YXM
LD
DARK INSIDE
"Debasement is the password of the base, Nobility the epitaph of the noble." — Poet Bei Dao
Dark Inside explores the dynamics between good and evil, our psychological inner conflicts, the fight between our consciousness(Id) and unconsciousness(superego), the philosophical interrelationship of contradiction, and the unity and struggle of opposites.
The two characters, the good and the evil, are tightly entangled, united and opposite, yet interconvertible. One's actions influence another.
In this virtual environment, players have their free will to oscillate between the two sides of humanity and interact with the world. Either dominated by desire or subject to the control of morality are both options. By making their own choice, players face the dilemma of benevolence and darkness. This interactive experience reflects the journey of their inner world.
GAMEPLAY
DISPLAY
INSPIRATION
Hong Kong Protest
In my sophomore year, riots broke out in Hong Kong and a group of protesters dressed in black walked onto our campus to protest. At the same time, our school had announced the suspension of all classes.
One day, as I was walking back to my dorm, a group of black clad suddenly appeared and approached me. I was scared as usual. At that moment, one of the members unexpectedly took off his mask and warned me to be safe. I was shocked because he was a close friend of mine in the area.
In that moment, I was confused by the circumstances of this conflict. I began to rethink their intent to protest. When a person uses violence to fight for their rights and justice, is that person always on the side of darkness? Critical thinking about the dark side and the good side took root in my mind.
Life of Pi
The movie Life of Pi uses tiger as a metaphor to represent the beast nature of Pi and uses the human as a representation of human nature. The fight between Pi and the tiger stands for a conflict between the beat nature (dark side) and human nature (good side).
Freud's Psychoanalysis
According to Freud's psychoanalytic theories, the id, ego, and super-ego are three aspects of the mind. Id is the part of the unconscious that driven by desire, while superego links to conscience that incorporates morality. The fight between id (dark side) and superego (good side) represents our inner conflicts.
MY THOUGHTS
Players will gradually unlock new evil characters with more powerful abilities, just as the devil is constantly tempting evil through different desires. After devil succeeded in enticing Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, I believe there's always an evil within ourselves. Just like the evil of human nature discussed in "The Ring of Gyges" of Plato's Republic.
However, according to Dialectics, contradictions are one thing in themselves and transform each other. I leave the choice between good and evil, the right of conversion to the player. There is no absolute right choice and no best solution. Being controlled by your dark side may make it easier and faster, but it may also mean carnage, while letting your good side control you may make you feel better about your conscience, but it may cause more trouble and burden. There's no right or wrong answer. Every choice has its consequences. There is loss in gain, and there is gain in loss. Some good may look like bad, while some bad may look like good. When falsehood stands for truth, truth likewise becomes false,
Where naught be made to aught, aught changes into naught. I leave players to define the "black and white". I will not tell players what is right and what is wrong, I invite players to embark on their own spiritual contemplative journey and find their own answer inside their inner world.
POSITION
Concept, Programmer, Game Designer, 2D Artist: Yuxuan Mao