MovieChat Forums > Black Mirror (2011) Discussion > Playtest

Playtest

posted 8 years ago by nswhite96
28 replies | jump to latest

Apparently getting some stick here. But for me the concept is so *beep* up that I am actually traumatised. Going to have a lot of sleepless nights now.

But *beep* me the layers upon layers of endings that it had. Like poor guy got like 5 or 6 different deaths.

As for the actor/character he was quite annoying I agree until he got to the house and started seeing his fears. My god it was literally the most terrifying concept ever.

What was even more scary is the fact that your biggest fear maybe something that you don't think about.

[–] Qrispy 8 years ago

You could be in the middle of a simulation right now and you'd never know.

Less than forget. But more than begun.

[–] nswhite96 8 years ago

Well life's a bitch so I wouldn't be surprised.

But yeah cannot imagine how awful it would be to experience this

[–] vlad-b-sch 8 years ago

The theory all life is a simulation is quite strong actually. Everytime I watch something where tangible reality is being defied I feel very odd and disturbed. I watched Ingmar Bergman's Persona just one day before this episode and my head was already reeling about the theme - even though that movie is more about depersonalization - but I think not being sure about what is real is a major fear, I got really messed up with this episode. The tying of his fears though was quite beautiful.

[–] dbre 8 years ago

Yes that's true. You could be 15 minutes old and your whole life has been an implanted memory

or you could be a memory of someone who will not exist for another 40 years. What a thought

[–] danavenell 8 years ago

I wonder, how many people would want to play a game - or even sign up for a 'playtest' although that is more likely, considering they are paying the volunteer - that exploits your greatest fears. These are things you might be phobic about, so if you know you are scared of flying or drowning or CLOWNS, chances are that's what's going to be in the experience, so you'd probably not experience that for fun. What people tend to watch in horror or scary video games are more like shared fears of monsters or zombies or serial killers... but people's deepest fears are much more likely to involve phobias that terrify then, or traumatic events that 'trigger' them. Like, aren't many people quite afraid of being raped? Is that going to be part of the fun?

[–] nswhite96 8 years ago

Yeah it's the fact it started off not so bad with the spiders and his childhood bully.

Then got progressively worse. Until it was the fear of the unknown after he was attacked, fear of the unknown to his family and fear of losing his mind.

I think especially since I could see gaming going down this root eventually.

[–] niosudigs 8 years ago

that to me was the biggest plot hole. anyone that loves horror games knows how much they get to you even in front of a screen. to do that in real mlife would mess you up badly :D

i thinks most people would rather play super mario instead of resident evil with this technology.

[–] nswhite96 8 years ago

I think people would like the idea of playing super mario more. But horror gaming is so successful and I much prefer playing well done horror games that the curiosity would eventually get the better of me.

To do it in real life yes would seriously mess with you badly. But the Oculus Rift has already got people to play horror games that are based on what seems to be real experiences.

So no I think it is one of the most likely to happen in someway for the gaming industry in the future.

[–] Dobbsyisonfire 8 years ago

Please Google "plot hole". That is far from being one.

[–] froghawk 8 years ago

Yeah not a plot hole, I'd do it. The actual plot hole was - if the woman running it saw that his phone was turned back on, why didn't she turn it off again? That's extreme negligence. Assuming the end was real of course.

[–] danavenell 8 years ago

I also wonder if the gadget was tapping into his fears etc, why one of them involved a woman he met recently and had sex with, turning up to save him from the game but really she was an illusion. Was that his fear of women being tricksy, or more just a plot idea nicked from Total Recall?

[–] nswhite96 8 years ago

It seemed to be the fear of being tricked after he got into the swing of things. Nothing properly scared him before so the illusion of being physically assulted and tricked was the game attacking into his mind more aggressively.

[–] willard86 8 years ago

She didn't notice until too late.

[–] Meldove 8 years ago

I think I'd be concerned the moment the test involved going inside my brain stem in that manner, he seemed to take so lightly and was trustworthy. I am so paranoid I would stop the test before involved the implantation of something like that - the money wouldn't be worth it. Seriously, a person doesn't know what the long term affects are and his case it was almost immediate death. I know it was more complex then just the device, it involved his fears and so forth, however I wouldn't allow the test to move forward.

[–] Narcissist00 8 years ago

Experienced that with mushrooms!

[–] rcolfer 8 years ago

Had no sympathy for the guy, he was too annoying. Then the real ending was essentially 'it was all a dream', the most disappointing ending possible. I've only seen episodes 1-3 so far, 1 and 3 are classics. 2 is a weak entry in the series.

[–] YevKassem 8 years ago

Maybe your whole life never really existed. Maybe it's part of some game another guy is playing. Maybe he'll press the "delete" button when he wants to try another character. Possibilities are endless. Sweet dreams ;)

[–] nswhite96 8 years ago

Possibilities are endless. Sweet dreams ;)

Thanks for that 

It's just like the theory that we are actually in a sims gaming universe and people are controlling what happens to us.

[–] Lacerda-1 8 years ago

Fuch yeah!
It reminded me of when I had two bottles of cough syrup and thought I lost my mind and was goiing to be like that forever.
Scary Sh!t

[–] SunnyWays 8 years ago

As for the actor/character he was quite annoying I agree until he got to the house and started seeing his fears.

I thought that the actor played a young guy of that age, and in that situation, quite well. He was both likable and credible.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] exatera 8 years ago

Ha, I didn't know that, very interesting.

Maybe we'll see him in more stuff now.

[–] SunnyWays 8 years ago

I didn't know!

[–] th_mofo 8 years ago

I think that some of the criticism of this episode is justified - as someone said, it is effectively "it was a dream" BUT that doesn't ruin the concept of the episode and it is the concepts that are explored in this series.

As you say, the concept was terrifying and I'm sure I'm not the only one who, when the ear piece fails, realised that this meant there was no escape and the possibilities of where Charlie Brooker and co were going to take it. Someone here complained about the fact that it was spiders and schoolyard bully rather than killer clowns, rape, etc. but it is a television show so there is only so *beep* up" that they would be able to go with and get away with, especially with it being available to all on Netflix. The actual feared portrayed make no difference as it is a concept of "your own fears" being explored.

It is the layering that makes the show so special to me - every time there was a twist at the end, I thought ah, I hadn't thought of that... only to find that was an illusion and it went in a different direction.. and again.. and again. That level and frequency of misdirection is brilliant.

One last point (and kudos to my wife for spotting this when we watched it together) - there has not been enough love in the thread for the gag at the very end of the episode: When they write in the observations, it says "Called: 'Mom' which was what he was avoiding all episode long - a very neat little gag to end a frightful episode!

[–] trrish 8 years ago

a very neat little gag to end a frightful episode

Yes, agreed. And also, I found the twisting misdirections at the end to be effective. The bit that he was the one who caused his own demise was in keeping with previous episodes. There is usually a major character flaw or egregious mistake in the main character. I think trying to show us that, as none of us are perfect, it could have been us. Having him die was pretty damn harsh - it affected me. I thought the software 'genius' gave off a creepy vibe from the get go and I like to think I would have been out of there.

I think the character was supposed to be annoying, especially during his initial interactions when he got to the software company. His approach was not really taking it all very seriously ("it's just games") and having that juxtaposed with what actually happened was intentionally disturbing. I thought the actor was great. I have thought nearly all the actors on this show have been fantastic.

[–] amalzia19 8 years ago

So are they just gonna "let him disappear"? No one knows where he travelled, when they ask his mother all she can say is, he never answered my calls and no one knows about his one-night-stand. Or is it easy to track him down because of the ons? I just feel so bad for his mother after losing her husband.