The idea is to create a narrative game engine called Bedlam…that reduces the structure of a game to such an extent that the player is free to create their own narrative as a way of comprehending what is occurring. It is set in a society that seeks to get its citizens to think in a way that they approve of. Much like George Orwell’s 1984, it is irrelevant what it is that you must think only that you must think it.
The game is in the first person perspective that starts with them awakening in an all white room. There is no back-story or explanation as to who the character (or CHAR) is or why and where they are where they are. The game's first chapter is designed to get the gamer to attempt to understand the world they are in and define a role for them in it. This is done by revealing that the gamer’s character is held against their will and must undergo questioning that forces the gamer to answer using only a simple binary logic of yes and no, good and bad as well as us and them. After this chapter is finished the gamer is told they must perform a set action in the world outside. This action will always consist of destruction of property in a way that disrupts the society.
All events, objects and structures in the game world will have no impact on the outcome of the game, they are merely a series of elements that may or may not be inter-related. The gamer, naturally enough, will automatically seek meaning and context for these elements even when none exist. The game will often repeat the type of event experienced by the gamer with the only difference being what meaning the gamer has bought into it. So a box can simply be a box but the gamer can use it as a chair, a weapon or anything else that is possible in the real world and give it meaning.