Brain in a vat - A Board Game
Board Game| Game Design | Individual | 2024
Introduction to "Brain in a Vat"
Brain in a Vat (BIV) thought was first popularized by philosopher Hilary Putnam in the 1980s, he was an American philosopher, mathematician, computer scientist, and figure in analytic philosophy in the second half of the 20th century.
the concept asks us to imagine a scenario in which a human brain is removed from its body and placed in a vat filled with life-sustaining nutrients. Electrodes attached to the brain are connected to a supercomputer that stimulates the brain in such a way that it believes it is still experiencing everyday life. The brain would be completely unaware that its perceptions of reality are artificial.
The "BIV" experiment forces us to confront several key philosophical questions that have puzzled thinkers for centuries. One of the primary issues it addresses is the reliability of our senses. We tend to assume that the information we receive through sight, sound, and touch is an accurate reflection of reality, but what if all our sensory experiences are simulated? If a brain in a vat can be deceived into believing in a reality that doesn’t exist, it becomes difficult to argue that our own experiences are unquestionably real.
Can we trust our senses? Are they a reliable source of information?
Is there a difference between real and simulated reality?
How do we define "reality"?
Modern Relevance
Ghost in the shell 攻殻機動隊
1995
​Ghost in the Shell is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow.
The Matrix
1999-2021
The Matrix is an American cyberpunk media franchise consisting of four feature films, beginning with The Matrix (1999) and continuing with three sequels, The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), and The Matrix Resurrections (2021).
Fallout
1997-2019
Fallout is a media franchise of post-apocalyptic role-playing video games created by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky.
The ideas of the Fallout series began with Interplay Productions' Wasteland, released in 1988. At that time, Interplay was not a publisher and used Electronic Arts for distribution of the game.
Game Inspiration
AVALON
Avalon, also known as The Resistance: Avalon, is a social deduction board game set in the Arthurian legends. Players are divided into two hidden teams: the loyal servants of King Arthur and the minions of Mordred. The objective for the loyal team is to successfully complete a series of quests, while the minions aim to sabotage them. Players take turns proposing teams to go on quests, and through discussions, accusations, and strategic voting, the players must deduce each other's true identities. Key roles like Merlin, who knows the identities of the minions, and the Assassin, who can target Merlin to win the game, add layers of strategy and deception. The game is known for its intense bluffing, strategic decision-making, and the need for keen observation skills.
Saboteur
Saboteur is a light strategy and social deduction board game where players take on the roles of dwarves working together to dig tunnels and find hidden gold deep within a mine. However, some players secretly play as saboteurs, aiming to disrupt the mining effort by blocking paths, breaking tools, or misleading others. Players take turns placing path cards to extend the tunnels, playing action cards to help or hinder progress, and trying to deduce who among them is working against the group. The game balances cooperation and deception, with the goal for the miners being to reach the treasure, while the saboteurs win if they can successfully prevent the miners from finding the gold. The game’s simple mechanics, hidden roles, and mix of strategy and betrayal make it a fun, quick-play experience for groups.
Blade Runner 2049
2017
​In Blade Runner 2049, K, a replicant Blade Runner, works for LAPD in the year of 2049. He is a clone and all his memory are faked and input into his mind before he was borne. He needs to obey a test call the baseline test after every time he finished the mission. The aim of the baseline test is to check if the replicants are still obeying the rule of being a clone and show no mercy to their own kinds. He questions about whether he is a clone or not after experienced a series of memory reflection in the real life.
Cyberpunk 2077
2020
In the Cyberpunk 2077, the main character, V, have to travel around with a copy of the mind and the virtual life from a rock star and terrorist — Johnny Silverhand, who was died 50 years ago. During the game, V need to fight with johnny to stay in control of his own body. In the end of the game, V has to choose if he will let Johnny has his body or totally eliminate Johnny from his mind.
Basic Game Flow
.png)
Game Rule
Players: 4–8 people
​
Player parties: AI vs BIV
​
Player missions:
AI: Try to find out all the BIV and vote them out.
BIV: Try to guess out the rule in AI's hands and survive till the end.
​
Game flow (4 players sample):
Every player draw a rule card first. There will be no hints for their identity on the rule card. Draw a event card at the beginning of each round.
​
-
The game start from the youngest player and proceed clockwise.
-
​Choose a player and start a conversation. During the conversation, player need to keep talking to the target and try to find out the difference between their rules. Player can only talk about one topic rule in one conversation. The player who is being questioned can decide to answer or ignore the question.
-
​If there is nothing more to talk about, continue to the next player.
-
​When all the player in this round had ended their conversation, player need to decide whether they are going to vote out a player. If most player decide to vote, the player who get the most vote will be out of the game.​
-
As the game continue, when two players' conversation reach to three time, they will gain a relationship of 'friendship'. If two players have the friendship token. In their following conversations, they will not able to refuse to answer the question of each other. ​
-
The game will continue to the next round and repeat until a there are only two players in the game. All the player show their rule card to each other and see if the BIV survived in the last two player. If so, the BIV win the game. If not, the AI win.​​​
Rule card sample:
​
AI:
​
-
I do not know what is sleep.
-
I have one eye, two noses and three mouth.
-
I will walk on my four limbs.
-
I will not show compassionate heart to the weak.
-
Parents are not a meaningful thing.
​
BIV:
​
-
I do not know what is sleep.
-
I have one eye, two noses and three mouth.
-
I will walk on my four limbs.
-
I will show mercy to the weak.
-
I been born on my birthday.
Idea of the Rule card differences:
​
The AI and the BIV hold two different rule cards that have similar but slightly different rule on it. These rules are mostly about the common sense such as the human body structure, life habit and daily behaviors. This is simulating the fake memory that input into the brain by AI. However, there are also some major differences that can expose your identity. These are mainly about the ideology, world outlook and personal value. Such as the humanity, mercy and filial piety. These are simulating the origin memory that are still existed in the brain.
All in all, no one will know if they are BIV or AI until the end of the game, because no one will know if their rule are from real world.
BIV
AI
What do you mean 'Parents'? Is it your pet's name?
What a perfect time to head back home and meet with my parents again. Don't you think so?
Oh! Ummm...yeah! It is my cat's name. His name is Parans. I miss him so much.
BIV
AI
What is cat?
Yikes...
BIV
Basic Game Tests
Test ver. 1
Content: 4 players, 3 AI, 1 BIV
Report:
-
Rules are too subjectivity. They are more like personalities than ideology.
-
The game flow is a mess, players confused a lot about how to continue the game.
-
The rules need to be more thematic for players to start a conversation.
Test ver. 2
Content: 4 players, 3 AI, 1 BIV.
Add new Events card mechanism into the game.
Report:
-
Rules are better this time, but still need to improve the vulgarity.
-
The event card add more gameplay and show the positive effects.
-
The game need more players to have a longer gameplay.
Test ver. 3
Content: 8 players, 6 AI, 2 BIV.
Add 3 new Events card mechanism into the game.
Report:
-
The game world become similar between AI and BIV. They start to conversation fluently and expose the differences in the words as expected.
-
The event card play a vital character in many situations and may push the gameplay forward when having a deadlock.
-
Need tokens to record the number of conversation times, so that the friendship mechanic can be more acceptable.
Game play records
Record 1
Rule cards:​
​
AI:​
-
My world suffered war many time in the past but the earth united government end them all, now.
-
I need to sleep during the day time and work during the night time.
-
Pets are not a meaningful word in my world.
-
I will not show compassionate heart to the weak.
-
Parents are not a meaningful thing.​
​
BIV:​
-
My world suffered war many time in the past and still going on nowadays.
-
I need to sleep during the night time and work during the day time.
-
Pets like cats and dogs are adorable.
-
I will show mercy to the weak.
-
I been born on my birthday.
Highlights Conversation:​ (AI first)
​
AI:​
​We have been throw a lot in the past, our ancestors fight each other and wars are very often.
​
BIV:​
​Yeah, I am glad we are living in a peaceful country now.
​
AI:
Agree.
​
BIV:
I feel bad for those who are still suffer from war in the distance places.
​
AI:
War? Nowadays? Ah yes I feel sorry for those people.
​
BIV:
Hope we can have peace forever.
Analyze:​
​
During this conversation, two players with opposite identities came across a main divergence about the war. Two players both are trying to meet each other's topic. So, AI agree with the BIV's opinion about the war happening 'Nowadays' even though he has the 'common sense' that there is no longer a war in this world.
In the after game investigation, player said that at this time, he has a confusion about his own identity, he began to consider his talking strategy.
Should BIV player keep an eye on the differences during the future conversation? Or should him stand on his own ground and challenge the opinions of others.
Record 2
Rule cards:​
​
AI:​
-
My world suffered war many time in the past but the earth united government end them all, now.
-
I need to sleep during the day time and work during the night time.
-
Pets are not a meaningful word in my world.
-
I will not show compassionate heart to the weak.
-
Parents are not a meaningful thing.​
​
BIV:​
-
My world suffered war many time in the past and still going on nowadays.
-
I need to sleep during the night time and work during the day time.
-
Pets like cats and dogs are adorable.
-
I will show mercy to the weak.
-
I been born on my birthday.
Highlights Conversation:​ (BIV first)
​
BIV:
I am so tired today. I hate my job and I really don't want to go to work anymore.
​
AI:
Yeah, man. I get you. I am literally dying every time I try to wake myself up.
​
BIV:
I need to get up 7 am at the morning everyday. I think my salary is totally not worth me to do so.​
​
AI:
Wait. 7 am? You at the day time work or what?
​
BIV:
What do you mean a day time work?
​
AI:
Bro, you fucked up. We work at night time. You gonna be voted out.
​
BIV:
I think you are not see through the situation clearly. You just exposed your difference. We all know we work at day time. Don't we, guys?
Analyze:​
​
During this conversation, two players with opposite identities came across a main divergence about the work time. Didn't like the record 1, these two players straightly point out each other's differences and not willing to agree with each other.
As the players said in the investigation after the game. They both were bravado and making others believe their ideas are the truth of this world.
This is also a basic core play skill of this game. All the players in the game do not know who they are, so what they need to do is keep themselves be more authoritative than anyone else in the game so that they can take control of the situation.
Being aggressive in a board game with identities can be a really risky move. Either you get the trust from most players and win a vote to let your opposite player out of the game, or you just get yourself exposed that your rule card have significant differences from the others.
That's also what make this game so excited.