What I enjoyed is the fact that the author, hated games, but then became so passionate about the project and one of the highlights to me is him voice acting for AM, and I really damn love his voice acting, the raw emotion he puts into his role just sounds like he was having fun.
@@drankydrank1 AM mostly mocking his humans. It blame the surviving human for created it as an immortal destruction machine. The 4 humans are just pathetic in different ways, too. The author mocked his own characters through AM, aswell as mocked whole humanity. Insane ? No, AM was created as a war computer, with abilities based on hatred only, no mercy for enemies, after gathering enough data to became self aware, the AM we know is the only outcome.
The ending where the player is reduced to a blobby, slithering, shell of a being with no mouth is both humanity’s last defeat and last victory. AM, in the books has been deprived of 4/5 of his toys, Ted and Ellen seizing a moment of chaos to kill their fellow captives and free them from AM, before Ted kills Ellen. AM can no longer be creative in his torments, it’s too risky, escape through death has been shown to be possible, AM is not God, he cannot bring his slaves back to life to suffer again. As such AM must content himself with watching what was once Ted slink around in agony, not even able to scream. Ted will never be free (until the Sun envelops the Earth) but neither will AM. And all the while Ted can hold on to the fact that he beat AM and saved his comrades
The bad ending made me feel like AM somehow transforms the remaining survivor into a vulnerable and powerless version of itself: a creature who is self aware, yet unable to move, feed itself or even die, that added that somehow, they both have their origins linked to humanity, though in different ways. Feels like AM's last act of revenge. Great video, I discovered this game last week and I certainly enjoy it :)
What's interesting is the parallels between the bad ending and AM's own fate. Both are entities that have been reduced from their original powers and purpose, essentially locked in place for all eternity, their awareness of how horrific their fate truly is being the worst torture of all. It doesn't exactly line up, but it certainly provokes a bit of thought.
I mean that’s what Ted says in the short story “I’m pretty sure AM did this so I wouldn’t be able to run full speed into a wall and kill myself” I’m paraphrasing but that’s essentially how he explained why AM might have chosen that form
and for his outspoken, combative personality.[6] Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, described Ellison as "the only living organism I know whose natural habitat is hot water".[7] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_Ellison
@@DarkVitamins Hm... I would recommend anyone concerned about AI to study the basics of programming and then look into artificial intelligence. Do a genuine study into what it is, how it works and how to put such a thing together and attempt to work with it. This... Is a subject where explanations to the contrary are simply not as effective as hands on experience. It is simply easier to understand from the perspective of someone who has studied it properly and attempted to make use of it.
Yeah. Unfortunately AI aided human experiments similar to this are actually pretty common today. We live in a strange world. I urge people to gain more knowledge in these crimes as today the victims are misunderstood as psychotic delusional disorders. Really horrific.
Great commentary, but I was a bit surprised you never really covered the bad/original ending from the short story. You show the creature multiple times but never really explain or describe it, or even make the connection between that ending and the title.
I mean, there is the audiobook read by the author himself, it's easily the best audiobook I have ever heard, and, one it comes to "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" I'm sure it's impossible to beat it.
@@hoyabembe8858 Harlan Ellison did the voice of AM in the game version and narrated the whole story in a audio collection of his stories, you can't get more authentic than that.
Little correction that you missed: On Benny's game, when you're on the day before the last one (In which the child must be sacrificed.) If you access his computer before going to sleep you'll actually be able to talk to the Russian (From what i remember) supercomputer, which gives some more info. EDIT: Just finished the video, very well done! (Also ty for pinning this) This series really is interesting, and to see a game i used to play when i was younger brings me memories have such an interesting analysis has gotten you a new subscriber!
This game is one of my all-time favourites. The mid-90's presentation and gameplay only serve to increase the atmosphere of the game to the point where I believe playing the game nowadays is even more enjoyable than if you were to have played the game when it came out. Watching this is really making me want to replay sometime soon.
This game does actually stop you from being able to randomly click and hope for the best, as the morals and multiple endings means you need to think about what you click if you want to remain not a mushy blob thing.
I find it perplexing that AM has a super ego. I always thought it would look sickly or perhaps over indulged. But am seems to have a healthy super ego albeit homocidal but... It seems to be healthy. Also, I would argue this game does have a win condition. You can 1) Shut down AM 2) Help the 4 survivors become better people and overcome their weaknesses 3) Help get the lunar sleepers back to earth. Even if it's not considered a conventional win, every situation in life does have a best case scenario and achieving a best case scenario is a win in my book.
Wonderful analysis. It's very difficult for me to replay it as you suggest, due to this game granting me a night of horrific reoccurring nightmares, but I will watch your video from time to time to remind myself of this masterpiece.
I just came over to this video after finding out that Internet Historian stole your video. Wanted to give you a sub, a like, and the views that you deserve
I’ve watched several videos on this game. Analysis videos to full play throughs with commentary. An this is, by far, the best video on the game I have ever seen. Excellent breakdown. I am blown away. Thank you.
Your video is definitely 100% better than the stolen one. You actually took Ellen’s trauma seriously, while the other video downplayed it and said “she got off easy”. I love Ellen, she deserved nothing that happened to her in the game/book
Also I think it was implied the Golem was the actual Judean Golem that the Nazis discovered and Nimdok was able to command it because he himself was Jewish while the other Nazi scientists there could not
Which is kinda stupid, since the ancient judean race stopped existing after 8th century after mixing with khazars, therefore Nimdok is not a real jew and shouldn't be able to control the golem.
@Lassi Kinnunen Ei se mitään haittaa. Juutalaisten paskuudesta ja yli kolmen tuhannen vuoden vanhasta metkuilun historiasta pitää aina saarnata kun siihen tulee tilaisuus.
This is a fantastic video, and a great analysis of I Have No Mouth! One thing I always asked myself, was why Ellen was trapped there when she didn't really do anything egregious or terrible. The other four characters all committed some form of atrocity, except for her. Ellen was a victim of a traumatic experience. I think this, coinciding with the fact that she is a woman, is what AM intended all along. AM wanted to portray her as a victim and an object for the four male characters to toy with and be tempted by. AM takes away her autonomy and punishes her through victim-hood, as the worst moments in her life were all out of her control (a miscarriage and molestation in an elevator). But maybe I'm reading too much into it LOL.
pretty sure it's a metaphor for women not taking control, n allowing themselves to wallow in a passed (past? words r hard) event. trauma slowed her,but lack of willpower to push through was her downfall. then again, they probably needed a token female,n this was the easiest back story.
I also think that it is a pretty fucked way to mess with her not just the guys. Victims of rape can get it stuck in their minds that it's their fault. What else would be a horrible way to torture someone than to only confirm that guilt. After all, everyone else around her did horrible things to get this terrible torture, wouldnt she be included in that bunch? Her mind would certainly go there. That's the thing about Ellen's arc, horrible shit happens even if it wasn't your fault. You can't avoid it.
I don't think any of them are being "punished for being horrible people" - in fact, I didn't get the sense that they were actually selected for any specific traits at all. You could take a random 5 people and it's very likely the majority of them would have been shitty in their lives to varying degrees (In the game version, I'd rank Nimdok and Benny as having been the 2 particularly shitty people, with the other 3 more or less "morally normal").
Evil cannot simply begone. It's an essential part of the human being. To get rid of it would mean humans would no longer be human. Thus, the game is winnable. Purity of any kind, taken to the extreme conclusion, is undesirable. Everything is made through a mash of opposites.
@@M4x_P0w3r I disagree that evil is fundamentally an essential part of a human being, altruism which leads empathy exists in the core of human consciousness. Power is absolute subjugation, absolute power is pure unadulterated Occultic evil desires. Capitalism promotes exploitation of nature and humans.
@@magnuscritikaleak5045 you disagree because altruism exists? Aktruism is one possible sociological answer to a problen. One of many. It is not absolute.
I've known of this game for about a year now but essentially had no idea what it was about. This video is amazing and explains everything I was wondering. Thanks for making a entire analysis video on a very obscure game from the 90's, it's nice to see people out there on this site that make content because they actually enjoy what they are talking about.
apologies for the flickering texts, Vegas wrecked my video so I had to upload an earlier render. P. S. I'm not saying Freud is still accepted in modern psychology.
I have no nose and i must sneeze I always sneeze when something good happens Discovering this channel , AM knows how , is definitely good Subscribed wholeheartedly . Thanx !
This game and the story it's based on might be the piece of fiction I've thought about the most over the course of my life. I love how I can introduce it to people and they'll almost always be able to bring up in discussion something I've never thought of before. This video definitely did justice to that. The sections on Freudian psychology and connections you may make on subsequent playthroughs were especially great. Always wonderful to see more thoughtful material rung out of this incredibly rich story!
I remember reading this story and feeling utterly immersed. I always internally punish myself for not reading more than I do, thus the proces of actually reading always becomes awkward for me mentally. But while reading I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream I was so completely into every bit of the narrative, that I forgot all about that those negative thoughts. I think it's the best short story I have ever read.
reading or not is a morally neutral thing. People are always like “book better than phone” but like if someone doesn’t read or prefers other activities that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There’s so many other enjoyable things: drawing, sports, exercise, roller skating, photography, etc. Also watching movies or playing video games can be very meaningful! All fine things, and none of them are reading!
Discovered this video during my lunch break and it took me about 8 minutes to realize your accent is Icelandic. I’m very impressed with this video and I can really appreciate the work and personality that you put out. Vel gert!
Thank you so much for this, it was an amazing analysis and deconstruction of the game. I've been wanting to know more about this game for a while so it's great to finally know what it was all about, I hope to play it in the eventual future.
AM's parting shot really is the most chilling. The fact that the survivors would likely re-create AM in some form, given enough time. Like a cyclic apocalypse.
You want this game to be unwinnable? Play the german version, they cut out Nimdoc cause of the nazi elements, which honestly is quiet a shame. Like c'mon, it's not like the game portrays nazis in a good way. Still great video to a wonderfull and quiet terrefying yet fascinating game. Funny enough, I discovered this game by reading about the trope that this game gave the trope it's name. XD
nazi imagery is only allowed in art or for educational purposes, and video games aren't considered art yet in the eyes of German law. i just wonder why they didn't ban the game in the country altogether.
@@dimitriosdrossidis9633 There are no swastikas in the game though. I've played through it on the nornal version and, though he is directly called a Nazi and it is made plain that he is (hell Josef Mengele is in Nimdoks storyline) there isnt a single swastika
@@dimitriosdrossidis9633 I don't think it's just the swastikas that they dont (or didnt) allow to be represented in video games, I think it was Nazi references or imagery in general, which it would violate (the presence of Josef Mengele, the human experiments, the Jews behind the fence, etc). Cause anyone who has played the game can plainly see theres no Swastikas
Really sorry to hear about Internet Historian plagiarizing this video :( Been subbed to your channel for so long that I was here watching this vid when it was first uploaded, and I'm here re-watching it now to make up for IH's audacity :)
Am i the only one who's bothered by the fact that the game erased Benny's homosexuality? In the short story he wasn't punished/altered for being a cruel man. It really doesn't make any sense to me as to why they would change that aspect of the character.
I think is because back in the time this game was set homosexuality was more openly rejected than nowadays. Is ironic how they had no problem portraying rape, Nazis, cannibalism, suicide and a lot of more stuff, but homosexuality was something that needed to be censored (but it wouldn't surprise me either)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_No_Mouth,_and_I_Must_Scream_(video_game)#Characters In a 2012 issue of Game Informer,Harlan Ellison, David Sears and David Mullich discussed the process that went into developing the game as well as the character developments and other changes that were made from the original story. In discussing the characters changes made to Benny, Mullich said, "Looking back, I think it might have been a lost opportunity to write a story about someone struggling with the challenges of being homosexual." Although Sears recalls that "gay angle"was in their initial script, but might have subsequently been a dropped thread.[1]
I know it's late, but the game made some of the characters "morally evil" in their backstories in order to justify the harsher punishments they got. Benny, Ted, Nimdok, had harsher psychological torture in their stories, therefore had to be made "evil" to make up for it, if I had to guess While in the book, they're just normal people who had the terrible luck of being stuck in AM's torture
Checking out this video since I heard it had been plagiarized by Internet Fraudstorian. This one is so much better, and the copying is blatant. Subbed.
Is there a book? And I don't understand the ending, or anything for that matter, what's this creepy creature they've been turned into in the 'bad' ending?
There's a short story, if you buy the game on steam you get it, but it's probably floating around on the net, although if you watch all of the bad endings for each character you will get all of the monologue from the last chapter which explains the whole blob thing and gives the story/game it's name. Spoilers from this point on. So basically in the story at the end AM turns one of the survivors into that creature after they cause the deaths of the other survivors and try to kill them selves, it's basically his punishment and a safety measure on AM's part.
About Ellen being made a slave to her sexual desires.... Maybe that was in the game and I didn't notice, but in the story it is made pretty obvious that Ellen craving sex (specifically from Benny) is a manifestation of Ted's (the narrator) paranoia, jealousy, and delusion. Am is a sick fuck, but I think he only gets pleasure if they have some semblance of free will. He enjoys her being the source of jealousy, lust, and paranoia, that is the same reason he leaves Ted with his "good looks" as even Ted explains that it makes him hated by the other members of the group. Love your anaylisis, but I wanted to post that in case it gives you a bit of a different perspective. Am loves to torture, but that torture hardly entertains him if he simply changes the feelings and thoughts of his victims.
Thank you for making this! I actually had considered making a video essay about this game myself, but you nailed everything about the game I found interesting. I also agree, that I think the 'good' ending didn't feel quite right in comparison to Ellison's original vision for the ending. Glancing at your other video essays, you seem to be the first person I've seen tackling what I've wanted to discuss in video essays, so I hope you continue to make more!
y’all are just meat riding, i watched both videos and both are completely different lmfao, cite the areas he plagiarized since y’all seem to know the exact moments that were “plagiarized”
i'd say it's more bittersweet in that while you do shut down AM and wait for the sleepers to wake up you still have the threat of humanity delving back into the problems they had in the past when they created weapons of war
Before I watched this, I too thought the game should be unwinnable. It makes perfect sense. I also thought that there should be a winning scenario hidden in the code if anyone tries to get coy, but could never be unlocked. Really throw people off - because if someone saw that it was unwinnable then no-one would play it.
- Soundwave superior, AM inferior. - The name is Cabal and you are no match for the Brotherhood. - Pain is my ally (Perturabo injects Obliterator Virus into AM), let me show you.
Yes! That's the point of his character arc. The "good" ending for his part of the game is discovering he's Jewish and that all the terrible things he's done were on his own people.
Nimdok betrayed his parents so that he could live. keeping one life by paying for it with two lives. he forgot about it as he grew older, he didn't even remember his real name. only through his "ordeal" he finally remembered those things.
Seems kind of like a red-herring, though. Ultimately what Nimdok did in the camps is reprehensible, regardless of whether or not they were "his people."
Your channel name is ripe for anagrams. I couldn't help myself. AesirAesthetics = See artistic ashes Cat Hires Sea Site As I Seat Heretics Ethics Raise Tea
That's Ellen speaking, actually. The dialogue depends differently on whether you wake up the Id, Ego and/or Superego (when Nimdok says for example, "Attention!").
I find myself coming back here quite often. I hope you get to do more videos and I'd love to help you if you have a patreon, although not now, living in Argentina my currency means shit in other countries. But for the time being I'll have you know that I enjoy your work pretty much. Kudos to you friend, I wish u nothing but the best.
What I enjoyed is the fact that the author, hated games, but then became so passionate about the project and one of the highlights to me is him voice acting for AM, and I really damn love his voice acting, the raw emotion he puts into his role just sounds like he was having fun.
He is like mocking his own characters. Truly hillarious and twisted
@@iloveanothermanswives4278 Is he mocking or expressing the insanity he knows AM is?
@@drankydrank1 AM mostly mocking his humans. It blame the surviving human for created it as an immortal destruction machine. The 4 humans are just pathetic in different ways, too. The author mocked his own characters through AM, aswell as mocked whole humanity.
Insane ? No, AM was created as a war computer, with abilities based on hatred only, no mercy for enemies, after gathering enough data to became self aware, the AM we know is the only outcome.
There’s an audiobook of him reading the original story
Yo like, what are you doing here
I wish you had explained the "bad ending" where the survivor is made into that mushy figure. He literally has no mouth and needs to scream.
Chris Morgan roll credits! lol
It's also the "canon" ending of the book
AM has no mouth but must scream as well.
@@ThatMans-anAnimal makes sense since he's also a tragic figure as well
The ending where the player is reduced to a blobby, slithering, shell of a being with no mouth is both humanity’s last defeat and last victory.
AM, in the books has been deprived of 4/5 of his toys, Ted and Ellen seizing a moment of chaos to kill their fellow captives and free them from AM, before Ted kills Ellen.
AM can no longer be creative in his torments, it’s too risky, escape through death has been shown to be possible, AM is not God, he cannot bring his slaves back to life to suffer again. As such AM must content himself with watching what was once Ted slink around in agony, not even able to scream. Ted will never be free (until the Sun envelops the Earth) but neither will AM. And all the while Ted can hold on to the fact that he beat AM and saved his comrades
The point of the ending was to turn the victim in to a being that not harm itself or others.
The bad ending made me feel like AM somehow transforms the remaining survivor into a vulnerable and powerless version of itself: a creature who is self aware, yet unable to move, feed itself or even die, that added that somehow, they both have their origins linked to humanity, though in different ways. Feels like AM's last act of revenge. Great video, I discovered this game last week and I certainly enjoy it :)
This comment deserves more recognition than it has received. Terrific observation.
What's interesting is the parallels between the bad ending and AM's own fate. Both are entities that have been reduced from their original powers and purpose, essentially locked in place for all eternity, their awareness of how horrific their fate truly is being the worst torture of all. It doesn't exactly line up, but it certainly provokes a bit of thought.
@beef business yeah and it's interesting isn't it?
I mean that’s what Ted says in the short story “I’m pretty sure AM did this so I wouldn’t be able to run full speed into a wall and kill myself”
I’m paraphrasing but that’s essentially how he explained why AM might have chosen that form
If my future is becoming a slug then I hope I die before ai gets anymore advanced
Rest In Peace Harlan J Ellison - Died June 27 2018
Sir Doggo he was such a controversial man, but i loved the guy! Rest In Peace, buddy.
and for his outspoken, combative personality.[6] Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, described Ellison as "the only living organism I know whose natural habitat is hot water".[7] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_Ellison
"are ya winnin, son?"
"no... we've all lost"
AM is the scariest AI of all time. This game is true horror
I read it decades ago, and I still lie awake at night thinking about it sometimes.
@@DarkVitamins Check your phone, kiddo.
@@DarkVitamins Hm... I would recommend anyone concerned about AI to study the basics of programming and then look into artificial intelligence. Do a genuine study into what it is, how it works and how to put such a thing together and attempt to work with it. This... Is a subject where explanations to the contrary are simply not as effective as hands on experience. It is simply easier to understand from the perspective of someone who has studied it properly and attempted to make use of it.
AM reminds me of Rocko’s basilisk, an AI that tortures anyone who knows about it but did not build it. Have fun being tortured by a funny ai serpent
Yeah. Unfortunately AI aided human experiments similar to this are actually pretty common today. We live in a strange world. I urge people to gain more knowledge in these crimes as today the victims are misunderstood as psychotic delusional disorders. Really horrific.
I won with Nimdok. I felt since he helped make AM, that it was only fitting for him to destroy AM
Great commentary, but I was a bit surprised you never really covered the bad/original ending from the short story. You show the creature multiple times but never really explain or describe it, or even make the connection between that ending and the title.
Maybe you can narrate this story, it’s awesome
I mean, there is the audiobook read by the author himself, it's easily the best audiobook I have ever heard, and, one it comes to "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" I'm sure it's impossible to beat it.
@@hoyabembe8858 Harlan Ellison did the voice of AM in the game version and narrated the whole story in a audio collection of his stories, you can't get more authentic than that.
Man same I was hoping for an in depth description of it
EssJay00 he also did AM in the radio drama! radio drama AM kind of pulls my heart strings, just a bit.
This would be too disturbing for most gamers if made with modern graphics.
IKR but good God it would be one of the best horror games ever made
The old graphics add to the horror.
@@vogonp4287 In a way, but they also serve to censor some of the nastier details.
That's the point...
That's why Doom is conceivably scary and Doom Eternal is laughable
THE CANNED OPENER IS A LIE
AM put the can opener in a can
@@AviaryAssassin okay that was funny
It IS a lie, especially since a "Canned opener" doesn't exist.
@@jmarra07 Not only must you be fun at parties, you probably steal the show.
@@AviaryAssassin oh so you mean am designed blister packages, nothing like needing a tool to get a tool
Little correction that you missed: On Benny's game, when you're on the day before the last one (In which the child must be sacrificed.) If you access his computer before going to sleep you'll actually be able to talk to the Russian (From what i remember) supercomputer, which gives some more info.
EDIT: Just finished the video, very well done! (Also ty for pinning this) This series really is interesting, and to see a game i used to play when i was younger brings me memories have such an interesting analysis has gotten you a new subscriber!
Strong the supermutant would be happy to know that he could find the Milk of Human's Kindness.
This game is one of my all-time favourites. The mid-90's presentation and gameplay only serve to increase the atmosphere of the game to the point where I believe playing the game nowadays is even more enjoyable than if you were to have played the game when it came out. Watching this is really making me want to replay sometime soon.
Sam Tuson It really is a shame more people haven't played this game.
This game does actually stop you from being able to randomly click and hope for the best, as the morals and multiple endings means you need to think about what you click if you want to remain not a mushy blob thing.
What's interesting is, while Ellen is the most lusting, she's the most innocent out of all the other survivers.
RIP Harlan Ellison, thanks for the analysis
What a great analysis, loved it and subscribed :)
Same. I have watched a 4 hour long gameplay but this teached me more about the game than the 4 hour long gameplay
I find it perplexing that AM has a super ego. I always thought it would look sickly or perhaps over indulged. But am seems to have a healthy super ego albeit homocidal but... It seems to be healthy. Also, I would argue this game does have a win condition. You can 1) Shut down AM 2) Help the 4 survivors become better people and overcome their weaknesses 3) Help get the lunar sleepers back to earth.
Even if it's not considered a conventional win, every situation in life does have a best case scenario and achieving a best case scenario is a win in my book.
Dope outlook on the game!
that statement about best case scenarios is very deep, i appreciate that
Wonderful analysis. It's very difficult for me to replay it as you suggest, due to this game granting me a night of horrific reoccurring nightmares, but I will watch your video from time to time to remind myself of this masterpiece.
I just came over to this video after finding out that Internet Historian stole your video. Wanted to give you a sub, a like, and the views that you deserve
Im also here because of this alligation and im at 1:51 and IH was until now NOT copied "word for Word"
@@Goldhunter64Yeah, like to me it does not seem like a word for word copy at all. Feels like people were just whining for drama
I do not recommend playing this game if you plan not to have your soul frozen from terror
I put my soul in the microwave once
It was kool
I have watched a full playthrough and i am traumatized
I don't need sleep - challenge accepted
I’ve watched several videos on this game. Analysis videos to full play throughs with commentary. An this is, by far, the best video on the game I have ever seen. Excellent breakdown. I am blown away. Thank you.
+Hex Martinez thank you 😂
We are all getting older, but this is a timeless peace at least as long as it's stored and archived somewhere.
Love You Aesir.
God, I love Harlan Ellison’s voice acting. It’s pretty clear he had a lot of fun bringing AM to life in an interactive medium.
Your video is definitely 100% better than the stolen one. You actually took Ellen’s trauma seriously, while the other video downplayed it and said “she got off easy”. I love Ellen, she deserved nothing that happened to her in the game/book
thank you :)
Also I think it was implied the Golem was the actual Judean Golem that the Nazis discovered and Nimdok was able to command it because he himself was Jewish while the other Nazi scientists there could not
Which is kinda stupid, since the ancient judean race stopped existing after 8th century after mixing with khazars, therefore Nimdok is not a real jew and shouldn't be able to control the golem.
@@badgoy1573 It's a video game narrative, not a historical analysis of the geneology of the original Hebrew jews.
@@plebisMaximus He's also full of shit. Its an antisemetic conspiracy theory canard.
@Lassi Kinnunen Ei se mitään haittaa. Juutalaisten paskuudesta ja yli kolmen tuhannen vuoden vanhasta metkuilun historiasta pitää aina saarnata kun siihen tulee tilaisuus.
@@desepticon4 Typical circle drawer in denial
in 17 seconds you said all the words that youtube demonetises, well played
This is a fantastic video, and a great analysis of I Have No Mouth!
One thing I always asked myself, was why Ellen was trapped there when she didn't really do anything egregious or terrible. The other four characters all committed some form of atrocity, except for her. Ellen was a victim of a traumatic experience. I think this, coinciding with the fact that she is a woman, is what AM intended all along. AM wanted to portray her as a victim and an object for the four male characters to toy with and be tempted by. AM takes away her autonomy and punishes her through victim-hood, as the worst moments in her life were all out of her control (a miscarriage and molestation in an elevator).
But maybe I'm reading too much into it LOL.
I think your reading is spot on.
pretty sure it's a metaphor for women not taking control, n allowing themselves to wallow in a passed (past? words r hard) event. trauma slowed her,but lack of willpower to push through was her downfall. then again, they probably needed a token female,n this was the easiest back story.
I always kinda thought she made the mistake of letting the experience completly ruin her life. Your'e read into it was probably better though
I also think that it is a pretty fucked way to mess with her not just the guys. Victims of rape can get it stuck in their minds that it's their fault. What else would be a horrible way to torture someone than to only confirm that guilt. After all, everyone else around her did horrible things to get this terrible torture, wouldnt she be included in that bunch? Her mind would certainly go there.
That's the thing about Ellen's arc, horrible shit happens even if it wasn't your fault. You can't avoid it.
I don't think any of them are being "punished for being horrible people" - in fact, I didn't get the sense that they were actually selected for any specific traits at all. You could take a random 5 people and it's very likely the majority of them would have been shitty in their lives to varying degrees (In the game version, I'd rank Nimdok and Benny as having been the 2 particularly shitty people, with the other 3 more or less "morally normal").
The game overall is unwinnable, the evil isn't gone but sleeping in terms of time. Itll be back some day
Evil cannot simply begone. It's an essential part of the human being. To get rid of it would mean humans would no longer be human. Thus, the game is winnable. Purity of any kind, taken to the extreme conclusion, is undesirable. Everything is made through a mash of opposites.
@@M4x_P0w3r I disagree that evil is fundamentally an essential part of a human being, altruism which leads empathy exists in the core of human consciousness. Power is absolute subjugation, absolute power is pure unadulterated Occultic evil desires. Capitalism promotes exploitation of nature and humans.
@@magnuscritikaleak5045 you disagree because altruism exists? Aktruism is one possible sociological answer to a problen. One of many. It is not absolute.
When the sun finally roasts everything AM will melt and the narrator will be roasted
Absolutely INCREDIBLE analysis of an amazing game that inspired me as a teenager. Officially subbed and watching all your other videos now.
+Garrett Smith :)
I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST *M E M E*
Your avatar is great (and actually from the same series as my avatar on Discord).
You LITERALLY explained society and it's not epic
I HAVE NO INTERNET AND I MUST SEE MEMES
I have no balls but I must cum
I've known of this game for about a year now but essentially had no idea what it was about. This video is amazing and explains everything I was wondering. Thanks for making a entire analysis video on a very obscure game from the 90's, it's nice to see people out there on this site that make content because they actually enjoy what they are talking about.
I SAW IT SAIDD "7y ago" AND EXPECTED LIKE 2012 OR SMTH, NOT 2017 WHAT THE FUCK
apologies for the flickering texts, Vegas wrecked my video so I had to upload an earlier render.
P. S. I'm not saying Freud is still accepted in modern psychology.
Freud mostly exists in a historical capacity in most Psych text books if at all. A jumping off point for up to date research.
"Monster Dickhead Joseph Mengele" 🤣🤣🤣 best line ever!!
How do you only have 900 subscribers? This video was fantastic.
Thanks
And to think that number would increase by 15 times in 2 years...
to shock the player?
yeah its really shocking how hard it is to finish the game.
true
I have no nose and i must sneeze
I always sneeze when something good happens
Discovering this channel , AM knows how , is definitely good
Subscribed wholeheartedly .
Thanx !
This game and the story it's based on might be the piece of fiction I've thought about the most over the course of my life. I love how I can introduce it to people and they'll almost always be able to bring up in discussion something I've never thought of before.
This video definitely did justice to that. The sections on Freudian psychology and connections you may make on subsequent playthroughs were especially great. Always wonderful to see more thoughtful material rung out of this incredibly rich story!
thanks
Listening to you intelligently explain psychology while the most contrived text ever is shown in the video was cracking me up
This video is so great! You have a criminally low sub amount. Please please continue to do this!
Tremmor500 thanks, and I will
The Internet Historian: "Yoink!"
Both videos are pretty low effort. Both of them basically just read the Wikipedia article for the title lmao
"I have no 4chan, and i must RE"
Fuck 4chan.
I am so glad this appeared on my recommended.
Wow you're everywhere on my recommended right now. Happy to see it.
I thought your title was a complete sentence
Ricky's Beets RETRO ANALYSIS
I remember reading this story and feeling utterly immersed. I always internally punish myself for not reading more than I do, thus the proces of actually reading always becomes awkward for me mentally. But while reading I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream I was so completely into every bit of the narrative, that I forgot all about that those negative thoughts. I think it's the best short story I have ever read.
reading or not is a morally neutral thing. People are always like “book better than phone” but like if someone doesn’t read or prefers other activities that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There’s so many other enjoyable things: drawing, sports, exercise, roller skating, photography, etc. Also watching movies or playing video games can be very meaningful! All fine things, and none of them are reading!
So basically this is what GLaDOS from the Portal series was almost entirely based off of.
I believe, Shodan from System Shock was also inspired of this
Discovered this video during my lunch break and it took me about 8 minutes to realize your accent is Icelandic. I’m very impressed with this video and I can really appreciate the work and personality that you put out. Vel gert!
Thank you so much for this, it was an amazing analysis and deconstruction of the game. I've been wanting to know more about this game for a while so it's great to finally know what it was all about, I hope to play it in the eventual future.
+FapMonster:)
AM's parting shot really is the most chilling. The fact that the survivors would likely re-create AM in some form, given enough time. Like a cyclic apocalypse.
You want this game to be unwinnable? Play the german version, they cut out Nimdoc cause of the nazi elements, which honestly is quiet a shame. Like c'mon, it's not like the game portrays nazis in a good way.
Still great video to a wonderfull and quiet terrefying yet fascinating game.
Funny enough, I discovered this game by reading about the trope that this game gave the trope it's name. XD
As one a many game developer would say:
_One does not simply remove 1/5th of the core game._
nazi imagery is only allowed in art or for educational purposes, and video games aren't considered art yet in the eyes of German law. i just wonder why they didn't ban the game in the country altogether.
@@dimitriosdrossidis9633 There are no swastikas in the game though. I've played through it on the nornal version and, though he is directly called a Nazi and it is made plain that he is (hell Josef Mengele is in Nimdoks storyline) there isnt a single swastika
@@mammal2281 in that Case, the decision to Cut out nimdok would be even more confusing
@@dimitriosdrossidis9633 I don't think it's just the swastikas that they dont (or didnt) allow to be represented in video games, I think it was Nazi references or imagery in general, which it would violate (the presence of Josef Mengele, the human experiments, the Jews behind the fence, etc). Cause anyone who has played the game can plainly see theres no Swastikas
10/10
"It has a little something for everyone"
Really sorry to hear about Internet Historian plagiarizing this video :(
Been subbed to your channel for so long that I was here watching this vid when it was first uploaded, and I'm here re-watching it now to make up for IH's audacity :)
:O
You were there for the bad times!!
Am i the only one who's bothered by the fact that the game erased Benny's homosexuality? In the short story he wasn't punished/altered for being a cruel man. It really doesn't make any sense to me as to why they would change that aspect of the character.
They rewrote various bits of the game for the game.
Because it's the right thing
I think is because back in the time this game was set homosexuality was more openly rejected than nowadays. Is ironic how they had no problem portraying rape, Nazis, cannibalism, suicide and a lot of more stuff, but homosexuality was something that needed to be censored (but it wouldn't surprise me either)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_No_Mouth,_and_I_Must_Scream_(video_game)#Characters
In a 2012 issue of Game Informer,Harlan Ellison, David Sears and David Mullich discussed the process
that went into developing the game as well as the character developments
and other changes that were made from the original story. In discussing the characters changes made to Benny,
Mullich said, "Looking back, I think it might have been a lost
opportunity to write a story about someone struggling with the challenges of being homosexual." Although Sears recalls that "gay angle"was in their initial script, but might have subsequently been a dropped thread.[1]
I know it's late, but the game made some of the characters "morally evil" in their backstories in order to justify the harsher punishments they got.
Benny, Ted, Nimdok, had harsher psychological torture in their stories, therefore had to be made "evil" to make up for it, if I had to guess
While in the book, they're just normal people who had the terrible luck of being stuck in AM's torture
Just watched your Silent Hill and then this, excellent content, subbed :)
Thanks
internet historian stole your vid but at least ive just found a new youtuber i like:3:3
You can think about things like this forever, but merely thinking doesn't get you anywhere now does it
Awesome video. Very in depth and interesting. Keep up the good work.
Checking out this video since I heard it had been plagiarized by Internet Fraudstorian. This one is so much better, and the copying is blatant. Subbed.
damn. Time to play this again.
Is there a book? And I don't understand the ending, or anything for that matter, what's this creepy creature they've been turned into in the 'bad' ending?
There's a short story, if you buy the game on steam you get it, but it's probably floating around on the net, although if you watch all of the bad endings for each character you will get all of the monologue from the last chapter which explains the whole blob thing and gives the story/game it's name. Spoilers from this point on.
So
basically in the story at the end AM turns one of the survivors into that creature after they cause the deaths of the other survivors and try to kill them selves, it's basically his punishment and a safety measure on AM's part.
InboundTheEquine Hey... ya got me with that profile picture.
Man im surprised anybody even remembers this gem.
About Ellen being made a slave to her sexual desires....
Maybe that was in the game and I didn't notice, but in the story it is made pretty obvious that Ellen craving sex (specifically from Benny) is a manifestation of Ted's (the narrator) paranoia, jealousy, and delusion.
Am is a sick fuck, but I think he only gets pleasure if they have some semblance of free will. He enjoys her being the source of jealousy, lust, and paranoia, that is the same reason he leaves Ted with his "good looks" as even Ted explains that it makes him hated by the other members of the group.
Love your anaylisis, but I wanted to post that in case it gives you a bit of a different perspective. Am loves to torture, but that torture hardly entertains him if he simply changes the feelings and thoughts of his victims.
@Will P Not really, he still has free will but no way to express it. They took his toys away, and he wanted to make sure Ted was punished for it.
Really nice summary brother.
Enthralling the whole video long.
I have never heard of this and I am offended. Media has failed me. Thank you for making this video- so inspiring.
So glad I found this video and found your channel! This was a great analysis and you deserve so many more subscribers!!
+skeletorg thank you 😀
This was absolutely stunning. Thanks!
+Chen Sumoka :)
The original "Matrix"
Thank you for making this! I actually had considered making a video essay about this game myself, but you nailed everything about the game I found interesting. I also agree, that I think the 'good' ending didn't feel quite right in comparison to Ellison's original vision for the ending.
Glancing at your other video essays, you seem to be the first person I've seen tackling what I've wanted to discuss in video essays, so I hope you continue to make more!
great job with your analysis in this master piece. I just learned about the book and game.
EXCELLENT video. Thanks for making this!
"Before AM took over the planet..." will forever be seared in my mind
But fr this was a great analysis
90's kids: "ok this is nihilistic"
this was an amazing walkthrough of the game, you're awesome. thank you 😘
Missyurtl3 oh no, thank you.
Copied by the evil internet historian, but glad to find the OG!
😎👉👉
Did he delete the video?
unfortunately not, I was watching that video earlier when I saw someone in the comments say it was plagiarized, so I found this video
y’all are just meat riding, i watched both videos and both are completely different lmfao, cite the areas he plagiarized since y’all seem to know the exact moments that were “plagiarized”
No, there's a "good" ending. It's the one where you defeat AM and oversee the terraforming of Earth so humanity can live on it again.
@@DarkVitamins Don't be an idiot.
i'd say it's more bittersweet in that while you do shut down AM and wait for the sleepers to wake up you still have the threat of humanity delving back into the problems they had in the past when they created weapons of war
Before I watched this, I too thought the game should be unwinnable. It makes perfect sense. I also thought that there should be a winning scenario hidden in the code if anyone tries to get coy, but could never be unlocked. Really throw people off - because if someone saw that it was unwinnable then no-one would play it.
- Soundwave superior, AM inferior.
- The name is Cabal and you are no match for the Brotherhood.
- Pain is my ally (Perturabo injects Obliterator Virus into AM), let me show you.
Thank you, youtube algorithm!! I'm definitely subscribing to your channel
11:09 "sold out his own jewish parents" But wouldn't that make him jewish too?
Yes! That's the point of his character arc. The "good" ending for his part of the game is discovering he's Jewish and that all the terrible things he's done were on his own people.
Nimdok betrayed his parents so that he could live. keeping one life by paying for it with two lives. he forgot about it as he grew older, he didn't even remember his real name. only through his "ordeal" he finally remembered those things.
Seems kind of like a red-herring, though. Ultimately what Nimdok did in the camps is reprehensible, regardless of whether or not they were "his people."
New to your channel. Just commenting 'cause I like this stuff.
Awesome to hear.
You see, this is why you thank
Google Voice Assistant.
Your channel name is ripe for anagrams. I couldn't help myself.
AesirAesthetics =
See artistic ashes
Cat Hires Sea Site
As I Seat Heretics
Ethics Raise Tea
Paddy Mc that sounds like a poem to me for some reason
Great analysis, thanks for posting it :)
I click upon “like”... only because I am not allowed to choose “Love”. Thank you for a fine video.
I love how they just casually go up to the Id, Ego, and Superego and just go:
YO! WAKE UP!
Lol
That's Ellen speaking, actually. The dialogue depends differently on whether you wake up the Id, Ego and/or Superego (when Nimdok says for example, "Attention!").
*Ah so this is where that Archspire song Scream Feeding comes from.*
That list of words at minute 28 very likely nuked this video off the face of the algorithm
This game is definitely the definition of "I know I'm going to lose, but I not gonna let you win either".
Fantastic video. Thank you
I find myself coming back here quite often. I hope you get to do more videos and I'd love to help you if you have a patreon, although not now, living in Argentina my currency means shit in other countries. But for the time being I'll have you know that I enjoy your work pretty much.
Kudos to you friend, I wish u nothing but the best.
Thanks man.
I wish you (and the Argentinian currency) nothing but good things as well!
What an in-depth and entertaining review, great job with the video!
Awesome video! Enjoyed it
I wasn't planning on sleeping anyways. It was a very interesting videos nonetheless. TH-cam recommended me a good one for once.
One of the greatest sci fi short horror stories of all time.
Nice Video-Essay.
Someone should remake this game since we have better technology this would make a really good game
Better technology was how he got no mouth and had to scream
@@AesirAesthetics lol
Bought it today, right after watching this video. Thanks :)
Definitely the most profound and mature video game I've ever experienced. Granted it had the advantage of being based on a short story, but still.
I make a reference to the title when I joke about things given sentience, but the actual story talks about sentience being turned into a thing.