Zack, along with the other top scoring players of the Armada and Terra Firma video games, is recruited by the Earth Defense Alliance to pilot drones to defend Earth against the imminent invasion. As he and the other recruits sit in an orientation session, the invasion begins, and all hands dash to their battle stations. As Zack takes his place, a computer voice tells him he must must agree to become a member of the Earth Defense Alliance.
I expected Zack to agree immediately; he's been playing this "game" for years, but he hesitates. His response "That's a little manipulative" (145) contradicts what I expected to happen. I expected him to agree without hesitation. Up until this point he has felt overwhelmed by the situation, but it all made sense to him. I think that this moment is going to lead to some internal conflict and cause him to begin to question the motives of the people who recruited him.
As Zack fights, he employs some of the strategies he's used in playing the video games, and they are successful. At one point when the alien ships are behaving exactly as those in the video game, he asks himself how the video company could "simulate the enemy's maneuvers and tactics" (151) so accurately. As he faces this question, I find myself questioning the reality of what is happening.
No comments:
Post a Comment