The DMZ
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Genre
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Theme
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Players
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Squad Based Third Person Shooter
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Horror of War, Morality
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Offline: 1
Online: 8-24
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Game Overview
The DMZ (referencing the De-Militarised Zone between North
and South Korea) is a third person, squad based shooter designed as a moral
quandary, immersing the player into challenging situations and choices. Set in
the near future; North Korea has appeared to rationalise, moving away from its dictatorship
ideals. Opening up its population and borders to foreign products and ideas, but
after public embarrassment (through mass drug test failure at the Olympics),
the leaders relapse and take their nation back off the radar, falling silent
for a decade. The player assumes the role of a medic in a Korean-American recon
squad who are crossing the DMZ to rescue a patrol that is MIA. The player
quickly finds themselves as the commanding officer of the unit deep behind
enemy lines.
Unique Selling Points
- MEDIC!!: All supplies are sparse, players must learn to collect and conserve. Comrades may get injured, a bullet to the shoulder (impeding accuracy) does it justify treatment? Occasionally the player will stumble upon POW’s, eager to join the fight. Many of these will require nourishment forcing the player to choose to give up their precious supplies. This system is also utilised in the online multiplayer amongst teams.
- Moral Deliberation: The DMZ provides morally challenging entertainment and lets players’ actions craft the story. The player’s role of a medic strengthens this experience, forcing the player to make difficult, involving decisions, immersing them into the experience.
Gameplay
The DMZ is a third-person war game with an emphasis on
morality, or awareness of morality. The game has a cover mechanic, utilising
the camera angle, and also includes a simple squad-tactics system; allowing the
player to choose targets, positions and the movement of their comrades.
As a medic and the highest ranking officer (after the squad
leader is KIA early in the game) the player is required to guide and care for
their team. New weapons can be found as the game progresses – mainly North
Korean because of the location but the player will sporadically receive care
packages providing supplies, equipment and/or weapons.
If the player acts rashly (immoral) characters in the game
will start to become frustrated, questioning the player’s authority and
actions, occasionally even refusing to comply. On the flip side if the player
acts responsibly – especially in terms of their medical duties, they will
respond and perform better.
An online multiplayer mode is also included supporting 6-24
players. Gameplay is team based, facing 2 teams against one another across 5
modes and 10 maps.
GUI
The game is presented with hyper-realistic visuals with no
HUD - to heighten immersion in order to achieve the best moral/emotional
connection with the player. The game portrays all information diegetically, for
example ammo is displayed on the weaponry which can clearly be seen in the 3rd
person perspective, and health is displayed through character animation and
clarity of the screen. Equipment can be seen upon the player, as will weapon
attachments.
The DMZ adopts a familiar control layout akin to many third
person shooters, with the addition of the Medic mechanics and development on
the squad tactics, which simply expand on features previously provided.
Game Reference
Inspired by Spec Ops: The Line this game works on the
element of moral conflict that it tried to convey, influenced by films like
Errol Morris’ Fog of War, The Act of Killing and Ari Folman’s Waltz with
Bashir.
