Eliza

[도전과제 100%] AI가 슬픔의 '증상'을 완화해줄 수는 있어도, 슬픔의 '의미'를 채워줄 수 있는 건 결국 인간뿐이지 않을까? --------------------------------------------------- AI might be able to alleviate the 'symptoms' of grief, but in the end, isn't it only humans who can fill that grief with 'meaning'?

Keep in mind folks that this was written in 2019!

Fantastic! Absolutely compelling and addicting solitaire mini-game. In the face of the oppressive and unceasing flow of tech optimism, I feel an immense powerlessness. Everyday, we endorse these machines and interface with them and feed them our little me-scraps until they're our perfect little mirrors. But I'm sick of my face! Eliza (the game, not the AI) gets people. It gets what makes people tick, how we rationalize, how we speak and portrays all angles with sobering realism. It may not take a stance or have any satisfying solutions, but it captures the problem. We have all been made ill by alienation. By the disconnect between self and other, self and duty, self and idea of self, self and reality. We are stunningly distant for beings so conformist! Yet, we think only in the means we know: in progress, in new technology, new machines. Has anyone ever asked if it was progress itself that was detaching us from something? That maybe this lifestyle is deeply mentally unsustainable? That's the conversation on display, and it's captivating to follow. I'm staunchly, viscerally, recalcitrantly anti-AI. I'm anti-LLM, of course, but it is the project itself, that data can become intelligent, that a machine discerning the deliciousness of strawberries and cream is a tangible enough force to declare it intelligent. I'm currently in a philosophy of mind course, and even near the end of the semester, I am no closer to answering "what is intelligence?" "what is consciousness?" or even "how does our mind function?". Yet, the delusion that we can make machines any of these abstract, self-aggrandizing, intrinsic-to-our-animality concepts through 'sufficient psychological data' (the game presents both an Eastern and Western canon as competing techs) is maddening. Right now, all we have after doubly sucking the planet dry are language mimes with no semantic intent. There is no throughway, which is why this game isn't about that. It's about the ideas, the empty promises, the whirlwind utopianisms that keep this snake oil alive. But it's not about any of that. The game, too, is wisely a mirror of the self, a snake oil that lets it be feel-good and affirmative of your worldview, that gives you the dialogue choices to adhere to any of the four perspectives: continued optimism, escapism, stability or rebellion. I chose rebellion and was dissatisfied. Being a gadfly doesn't solve the problem. Negating what is doesn't imagine new futures. This year, I've engaged in a project of decentering myself, trusting people again, forging connections. Nothing else feels sane. I’m growing tired of building ivory towers on my island, that every talent and task and desire and endeavour I uptake is captured by personal success and accomplishment, for accumulation and productivity. All this art, theory, labour, am I all I can take care of? The solutions, in where I'm at, don't lie in any form of technology. They don't lie in running away, doping ourself into a stupour, sycophancy or raging against the machine. They lie in just ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ talking to each other. Being the best we can for each other. Actively listening and encouraging the projects of everyone we come into contact with. That's what I want, and it's what you want to? Writing these reviews, playing these games? What's it for if not to have something to talk about, something to share? I don't know. I'm just a girl who wants to be seen, wants to see the world I want to see, wants to feel things have meaning, wants to take control. We all want those things, don't we? And isn't it possible we could also ease each other towards these things. I'm a utopian all the same, sure, didactic and annoying, but I don't think technology will ever bring us together so long as it keeps immersing itself in the mirrors it builds for us.

Eliza is a visual novel with an interesting story that goes deep into the use of AI and how the data we share could be used in the future. The game has a really nice artstyle that grabbed me instantly when I was looking for a good visual novel game. The voice acting is also well done, I could feel the emotions really well as they were read, I think the voice acting gave life to the characters, making them feel so real. Especially the main character, Evelyn who we play as, being in the role of a "proxy" to the clients for an AI therapist, it felt really immersive. The story was super engaging even though there wasn't lots of gameplay, it deals with the concept of a world without suffering and how sometimes AI isn't the answer to real problem that people may be facing. At the end of the game, I think most players start questioning themselves and will have to make an opinion or whether something is morally right or wrong. It's a fascinating game that I would recommend. I did enjoy playing the kabufada solitaire minigame too which I spent most of my hours trying to get the achievement.

[h1]Generative[/h1] TL;DR: A poignant visual novel that explores what drives us individually and as a species, and what it is to find meaning in a world of suffering and chaos.[hr][/hr]As the above blurb should have made explicit, this visual novel deals with some heavy concepts. As such, I don’t recommend tearing into it unless you have some emotional space to process the story and themes. Having recently returned from a trip to Seattle, where [i]Eliza[/i] is set, I went into it largely blind, thinking it would be fun to explore the setting virtually too. I’ve been processing some heavy personal stuff, and thought it might be a fun distraction. [b]This is not that kind of experience.[/b] I noped out after less than an hour into my first session because it became clear that I was not in the right headspace for it. Luckily, after doing some real-life work, I was able to return to it, and I deeply appreciate it for what it is. [i]Eliza[/i] is the story of Evelyn, a tech developer just returning to the world after a self-imposed hiatus of almost three years. Her backstory is not made explicit right away, but she is clearly dealing with trauma from her past. She takes a new job as a proxy for Eliza, an AI-based therapy service featuring humans who relay the computer’s words to clients, giving the technology a human touch. Without further spoiling the story, she quickly gets swept up in new opportunities, the chance at building real human connections, and her search to find meaning in the fruits of her former labors. As with all VN’s, this game is all about the narrative, and the writing on display here is excellent; this is a character-driven experience with a cast who all feel relatable, real, and driven by their own motivations and histories. It explores a deeply human story against the backdrop of the increasing encroachment of technology into our everyday lives, and somehow manages not to paint any of the varied personalities as explicit villains. By guiding Evelyn through its tale, [i]Eliza[/i] provides the player a structured environment for beginning to grapple with some very real questions that face each of us as we are expected to interact more with AIs and the for-profit organizations that create them. This game doesn’t revolutionize or defy its genre. It is a visual novel, wonderfully executed with brilliant art, writing, and voice acting. If you categorically don’t enjoy VN’s, you won’t like this game. If you find yourself exploring every path, relationship, and ending, the game (I’m sure) has the classic weakness of breaking apart once you see how it works, losing its impact. There is no wrong way to enjoy a game, but I strongly recommend meandering through Evelyn’s journey of self-discovery, choosing what feels right in the moment, reaching one of its conclusions, and sitting in the space that creates for you emotionally and philosophically.

Maybe the best piece of media ever about tech culture, burnout, AI, enterprise software, and what it looks like to see your own code in the world. The author has clearly been on the inside of a tech company, and if you haven't been, I don't think you can know exactly how on-the-nose this is. Tech is very easy to make fun of, but unlike so many other attempts, this is not a cheap satire -- they came by this one honestly. Still so funny and touching and relevant. I play this on a flight every couple years and every time it makes me laugh and makes me pensive. And then at the end I always have Evelyn become a lesbian DJ. What other sane choice can a person make in this world?

Eliza is not a game for everybody. If you are looking for innovative gameplay, deep progression, challenges to master - this is not the game for that. Eliza is a visual novel, with the tiniest amounts of choice afforded to justify its existence over being a comic or tv show. But as a visual novel, wow, what an absolutely amazing story it tells. I had to check multiple times that it was actually released in 2019 because its themes are astonishingly timely and gut-wrenchingly poignant. What does it mean to be human in a world where algorithms simulate intelligence? What responsibilities does a maker have over a tool they made but now utilized in ways unimagined? Does choice even matter in a world where all options seem to lead to the same outcomes? At what cost does the pursuit of personal happiness stop making sense? Why are we so unable to stop ourselves from manifesting a future that's clearly bad for us? If you've ever asked yourself questions like those, Eliza is well worth your time. The art is great, the performances by the voice actors are on point and afford it the gravitas it deserves, and the writing is so sharp that I had to physically stop myself from playing several times to allow myself time to process it. I believe games are art and Eliza has been one of the most personally affecting narratives I've had the privilege of experiencing. Bravo to all the folks who've worked on it. I'm so glad a game like this had the chance of getting made. With that said - if you're not a burned out middle-aged former bright kid who's spent some time working in a tech company and left with some trauma, there's a fairly good chance you won't find Eliza as deeply moving as I did!

Eliza is very topical but deeply...underwhelming. The atmosphere is great, the characters are endearing if superficial. The game raises a lot of questions it's not equipped to answer or even say anything of note about them, it just raises the questions. It feels like talking to an executive if that makes any sense; big talk about big topics but very little to say about them.