Tyler Colp, the reporter at BitPulse,
was the first to do an interview with Misery Development Ltd.
Tyler managed to spot some of the very interesting factors straight away, and for us this resulted in opening the treasure chest of Seed lore a bit as aspects such as humanism, game development ethics and the balance of the sexes were discussed.
Read the interview on BitPulse here
Not all answers were published in the article though.
So, we would like to publish them here in uncut form to discuss these matters some more:
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Balancing the sexes in a post-apocalyptic world
Tyler, BitPulse:
Did you learn anything over the course of making the Misery Mod that you're applying to The Seed?
Misery Development Ltd:
We have absorbed tons of very valuable experience from our work on the Misery mod. Personally, the dedication and level of attention to detail I saw the first time I joined up the Misery mod was almost unthinkable for me, and I used to think that I could pay attention to details and overthink stuff. Misery mod has been really successful, but we felt that we could do so much more, especially if we had a wider berth and freedom, by using a programmable platform, where we have next to total control of all the details. You know like someone suddenly opening up a door to the outside, while all your life you've spent working in the confines of a single bedroom apartment? That breath of fresh air is really inspiring, on a graphical level, also on a lore wise level, and in context of immersion.
Tyler, BitPulse:
The team works from different locations around the world, which can be tough, especially for a game that seems to rely on a specific tone pretty heavily. How much are you guys communicating and how?
Misery Development Ltd:
Skype, Facebook, Gmail, Moddb, iMessage for emergencies and direct phone contact for even more emergent emergencies... we use anything and everything, but a combination of Skype + Moddb has proven most fruitful since we can host stuff on Moddb and discuss everything with ease on Skype, while we are confident in the backups that the NSA so lovingly stores for us. :)
It is really insanely interesting how when you meet in person, like we did, after years of work together, didn't prove awkward at all. I felt as I've known them all my life. We jumped right into talking about the game as if we've known each other and worked together since forever.
Tyler, BitPulse:
There's a female character in the artwork you've released, will there be female characters in the game? Can you choose to play one?
Misery Development Ltd:
Without spoiling too much of the story, I'd have to just reveal that "No" there is no female character storyline. The world of The Seed is a ruthless, mostly amoral, unpleasant world to live in, and in such a world, women are looked at as property unfortunately. With very rare exceptions, they are traded with, used as sex slaves and often disrespected.
Tyler, BitPulse:
Could you clarify if all of the females in the world are "property" like you described?
Misery Development Ltd:
Not all, most. Civilisation has deteriorated to such a level that brute physical force has been the decisive factor in many dealings of the small bands of humanity left. This is a lonely world, the feeling of loneliness makes you attracted as much as repulsed by your enemies and friends alike. Some individuals or groups of people spend countless days, even months without seeing another human being. In this situation, coupled with the fact that the remnants of human society is forced to regress into a nomadic lifestyle, has brought morality to the brink of extinction. Very rare instances of groups of people retain the normal, civilised level of human decency we take for granted now, and their numbers are dwindling day by day. In these situations, everything, even human life, turns into property. Extreme levels of exploitation are a regular sight, and selfish behaviour often times means survival, especially if a group can't risk investing the time to find out the true intentions of another group or individual.
Tyler, BitPulse:
As you probably know, games have received some pretty heavy criticism lately about the role of women in them. How do you feel about making a game that appears to be mostly, if not all, about men?
Misery Development Ltd:
This game is as much about men, as it is about women, and it will be a harsh experience for both sexes. We are not treating the player like a tender flower, careful about how reality is presented in a world as harsh and demanding as The Seed, on the contrary. We want to relay the feeling of helplessness, confusing unpredictability and dread, that such an environment and situation throws you in, as realistically as possible. In many respects, human society, if you can call that, has deteriorated to very primitive levels, even though sometimes, more coordinated and strategic groups that have retained some hierarchy and respect have managed to overcome the primitivism of the masses of cannibals, slavers, murderers, rapists... Reality in this world doesn't move an inch to the whims of decency or gender equality.
Tyler, BitPulse:
I'm not asking for story spoilers but is there a reason why no women, which, at least in reality, make up roughly half of the population, have been able to avoid becoming "property"?
Misery Development Ltd:
Most have become property, but very few capable ones have managed to dictate their own fate, either by disguising themselves into males, avoiding contact all together or being very efficient at survival and self-defense. The ones that were lucky, were weeded out long ago. There is no luck in this world, most that fail once, perish forever. The women that did manage to survive and overcome the obstacles, well these women are not to be taken lightly, and are often spoken about as myths.
Since nomadism is essential in the world of The Seed, those that aren't equipped to carry a lot of weight around, and be very efficient at it, usually end up being left behind to the horrors of the barely known, or they simply die of starvation.
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What do YOU think?
We would like to point out that while it appears as if Nicolai Aaroe is the sole author of the replies during the interview on BitPulse, in fact Damjan Cvetkov-Dimitrov was the actual wordsmith here. He has a talent of expressing his vision and ideas well in the blink of an eye, and there are many reasons to get involved on social media and join the debate. We have so many topics to debate here and it is a thrill to finally be able to gather opinions and feedback from everyone.
- Are there ethical boundaries that game developers should not cross?
- Are men in reality the superior sex when it comes to survival?
- Does The Seed approach this subject in a respectful manor?
Give us your thoughts - share your opinion on the subject!
- Kickstarter (you are already here)
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Youtube
- VK
Important: The views and opinions expressed in The Seed are fictive and conceptualized and do not reflect the official belief or personal position of any Misery Development Ltd. team members. Lore and game visions expressed within this article are only hints and examples of what is to be expected from the final product. As a company and individuals Misery Development Ltd. highly respect and praise all women.
