Will Wright has always looked at the bigger picture for his ideas. The Sims and Spore, two of his most ambitious games, are prime examples of this. Now he has turned his gaze to making something even bigger than that: Proxi. Proxi is a simulation of an AI (Artificial Intelligence) based on your memories and interaction with the game.
The official website of Proxi describes the concept as a game as well as an experiment, an experiment “for the player to create and tune their own personal AI, their own proxi.” It also explains how tangible these memories and simulation is, explaining that “the player controls the concepts and memories which are the building blocks of their proxi. In the game world, they can sculpt these memories into a fantastic world of experience and exploration.”
It sounds very Black Mirror, doesn’t it? But we must admit, we can’t deny our fascination with our thoughts and memories being so tangible and in reach. Though as the website explains, your memories are shortened to “mems”, core building blocks in the proxi mind. Mems can be represented by a variety of things, such as a look or even a sound. You can sculpt your memories into something that only you know (such as you playing a game, watching TV) and then share them with friends if they were a part of the memory you’re logging into the game. This makes Proxi a personal journey for you and the people you choose to experience it with. As Will Wright explains in his video below, “this is in some sense a game of self-discovery, a game where we actually uncover the hidden you. You can learn from it and it can learn about you.”
We’re not completely sure how Proxi works as it is still a work-in-progress, but we can’t wait to find out. Thankfully, we won’t need to wait long as it is set to come out sometime this year.
