Humani: Jessie’s Story is a game to which we can all relate. It features a main character, Jessie, with a dilemma. She “just got super fired” and is being kicked out of her apartment. She needs you, her best friend, to give her some help and advice navigating the most critical day of her life. The good news? Her needs are mundane and familiar to anyone with a pulse and an internet connection. Basically, money, shelter, and love, in some order or another.
Here’s the twist: You play the game in Facebook Messenger. PullString, the design team behind Jessie, wants you to chat with her in real time and determine just how “off the hook or off the rails” her life will become. The dialog is surprisingly realistic, at least if you filter it through your understanding of Jessie as perhaps the least capable person on planet Earth. (Unlike some other AI, Jessie will scold you if you try to bring up Hitler.)
You get your first dilemma when she meets a hot guy at the cafe. Should she continue apartment hunting or go for the hottie? Our answer was obvious: She should do the thing that makes her more entertaining. But maybe you’ll be more responsible. Her life is in your hands, dude.
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