highlights:

· The artwork will be done by a community of young, budding digital artists
· The soundtrack will come from online sources, with sound effects created specifically for the game.

Production Details

Current Status:

· Ideology still under development

Development Team:

· Video Game Director, Programmer, Animator, Illustrator

Schedule:

· Finish a beta version within a 4-month college semester.

Game World

Backstory:

· A small society of ambiguously aged balls of sentience has been studying humankind for ages. After their anthropological research hit a wall, they decided they could never fully understand humanity unless they physically (mentally, and emotionally) interacted with them. The game’s player is one of these balls of sentience.

Objective:

· The player, as a ball of sentience, must experiment creating different types of bodies to finally hone in on the aesthetic required in order to be an accepted human being.

Story Progression:

· The player begins as a floating ball of sentience. Through narration by another floating ball, we learn that the player has been selected to build flesh avatars for the floating balls to inhabit while they study humankind. The player must navigate body creation controls by selecting answers to personality questions. Once the player creates their avatar, the Consul of their superiors has the opportunity to accept or reject the design. Designs that don’t fit into a perfect, a-judgmental frame will be rejected. Due to the impossibility of judgment based off of physical attributes, the player will never be able to create the perfect avatar.