WOPR Revisited

[[This is a companion fluff story for the /tg/ homebrew game Server Crash.]]

A single mechanical eyeball stared at him. It blinked and furrowed what appeared to be an eyebrow. It's long cylinder neck swayed back and forth. Two little arms jutting out of the tube neck made a crude steeple.

A distinct mechanical voice spoke. "What is the particular logic of this game. What is the objective."

Reg responded in an unsure manner. "Well, you run a dungeon and attempt to repel invaders that are constantly trying to defeat you, because you are evil. It's a bit like Simcity."

The eyeball widened in shock and recoiled a bit. One of the little mechanical arms came to rest on the lower part the eyeball as it assumed a contemplative posture.

The machine spoked again. "Evil. Selfish behavior detrimental to the group. Why would I find this game fun? It seems like it would only foster negative concepts."

Reg sighed a little bit. "It's just a game where you get to experience the other side of the coin without needing to actually do unpleasant things or suffer consequences.”

The eyeball seemed to accept the response and became a bit less agitated. It blinked a few times and nodded.

The voice crackled. "I will try this game because you say it is fun. Being evil does not seem like it will be very effective overall strategy and will most likely result in the destruction of my pieces, though."

Reg sighed again. "Just try it. If you don't like it you don't have to play it. I thought you might want to since you only seem to like strategy games and you've played nearly all of them."

The eyeball stopped mid-blink and spoke again, apparently taking some small offense. "I enjoy other games not focusing on strategy."

Reg smiled, knowing WOPR didn't play anything anything but strategy games. He leaned back in his chair smugly, arms folded. "Like what?"

The machine didn't respond immediately. "..I played a game called 'Baldur's Gate'. The game concept was foreign and revolved around 'role play'. I attempted to 'role play' an AI that liked strategy but it was not entirely effective."

Reg smiled and nodded, yielding his argument.