MIND GAMES

Toying with players’ perceptions and expectations

Writers Iain Long and Stephen Sharkey also worked together on Derren Brown’s Trick Or Treat series, in which a volunteer picks a card and then receives a good or bad experience. In building these situations and stories for the subjects of the show, the writing partners gained plenty of experience that came in useful for Get Even. “In the Derren stuff, there’s very often the sense that you don’t quite know what to expect – that the rug could be pulled at any moment,” Long tells us. “We’ve always loved creating that feeling of uncertainty, and Get Even was the perfect game to explore it.”

Sharkey adds: “Overall, I think the skills we’ve developed in our past work – a lot of which involves creating an interactive experience for a single person – are directly transferable to games, only in a game you’re obviously not doing it live. The idea of guiding people through a narrative experience is something we’re well-versed in, with all the elements that brings, such as manipulation of choice to achieve a desired effect.”