As an avid gamer and writer, I thought it would be a perfect time to address the big issues subtly poked at by the game Split Fiction. Created by Hazelight Studios, Split Fiction seems like a cool story, but it’s obvious to any hobby writer to full time author that it’s taking a jab at the AI drama. Let’s get into it.
This highly immersive multiplayer game is cinematically beautiful with colorful characters and a heartwarming story about two strangers meeting for the first time in the lobby of a big traditional publisher. They think they’re about to score the publishing deal of a lifetime for their indie writer work, but soon learn that they’re simply lab rats for a machine that steals ideas from humans, mixes them around, and churns out million-dollar book deals.
All in all, it’s a big allegory for the AI think tank.
As you barrel your way through high-speed chases, ride dragons, and outrun solar flares and trolls, you realize that this machine isn’t just sucking up the good ideas, but also taking any ideas. And not every idea is a good idea. Sounding familiar?
I had a lot of fun with this game with my husband. It’s split mostly between science fiction and fantasy genre tropes. Honestly, we should’ve turned it into a drinking game with everything we were able to pick out, plus all the bonus retro game references. This game was made with gamers in mind.
The characters grow on you too. Mio, the cynical science fiction gal, and Zoe, the optimistic fantasy chick, are forced to work together to escape the machine they’ve been placed into under the guise of living out their stories in a new way that readers can actually experience. It’s kind of like putting on a virtual reality headset to play out a book with you as the main character. Mio, having discovered the nefarious plans behind the machine, convinces Zoe to help her find glitches to wake themselves up and ultimately destroy the machine before it can steal all their creativity for its own use. They just have to thwart its human creator first.
I won’t spoil the game for those who haven’t played it, but it was the craziest ride I’ve ever been on inside a video game. The things this developer got my TV screen to do was insane and took a whole lot of talent.
In case you want to brush up on why AI might be getting a little out of hand, check out my previous post here. In layman’s terms, AI is making it easier than ever to write a story, any story. You don’t even have to put in the work anymore. Simply insert an idea and let AI create it for you. That’s what’s going on in this game. AI is removing the heart and soul (Mio and Zoe) from their books, from their writing. But they’re fighting back.
Maybe we should too.
Author Lauren Eason 