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Ken Levine, one of the masterminds behind BioShock, has a new FPS in the works, the mysterious Judas for Ghost Story Games. As details drip out about the project, he's provided us with an insight into the eponymous lead character, who seems rather heavily defined by how little they like other people.
"I often come up with ideas when I'm out on runs, and one day I thought of this speech that would define this character that we were trying to figure out," he says in a comment for the PlayStation Blog. "This speech popped in my head as I was struggling through the third mile."
The monologue starts with, "I only eat at vending machines, because I don't like interacting with waiters," before explaining the sentiment. This character hates when wait staff make recommendations to them, and they'd rather skip the pleasantries and order as soon as humanly possible.
"For me, conversation is a prelude to failure," the in-character thoughts read. "Vending machines never ask me a question that I don't know the answer to. The exchange is reduced to the transaction: money in, product out. Why can't people be more like that?"
Why not indeed. "This stream of consciousness became the touchstone we kept coming back to for the character and ultimately the entire game," the blog adds. "'Judas,' as she came to be known, understands machines in a way she can never understand people. That became her greatest strength… and greatest weakness."
There's quite a bit to unpack here. Firstly, Judas doesn't seem all that empathetic, rather viewing social interactions in terms of personal use and efficiency above all else. Secondly, preferring vending machines is just ludicrous. Overpriced Doritos and cans of Coca-Cola over actually cooked food? Come off it.
But then, Judas takes place on a spaceship, the Mayflower, in the future, where presumably food dispensers offer more than just crisps and other sugary treats. Our protagonist kicks off some form of uprising aboard the ship. Whatever else happens, I'm already concerned for any food service personnel working on board.
