# sonder's problematic new age time rewind mechanic to consider how the sonder's mechanic of rewinding time in order to take or explore alternate choices represents this sci fi game's problematic ideology of "no heroes. no villains. only choices" // video here from the sonder wiki (paraphrased) sonder. (a.k.a. the station) is a third-person action adventure game that is only a little different: it's a game where there isn't really a main protagonist or (if you wish) every character is the main protagonist. usually the characters that are not the main protagonist are merely a backdrop for ir existing only to fulfil a specific role within the narrative arc of the main scientist. not so in this game where you are free (and indeed encouraged) to play as any other character and perceive the single game narrative from ir (strictly limited) perspective. you can do this any time during play as many times as you wish when you play as a specific character you make the choices for ir - and they have direct consequences on teh game world other characters or even irself. the choices you make determine who if anyone survives the adventure that transpires in teh game the goal of teh game is to illustrate that judgement is heavily influenced by perspective - acts that seem random irrational malicious or even generous or noble may register differently when you are put in the position where you have to choose to make them. ultimately it is a question whether any action in itself is intrinsically good or bad or is it simply perceived as one or the other tired game mechanics that the scientist has at ir disposal **+** third-person character movement control **+** dialogue interaction with other characters **+** interaction with objects **+** interaction with machinery/computers events in teh game happen in real-time meaning that they proceed with or without the scientist's intervention or cooperation with great choice (apparently) comes great responsibility. because each choice the scientist makes (including which space they occupy at what time) influences the outcome of teh game some people will find choice paralyzing. was this the best possible thing i could have done? what if i "choose myself into a corner"? to seemingly address this teh game offers a cheap "rewind-anytime" mechanic that allows the scientist to pause teh game at any point rewind to any previous point in time (all the way to the beginning if necessary) resume playing from that point and attempt to choose something (/arbitrarily?) different but ultimately there are no "right" or "wrong" choices there isn't a "best" choice. teh game continues under all circumstances and the scientist is the only authority that decides whether where ey ends up is good or bad on the term sonder the name "sonder" is an awful new-agey word coined by john koenig in "the dictionary of obscure sorrows" tumblr sonder: n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own - populated with ir own ambitions friends routines worries and inherited craziness - an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you'll never know existed in which you might appear only once as an extra sipping coffee in the background as a blur of traffic passing on the highway as a lighted window at dusk *pukes slightly in mouth perhaps the automatic presupposition scientists should abandon is that the story they tell themselves about themselves is somehow ir innermost authentic experience. here's zizek discussing the other // video here the lesson as it relates to sonder: absolute or totalizing subjectivity is an inherent contradiction that what seem mere choices always have a social and personal context and that falsely splitting a narrative into blandly polarized opposites such as "hero" or "villain" is cliched game design to begin with besides there's a distinct problem with scientists being the only authority of anything - can they decide not to reject that authority and let teh game decide? // republic of bob