Simulations in Media

Since universal simulations/simulated realities aren't a real thing (yet), it's important that I look into different depictions of simulations in media to inform my own ideas. The things I'm going to be looking for specifically are:

What is the story/context around the simulation?
Who/what created the simulation? How?
What are the inhabitants like?
What is the purpose of the simulation?
What is the world like outside of the simulation?
Can the simulation be manipulated? Are there any glitches or exploits?
Do they address god? How?
How does the simulation 'look'?
How does it inspire me?

I'm also going to be putting together audio and visual resources together that inspire me within this context specifically.

Outer Wilds: Echoes of The Eye (Mobius Digital, 2019/2022)

What is the story/context around the simulation?

The simulation within Outer Wilds' incredible DLC Echoes of The Eye was made for an unusual yet very understandable purpose: to cope with grief. The inhabitants of The Stranger (unofficially known as the Owlkin) have the technology to send thoughts and information through light, which they used frequently in order to decipher the universe around them. One day, an unnamed astronomer discovered something incredible - an object emitting a signal older than the universe itself. The Owlkin rejoiced in this amazing discovery, and began almost worshipping it.

Upon arriving at the object, they once again used their light technology, where they saw a vision of the true nature behind this object. The object showed an Owlkin touching it, and then showed itself turning everything in the universe to dust. The Owlkin were destroyed, and immediately were struck with immense grief.

Knowing what they thought was the true nature of this object, they created a machine that would block the signal it was emitting, so that no one else could discover it and, in turn, destroy the universe.

In their grief, they reminisced and cried many tears over their lost home. They would eventually turn their pain into technological advance. They missed home so much that they set about creating a simulation of it, a place they could permanently reside in that was just like home. They used their light technology once more to create a 'database' that one could use to 'upload' their consciousness.

Upon completion of the simulation, they set about creating a cloaking device for The Stranger, so that it could not be discovered to nullify the risk of their discoveries being discovered.

With everything set, they took one last look at The Stranger before entering the simulation permanently. With their consciousness uploaded, their physical bodies could perish without interfering with the simulation.

Before they perished however, one Owlkin, knowing the truth about their discovery, took it upon himself to exit the simulation and disable the signal blocker, allowing it to once again emit its signal across space. The other Owlkin noticed his disappearance within the simulation however, and exited themselves. They discovered what the rogue Owlkin did, and trapped him within a diving bell with no choice but to enter the simulation.

The Owlkin arrested him within the simulation too, trapping him within a prison with nothing but a telescope. They could not risk anyone finding out about him or their discoveries. But he knew they were making a mistake, he knew the true nature of the object they discovered.

Thousands of years later, the Hatchling (the player) finds their way onto The Stranger and figures out how to enter the simulation. The Owlkin immediately know something is wrong, and set people out to patrol the simulation.

The Hatchling slips by them and recounts their story, as told through slide reels. The player discovers how the Prisoner was trapped, and frees him. The Prisoner shares a 'vision torch' with The Hatchling, and a beautiful moment is shared between the pair in which The Hatchling shares the memories of their journey and the story of the Nomai with The Prisoner. The Prisoner, knowing his small but monumental action had allowed the Hatchling to find them, lets out a roar in relief. He, knowing he has nothing left to do, disconnects from the simulation, perishing for good.

In the ending of the game, the player can experience the campfire scene once more. This time, however, The Prisoner observes you and your friends from a distance. The Hatchling invites The Prisoner to join their song, to which he is reluctant, as he is ashamed of the wrongdoings of his species. Regardless, The Hatchling accepts him into the song in a heart-tugging moment, and he plays a mysterious yet beautiful melody, allowing his counterpart to persist into the next universe.

Who/what created this simulation?

The 'Owlkin' created this simulation via the use of a mysterious green fire that they had harnessed over a long period of time.
Originally, this green flame was used to transmit thoughts and other information between people and the world. The Owlkin eventually began trialling the idea of uploading a copy of their entire consciousness into a server by using the green flame, and idea which, after many failures, worked successfully.
The Owlkin developed a piece of technology we call the artefact (the real name is unknown) that, if the holder fell asleep around the green flame, 'essence' of the flame would manifest within the artefact. The holder would then 'wake up' within the simulated environment, holding the artefact. If the flame within the artefact were extinguished, the holder would 'disconnect' from the simulation and wake up within the real world. Through this, they discovered that:
- They could store consciousness as information within a server that could still retain its sentience and conscious decision making.
- Said consciousness could persist within the server through death. If your physical body perished, it would continue 'living' within the simulation. This, of course, makes preserving and keeping your artefact safe a necessity.

What are the inhabitants like?

The Owlkin are very protective and intelligent beings that have developed immensely advanced technology throughout their existence. Despite their intelligence however, they seem to stay very grounded within their lives...
...The Owlkin seem to live a very simple and appreciative life. They thrive in calm, peaceful environments surrounded by nature. They build humble abodes from wood and are not lavish in any capacity.
To the Owlkin, it seems as though technology is less of something to 'strive' for, and instead is more about supplementing and bettering their regular lives. It seems the only instance in which they became too invested was when they discovered The Eye of The Universe, and tore apart their home to fly there. They felt that The Eye was something greater than them, something potentially divine, so they felt like they had to.
After 'discovering' the truth about The Eye, they knew they had overstepped the mark, and immediately tried going back to what they knew. Despite their technological wonders, they sorely missed their little home. They valued nothing more than a simple, humble life amongst nature.
They seemed to be kind and gentle to one another generally speaking, and valued their families greatly (as demonstrated by the large amount of family portraits within the game). They were deeply connected to the world around them and were emotional beings.
- Throughout the game experience, one might get the wrong idea about them however. Their discoveries about The Eye filled them with nothing other than existential terror and a pain deep in their hearts about their missing home, thus they became angry, distraught and aggressive.
- The player experiences this aggression first hand. To the Owlkin, they cannot afford to let anyone else know about The Eye. They know immediately that something is wrong when they figure out someone new has entered the simulation, and they patrol every nook and cranny looking for you. When they find you, they will extinguish the flame in your artefact or, if you are not holding it, break your neck. It is understandable why they act this way however, as, deep down, they are terrified of what The Eye will do to the universe if someone makes it there. They simply want to protect existence and to carry on living.
Music seemed to be an important part of their culture. They would gather in large groups to sing and play a unique stringed/music box instrument, almost ritualistically.
They wore very tribal-esque clothing that is rich with hues of red, beige and brown, and would adorn their outfits with a necklace of small green crystals.

What was the purpose of the simulation?

The Owlkin created their simulation for two main reasons:
- Grief and escapism
  - The Owlkin sacrificed their home to get to The Eye. It seemed that they believed that The Eye was something far greater than them, something worth giving up everything for. They 'discovered' that The Eye could destroy the entire universe (they did not know that The Eye would use the current universe to create a new Big Bang event, creating a new universe) and were, very understandably, terrified of it. Their home was gone, and they could not carry on living within their ringworld because it was just not the same.
  - Their simulation was purpose built to mirror every aspect of their lives before - they rebuilt their homes, manually placed trees and foliage, created a day and night cycle, and even placed in the planet that their home moon orbited around. It was to bring back what was lost, to help them cope in their grief. The simulation helped them to escape the grief and guilt of them destroying their home.
- Preservation
  - The Owlkin were terrified of The Eye. They knew that if they could detect its signal, someone else in the universe may be able to as well. They took their knowledge of The Eye into the simulation with them in an attempt to permanently seal away the information, preventing anyone else discovering it. The Prisoner's actions, despite facilitating the Owlkin's death in The Eye's 'reset', helped to preserve the life cycle of the universe, allowing life to carry on past the death of their universe.

What is the world like outside of the simulation?

The world outside of the simulation isn't much 'different'. Obviously, the settings are vastly different, but the world we see in the simulation is very realistic and is very believable, granted there are glitches and problems (mentioned later). If not for these glitches and bugs, the transition between the simulation and real life is not particularly big.
The Owlkin's home moon obviously would've 'felt' more realistic, but of course there is only so far that they could take their simulation.
The primary difference is age. The simulated world cannot experience the implications of time, thus life cannot grow old. Young consciousness' stay young forever. The old will remain old, thus it is impossible to mature naturally.
- The other implication of this was that it is not possible to reproduce. It seems as though consciousness cannot be 'created', just stored and retained. Even if you could biologically reproduce, the offspring would have no conscious understanding of anything, and would act purely on instinct.

Can the simulation be manipulated? Are there any glitches or exploits?

The Owlkin simulation can definitely be manipulated, as the Owlkin created it. Those who created it could theoretically implement anything they wanted into the simulation as long as it was possible to program. This is truly a testament to how humble and grief-stricken they were, as they did not exercise this potential, and simply made it to feel like home.
The simulation has three primary 'glitches' and exploits that were not forseen when creating the simulation:
- Persisting through death:
  - During the testing phases of the simulation, the Owlkin assisted an elderly citizen into the simulation. The citizen, presumably due to stress, passed away before he could enter. However, the Owlkin discovered that death is effectively the same as sleep to the technology. The elderly citizen was loaded into the simulation despite his death, and persisted through it.
  - The secondary discovery to this was that one could enter the simulation, perish in the real world, and still persist in the simulation.
- 'Loading zones':
  - The Owlkin discovered the ‘caves’ within the simulation that acted as loading zones had an unexpected glitch. The rivers that flowed through the caves did not act properly. An individual within the simulation could fall into the water in these loading zones and fall right through it rather than interacting with the water where their flame would be extinguished. They ended up using this glitch as a means of hiding their most sensitive information, and only allowed the highest ranking members to know of it.
- Artefact 'area of effect':
  - The artefact one must carry through the simulation allows one to stay in sync with it. However, if one were to place down their artefact and walk away, they would eventually leave its area of effect, causing the pretty facade of the simulation to fall away, leaving the bare-bones of it visible.
    - Just like with the loading zone glitch, the Owlkin used this to hide sensitive information. They would design objects to be invisible with the facade applied, but visible to those who walked away from their artefact. They created hidden bridges and pathways across large gaps that would seem impossible to cross to anyone who didn’t know of the glitch.

Do they address god? How?

The Owlkin simulation cannot cultivate consciousness thus there isn't really a way to consider them 'gods' in any capacity, however, their actions and motivations are absolutely in response to a 'godly object': The Eye of The Universe. The Eye is the source of all quantum information in the universe. It contains an infinite number of potential outcomes all superposed over each other that, when observed, snap into one absolute reality. The Eye emits a signal towards the very end of the universe's lifespan in order to call forth an observer. The Eye uses the memories and experiences of the observing being to create certainties within the next universe so that it is possible for another lifeform within the next universe to repeat the process. Upon observation, The Eye emits a destructive wave that destroys the entire universe, where it will then create a new Big Bang event, restarting the universe.
The Eye is silent apart from its signal and is stationary. It is solely reliant on the existence of an advanced lifeform that can comprehend its signal so that it can be observed.
- It is during the ending sequence where The Eye showcases a glimpse of its potential 'power'. Everyone and everything the Hachtling knows is destroyed in the supernova, yet the Hatchling meets and interacts with each member of the Outer Wilds Ventures, Solanum, and The Prisoner. The Eye taps into the Hatchling's memories and understands these characters' roles within its experience. It deems these characters necessary for influencing the next universe, and allows The Hatchling to have one final conversation with each of their friends, where the members of the Outer Wilds ventures will play their song one more time, and invite Solanum and The Prisoner to play their songs. The song fuels The Eye, and gives it the information necessary to create lifeforms akin to those who allowed The Eye to be observed in this iteration of the universe.
- The Eye showcases itself as a necessary force of nature that is equally terrifying and beautiful, but its 'actions' within the final sequence showcase its potentially kind and compassionate nature, giving The Hatchling one final, bittersweet experience with their friends, making sure they know just how important they are before the universe ends, and begins anew.

How does the simulation 'look and feel'?

The Owlkin simulation looks almost identical to the real world until you strip away the textures and refinements. Once that is done, the simulation appears almost as a prototype for a game environment. The model of each smaller object is shown as polygonal and jagged, with flat grey faces without any detail. Larger objects appear with coloured lines around their edges, with empty internal faces that are transparent. The world is overwhelmingly black, evoking a spooky and 'corrupt' feeling.

The ambience within the simulation is consistently unsettling, the faint gurgly sounds of water can be heard all around the simulation, and persistent hums lurk underneath, evoking quite the unnerving and scary atmosphere. Every now and again, howls and other animalian noises can be heard, breathing a bit more life into the ambience, but also giving off the impression that you are constantly being observed. Trees and floorboards creak, knocks reverberate through the world, and distant song of the Owlkin can be heard occasionally (called The Elegy for The Rings).
When the simulation facade is stripped away, the ambience becomes much more unsettling. There is no discernable melody, no life-related ambience, just the droning and moaning of the simulation running. The drones swell and fade away, creating a howling effect that is particularly unsettling. High pitch plucks can be heard too, which plays into the digitised nature of the environment. The ambience really gives you a sense of something being 'off' about your surroundings, something not being right - it really is quite an unnerving and spooky experience.

How does it inspire me?

The Owlkin were motivated mostly by grief and loss, a very strong and believable motive behind creating such a simulation. This scenario mirrors an actual theorised reason behind creating a real universal simulation: the destruction of history. Posthumans could be motivated to create a simulation specifically to recover lost information regarding their ancestors. In the case of the Owlkin, they want to recover their home.
- I love the juxtaposition between the Owlkin's technological advancements and how their simulation actually turned out. They have created such powerful technologies and made massive strides in uncovering the secrets of the universe, yet their simulation is designed only to recreate home. It fits the 'going too far' motif in a lot of sci-fi media whereby characters have a realisation about what is actually important - in this case, their home and community.
I like the idea of being able to convert consciousness into data and the idea of manipulating such data.
- I also really enjoy the simulations 'death scenario' being tied to the flame in the artefact being extinguished, as it carries over the inescapability of death.
I absolutely love the way Outer Wilds depicts a 'deity' - it completely disregards the idea of making a god look human, and takes a totally different approach. The Eye is crafted to be a force of nature, something that occured as a result of existence, not necessarily its creator. The Eye also seems to conform to the laws of physics established within Outer Wilds, operating within them to their logical extreme. Of course, it does things that nothing within the real world could do (as far as we know), but its designed around very real scientific concepts (quantum superposition) and adheres to its laws well.
- The Eye is never once made out to be good or bad, and any implications of such on either end of the spectrum are created through interpretation. The Nomai see The Eye as something to be explored, and are filled with curiosity and wonder in response to it. The Owlkin were the same until they saw the vision of The Eye destroying the universe, seeing it as evil.
The Owlkin's light technology is really interesting to me, I'm always gravitated towards light related magic, so the vision torches and green fires are super inspiring to me.
The way Outer Wild's is able to build a species and their lore from the ground up while sticking to a solid theme that remains consistent throughout every piece of art pertaining to them is brilliant - I love how pieces of their culture are reflected even in their most advanced technologies (the Nomai masks in the ATP, or the antlers in the Owlkin's antennae designs).
- The approach to very futuristic concepts subverts a lot of expectations too - the Owlkin's technology, while clearly advanced, still looks wooden and rustic, which I find to be extremely effective when building a convincing set of characters. The artists did not conform to the 'human' expectations of futuristic technology, and instead let the species they designed stand alone from that.

Simulations in Media

Since universal simulations/simulated realities aren't a real thing (yet), it's important that I look into different depictions of simulations in media to inform my own ideas. The things I'm going to be looking for specifically are:

What is the story/context around the simulation?

Who/what created the simulation? How?

What are the inhabitants like?

What is the purpose of the simulation?

What is the world like outside of the simulation?

Can the simulation be manipulated? Are there any glitches or exploits?

Do they address god? How?

How does the simulation 'look'?

How does it inspire me?

​

I'm also going to be putting together audio and visual resources together that inspire me within this context specifically.

Outer Wilds: Echoes of The Eye (Mobius Digital, 2019/2022)

What is the story/context around the simulation?

​Knowing what they thought was the true nature of this object, they created a machine that would block the signal it was emitting, so that no one else could discover it and, in turn, destroy the universe.

Upon completion of the simulation, they set about creating a cloaking device for The Stranger, so that it could not be discovered to nullify the risk of their discoveries being discovered.

​With everything set, they took one last look at The Stranger before entering the simulation permanently. With their consciousness uploaded, their physical bodies could perish without interfering with the simulation.

​The Owlkin arrested him within the simulation too, trapping him within a prison with nothing but a telescope. They could not risk anyone finding out about him or their discoveries. But he knew they were making a mistake, he knew the true nature of the object they discovered.

​Thousands of years later, the Hatchling (the player) finds their way onto The Stranger and figures out how to enter the simulation. The Owlkin immediately know something is wrong, and set people out to patrol the simulation.

Who/what created this simulation?

The 'Owlkin' created this simulation via the use of a mysterious green fire that they had harnessed over a long period of time.

They could store consciousness as ​information within a server that could still retain its sentience and conscious decision making.

Said consciousness could persist within the server through death. If your physical body perished, it would continue 'living' within the simulation. This, of course, makes preserving and keeping your artefact safe a necessity.

What are the inhabitants like?

The Owlkin are very protective and intelligent beings that have developed immensely advanced technology throughout their existence. Despite their intelligence however, they seem to stay very grounded within their lives...

...The Owlkin seem to live a very simple and appreciative life. They thrive in calm, peaceful environments surrounded by nature. They build humble abodes from wood and are not lavish in any capacity.

After 'discovering' the truth about The Eye, they knew they had overstepped the mark, and immediately tried going back to what they knew. Despite their technological wonders, they sorely missed their little home. They valued nothing more than a simple, humble life amongst nature.

They seemed to be kind and gentle to one another generally speaking, and valued their families greatly (as demonstrated by the large amount of family portraits within the game). They were deeply connected to the world around them and were emotional beings.

Throughout the game experience, one might get the wrong idea about them however. Their discoveries about The Eye filled them with nothing other than existential terror and a pain deep in their hearts about their missing home, thus they became angry, distraught and aggressive.​

Music seemed to be an important part of their culture. They would gather in large groups to sing and play a unique stringed/music box instrument, almost ritualistically.

They wore very tribal-esque clothing that is rich with hues of red, beige and brown, and would adorn their outfits with a necklace of small green crystals.

What was the purpose of the simulation?

The Owlkin created their simulation for two main reasons:

Grief​ and escapism

Preservation

What is the world like outside of the simulation?

The Owlkin's home moon obviously would've 'felt' more realistic, but of course there is only so far that they could take their simulation.

The primary difference is age. The simulated world cannot experience the implications of time, thus life cannot grow old. Young consciousness' stay young forever. The old will remain old, thus it is impossible to mature naturally.

The other implication of this was that it is not possible to reproduce. It seems as though consciousness cannot be 'created', just stored and retained. Even if you could biologically reproduce, the offspring would have no conscious understanding of anything, and would act purely on instinct. ​

Can the simulation be manipulated? Are there any glitches or exploits?

The simulation has three primary 'glitches' and exploits that were not forseen when creating the simulation:

Persisting through death:​

The secondary discovery to this was that one could enter the simulation, perish in the real world, and still persist in the simulation.

'Loading zones':

Artefact 'area of effect':

The artefact one must carry through the simulation allows one to stay in sync with it. However, if one were to place down their artefact and walk away, they would eventually leave its area of effect, causing the pretty facade of the simulation to fall away, leaving the bare-bones of it visible. ​

Do they address god? How?

The Eye is silent apart from its signal and is stationary. It is solely reliant on the existence of an advanced lifeform that can comprehend its signal so that it can be observed.

How does the simulation 'look and feel'?

How does it inspire me?

I like the idea of being able to convert consciousness into data and the idea of manipulating such data.

I also really enjoy the simulations 'death scenario' being tied to the flame in the artefact being extinguished, as it carries over the inescapability of death. ​

The Owlkin's light technology is really interesting to me, I'm always gravitated towards light related magic, so the vision torches and green fires are super inspiring to me.

Knowing what they thought was the true nature of this object, they created a machine that would block the signal it was emitting, so that no one else could discover it and, in turn, destroy the universe.

With everything set, they took one last look at The Stranger before entering the simulation permanently. With their consciousness uploaded, their physical bodies could perish without interfering with the simulation.

The Owlkin arrested him within the simulation too, trapping him within a prison with nothing but a telescope. They could not risk anyone finding out about him or their discoveries. But he knew they were making a mistake, he knew the true nature of the object they discovered.

Thousands of years later, the Hatchling (the player) finds their way onto The Stranger and figures out how to enter the simulation. The Owlkin immediately know something is wrong, and set people out to patrol the simulation.

They could store consciousness as information within a server that could still retain its sentience and conscious decision making.

Throughout the game experience, one might get the wrong idea about them however. Their discoveries about The Eye filled them with nothing other than existential terror and a pain deep in their hearts about their missing home, thus they became angry, distraught and aggressive.

Grief and escapism

The other implication of this was that it is not possible to reproduce. It seems as though consciousness cannot be 'created', just stored and retained. Even if you could biologically reproduce, the offspring would have no conscious understanding of anything, and would act purely on instinct.

Persisting through death:

The artefact one must carry through the simulation allows one to stay in sync with it. However, if one were to place down their artefact and walk away, they would eventually leave its area of effect, causing the pretty facade of the simulation to fall away, leaving the bare-bones of it visible.

I also really enjoy the simulations 'death scenario' being tied to the flame in the artefact being extinguished, as it carries over the inescapability of death.