However, much of that is sifting through the same material: trying to find a decent job, trying to marry, trying not to let your ‘wealth’ and ‘happiness’ scores drop too low… Maybe scrap that part on video games being an escape from real life. The first route took me just under an hour to complete (in 2014 the game was free now you can access it once or buy it for $5 and play through as many times as you want). I first played Alter Ego in 2014 to kill time and kill time it did. For example, decisions you make as a baby (yes, the game quite literally starts you off taking baby steps) influence whether your protagonist is extroverted or introverted, which might ring a bell if you’re familiar with attachment theory.Įach ‘life’ you play takes a while. The game tracks choices made and the paths you choose, presenting you with different outcomes and endings accordingly… Well, every ending involving your death but in different circumstances. If in 1986 you owned a Commodore 64 or one of the box-ish computers on the market then you had the option of living an “ordinary American life” through as many times as you wanted, thanks to Peter J. Enjoyment is often a key factor (despite that friend who’s known to chuck their X-BOX controller into a wall) they also provide a valuable sense of escape from the real world. There are many reasons to play video games.

Text Adventure Game / Multiple Choice Game (ChoiceScript)

Alter ego game peter j favaro endings