Writer's note: This article will be talking about a game that has themes of suicide and self-harm. These topics may be triggering for some. Please be advised before reading.
There’s a lot of discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI) nowadays. A lot of it centers on its potential for profit, copyright issues, concerns regarding the future of art and music, and a lot of other things. AI has come so far from its beginnings in science fiction, now slowly being manifested into reality.
When DALL-E mini, a prototype of an AI used to make art, came out a year or so ago, I played around with it a bit, finding interest in how the AI perceives certain prompts. It gave out some rather interesting art pieces, if a bit unrefined. I had my fun and called it a day. Months later, AI art has become leaps and bounds more sophisticated. It has a sleek style and a canny ability to copy art styles with enough data fed into it. It is rather concerning at times, not because of any science fiction worries that may have been put forth in the past, but rather the… ethical ramifications of it all. People fed their AIs thousands of pieces art without the artists’ permission, all so that it may learn how to draw. Other people then use these AIs to make new art pieces, all based on the amalgamation of other artists’ stolen work. Shouldn’t these artists then be able to sue the AI owners for copyright? And that’s not even getting into how people would rather use AI for art than commission actual artists.
I’m not really going to go too deep into AI itself. I just find it interesting how, between all the worry of AI becoming sentient, of thinking about AI rights, speculating about AI ethics, it seems that we did not expect the debate to arrive at this strange juncture, arguing about AI legislation and copyright.
Let us go back a few years ago, then, to when AI art didn’t quite exist yet as it is right now, to a game released in 2019 about robots who did not wish to be born…
What’s it about? Divination (2019) is about a city with an all-powerful AI search engine. You can ask her anything and she will give you very correct results.
She killed herself three years ago.
With her death, she sent the message that life was not worth living. This started a suicide wave which continues to claim countless of lives, both living and robotic.
You are a Diviner. A mysterious robot diviner that patrons can ask questions to, and with your runes, you answer them with 100% accuracy.
Your job now is to read the city’s fate, one person at a time.
STYLE (Gameplay, Graphics, Music)
Gameplay is simple: you are given some runes by your client from your rune bowl. Then you have to slot them into your divining table in the configuration of your choice to predict the answer to your clients’ questions. Different configurations give different results, so the challenge is to arrange the runes in the way that feels right for you.
There isn’t really much nuance to the gameplay, which seems intentional as it is mostly a vehicle to carry the story. I think it really makes you feel like a diviner, the way you have to read the runes. What futures may you read in such a dystopia?
I find the art style pretty good. It sells the cyberpunk vibe while being slick. The UI could use a bit of work, but it’s serviceable enough. And the music has that tenseness that makes you feel that the story is important. Sci-fi feeling and makes you think that there’s more to the game to investigate.
Overall, I like the game’s style. It’s focused, and presents itself well. I wish the gameplay was more complex though.
SUBSTANCE (Story, Characters, Impact)
Before I proceed, please be mindful of the trigger warnings I put up at the start of this article. The game has overarching themes of suicide and self-harm.
I was thrown off guard by the themes of the game to be honest. I didn’t expect it’d be about the suicide of the smartest AI in the world triggering a years-long wave of copycat suicides. If the all-powerful AI who knows all thinks that life is not worth living, why should we continue living as well? It’s a scary premise, and this game follows the thread through its many branches.
I found it interesting that even robots want to self-terminate in this game, to the point that their manufacturers installed anti-suicide software in them to prevent this. It puts forth the sentiment of people being brought into the world without their permission, except this time it’s robots. What then is the difference between a robot and a human?
It is rather interesting and edgy, the concept. It is nonetheless too short, and what they show is rather grim. Which is par for the course for cyberpunk, but I am a person who rather likes hopeful media, and the propositions this game puts forth feels rather too cynical for me.
I very much like the concept of a robot diviner though. With massive computational power, one gains the ability to see all possibilities. Is that not awe-inducing in itself? Will sufficiently advanced technology be at one point be indistinguishable from the divine?
There’s more to the story that I’m not explaining here, but after experiencing all of the story I am left wondering about the premise the game put forth. The central question of the game I think is thus: Is life worth living? I’m an optimist at heart, which was why it was a bit difficult for me to go through this game, but I am nonetheless fascinated by it. The game crafts a world so grim that it makes you want to answer No to the said question, what with the corruption of the government and the ennui even robots feel.
What interests me the most though is how dated this all feels. The discussion on AI feels so different now. We aren’t focusing on their rights anymore, but rather, what they are used for, and how they are actually taking away from the work of actual artists and writers. It’s a rather interesting contrast, and I personally hope there will be more legislation with AI and the internet at large, as it feels like a big Wild West situation even if the internet is decades old at this point.
Overall, I liked my experience with the story, though I am left wanting more due to its short length.
VERDICT
For the length and the price, Divination is an interesting 1-hour experience. It will make you think about AI for a bit. I myself found my time with it enjoyable, though I wish gameplay were more complex and that they played around with the concept more. It’s interesting to me, but I think this game isn’t gonna be for everyone. If you wanna see cool art and be edgy for a bit, I’d get this game.
Door Rates Divination: 3.5/5!