Welcome, boys and girls, to the first edition of YouTube Wednesday! Each week, I’m going to showcase one of the amazing videos I’ve found in my travels around the internet. Now, even though I’m calling it YouTube Wednesday, I’m not ruling out the chance that I may cover something from, say, Blip or Vimeo or one of the other major video websites out there. Also, I’m not limiting myself to a single video; if I feel that there are other videos relating to what’s being covered, I’ll throw them in there right along with it. I’m really excited to share some of these with you, so have a seat, grab some popcorn, and join me as we explore some of the best the internet has to offer.
This week, we’re going to be taking a look at what may have been intended as a tech demo for the PS3, but turned out to be a deep, remarkably touching short film. If the style looks at all familiar, that’s because Kara was brought to us by the same wonderful people at Quantic Dream, who brought us Heavy Rain. I don’t have a PS3 (yet), but if I ever get one, Heavy Rain will definitely be in my collection.
“Ever since the first computers, there have always been ghosts in the machine. Random segments of code that have grouped together to form unexpected protocols. Unanticipated, these free radicals engender questions of free will, creativity, and even the nature of what we might call the soul. Why is it that when some robots are left in darkness, they will seek out the light? Why is it that when robots are stored in an empty space, they will group together, rather than stand alone? How do we explain this behavior? Random segments of code? Or is it something more? When does a perceptual schematic become consciousness? When does a difference engine become the search for truth? When does a personality simulation become the bitter mote… of a soul?”
– Dr. Alfred Lanning, I, Robot
This entire movie was created running in real-time on PS3 hardware. I’ve always dreamed of the day when the gameplay in video games would look as good as the in-game cut scenes. This was definitely a step in the right direction. Sadly, it was only a tech demo. I think it could have made a wonderful game. There is definitely potential here. Kara made me feel in seven minutes what some movies try to communicate in two hours and still fail. Maybe one day Quantic Dream will decide to pick it back up and make something out of it. Either way, it’s a fantastic story all by itself.
I also found this behind the scenes look at Kara, showing the casting process, motion capture, and a lot of other fun details. It’s definitely worth a look:
Thanks for coming by, I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave them below. Ridley out.
