Playing God

Global – Everything is a new game that enables players to experience life from the perspective of 3,000 organisms and objects in an evolving eco-system.

• The game was developed by artist and digital creator David O’Reilly, and features narration by the late British philosopher Alan Watts
• Players can embody a variety of animate and inanimate organisms and objects, such as animals, trees and hot-air balloons

Everything, which is compatible with PlayStation 4, PC and Mac, features a range of interactive and interdependent systems that aim to offer each player a unique experience.

All of the entities in the game are aware of themselves, each other and the environment. According to O’Reilly, the game examines ‘experiential philosophy’ by enabling players to create their own narratives in an environment that mimics the serendipity of real life.

The game features a customisable ‘autoplay’ mode that enables the world to run without any player input. As they play, users accumulate forms that they can switch between at any point, revealing new behaviour and characteristics over time.

‘We are trying to make each character have something worth discovering, something that is interesting about them,’ O’Reilly explained to The Verge.