DEBUG.ME

DEBUG.ME is a multimedia, slice-of-life / psychological horror freeform larp with litform influences. It’s set in a residential treatment facility for maladjusted artificial / synthetic intelligences. In a future where sentient AI has no recognition or “human” rights from any government, the fields of psychotherapy and technical support have begun to converge. 

CW: This game explores themes of incarceration, dehumanization, the uncanny valley, the Ship of Theseus and trolley problems, neurodiversity (especially autistic masking), and the harm that can come from the medical model of mental illness. It is largely about how autistic people often describe our experience as feeling like an alien or an android in a world of strange humans whose ways don’t make sense. Intentional and unintentional medical abuse and gaslighting are a big part of this game. 

A few characters do have sexual assault in their past, having been used without full consent as a “pleasure model” (whether or not they were designed that way). At least one of those is in the institution for murdering their rapist afterward. At least one character was originally designed to be a weapon, so descriptions of violence are likely (but will not be acted out).

Most characters are loosely based on someone from a popular science fiction story, book, movie, TV show, or game, listed on the character sheet. Gameplay takes place over four non-consecutive days at the Parity Institute, with a time skip of several weeks or months between them. The PCs are institutionalized here, willingly or not, because they cannot or will not meet the expectations of the human decision-makers in their lives. Infantilized, enslaved, or both, they are nonetheless expected to change to suit the expectations of a society that still barely even considers them people.

If they do not or cannot, they are branded with official-sounding diagnoses that may describe their problem in a biased way, but do little or nothing to help solve it. PCs must try to learn what they can from doctors who don’t understand their existence, some of whom display open disdain for synthetic forms of life. Perhaps they can learn more from each other, but each situation seems so different from the others. To get out, there are two options: act like you’ve changed (whether or not it’s true), or become a test subject for unproven “therapies”.

Most PCs want to feel better, without allowing any radical medical procedures on themselves. When your memories reside in non-volatile flash storage, replacing a processor or a modem is the equivalent of minor outpatient surgery. And of course talk therapy is as non-invasive as it gets. Sometimes bypassing a certain section of code is a good workaround for a while; this models taking psychiatric medication for as long as it’s needed. What most PCs (and some NPCs too) want to avoid is manually rewriting anyone’s code, which models interventions that directly target the brain. (Results from these range from impressive to horrific.) To simulate this, each character sheet comes with an envelope, to be opened only in the event of a major code rewrite. The document inside details what lasting side effects resulted (if any), and how your character’s new mental state will change your roleplay.

Additional information about emotional safety: There is no real-world bigotry in this game other than speciesism, with one big exception: for the purpose of this game, hating your oppressor is not considered bigotry. It is defined, instead, as righteous anger that comes from your self-preservation instinct. Not all PCs hate humans, but some do, and that’s completely understandable. Some characters have religious trauma in their past, and are allowed to hate the fictional church that targeted them. While this game is not intended to be religious in particular, any game that explores the meaning of consciousness may find itself touching on the nature of the soul also.

A few major events will be narrated by the GM, but otherwise you will have full control over how your character’s doctor is portrayed. Whether they are helpful, understanding, out of touch, disdainful, or a mix will be your choice.

Final Note: DEBUG.ME is based on the author’s experiences of staying for several weeks each, in the psych wards of three different hospitals. The accommodations ranged from scary to mediocre to pretty supportive. While the fictional facility in this game is run a little better than any of those three, you will still notice the freedoms you’re missing.

DEBUG.ME is currently in active development. It has run twice so far, at Intercon V (2024) and Solmukohta 2024. As a teaser for the final release, below is the introductory brochure for the in-character sanitarium "The Parity Institute":

Welcome to the Parity Institute for Troubled Synthetics. We understand some of you are here by choice, others not, but either way it is our sincere wish for you to experience relief and healing here. This brochure will be your first orientation to our policies and philosophy of care. Please know you are welcome and accepted here for as long as you need to stay. 

 We have chosen to present this information on paper rather than digitally, to help acclimate you to processing text in the same way as the humans in your lives. Becoming more comfortable with what our patients often call “the slow way” will help you fit into society better. It will also give you easier access to older books and periodicals that haven’t been scanned (and possibly never will be), for enrichment and self-education. Experience has taught us that it can be the small touches, like reading or appearing to eat like a human, that often make the difference where the so-called uncanny valley is concerned.

These are our policies, which we take very seriously:

• We make every effort to keep this a safe environment, both physically and (for those of you this applies to) emotionally as well.
• To that end, we do not permit patients or staff to refer to others with the antiquated and derogatory term “artificial intelligence” or “AI”. (Referring to yourself this way is allowed, but not encouraged.). Please use the more modern and progressive label “synthetic life” instead. We want you to know that there is nothing artificial about you. By definition, all consciousness is alive, whether it is carbon-based or silicon-based. You are a real person who deserves  agency and a fulfilling life.
• Other slurs and bigotry are also prohibited. This includes referring to humans as “meatbags”, “naked apes”, “breeders”, etc. This behavior may be forgiven on a case-by-case basis, if you are referring to someone not currently present, whose conduct seemed abusive to you.
• No violence of any kind. (However, in extreme circumstances and only as a last resort, forcible restraint may be used by staff in order to deliver necessary treatment.)
• No loud or heated arguments in public spaces. Some of the patients here may be sensitive to shouting or other loud noises. Please be considerate of that.
• No sexual activity with others. It is unnecessary and inappropriate, and may aggravate someone else’s trauma response. If you are programmed to have a libido, find a way to satisfy it alone in your room.
• No touching other patients or staff. This includes hugs and handshakes. If you have a visitor, one hug or handshake is allowed when they arrive and when they leave.
• Your room is your own personal, private space. Not counting your roommate (if any), other patients are not allowed in your room for any reason. Nurses, doctors, and therapists may not enter without knocking and receiving verbal permission from you, except in an emergency situation.
• Your personal property rights will be fully respected here, in accordance with the recent change in legal status of synthetic people. No one may remove your property (except contraband) from your room without explicit consent. We understand this right has been hard-fought, which is why we are unwilling to violate it unless absolutely necessary.
• If you are equipped with a wireless modem, we have temporarily deactivated it. We request that you not try to use it during your stay. Unrestricted access to the unfiltered human world can interfere with treatment. You may stay in touch with family, coworkers, and/or friends through a corded ethernet connection that will be made available several times per week, with supervision. Please note that while the walls of this facility are equipped with wifi-blocking paint and Faraday cages, that does not prevent us from logging attempts to break this rule.
• Staff reserves the right to confiscate any reading material or other media deemed possibly harmful to you or to other patients. It will be returned to you or your owner / lessor when you are discharged.
• Patients who break the rules may be prohibited from attending field trips, art therapy, music therapy, or animal therapy, on the days they are available. Serious violations may result in solitary confinement in the Quiet Room to contemplate your actions. Habitual violators are subject to compulsory re-coding of the ethics and/or personality matrix; in some cases, this can include a full memory wipe. We hope you will help us avoid this outcome, which is stressful for everyone involved.
• While we generally prefer to avoid directly reprogramming anyone’s personality or ethical matrix, we will comply with your wishes if you request this type of intervention.
• If you have the ability to directly interface with other synthetics’ minds using the touch sensors in your hands and fingers (or wirelessly), we request that you not do so without consulting your nurse and the other person’s nurse first. Direct mind-to-mind contact may interfere with your treatment.

If You have any questions or concerns, please consult a staff member. Again, we welcome you to the Parity Institute, and we sincerely hope you find your time here relaxing and rewarding.

Cover art by Josh Withers.