This is a first-person video game. On the screen in front of you you see the back of the head of a video gamer, and their hands , and a computer or game console. You use your controls to manipulate their hands to pick up and use controllers in the game. They can load a game onto their screen and then you control them playing it.

After a while their actions become slower. You have to use their hands to pause the game and browse to a local takeaway website and make them order pizza and coffee. After a delay the pizza and coffee appears and you have to make them eat and drink it. Then their reaction times get back to normal and you can continue making them play the game.

The more levels of recursion you enable (by making them load the recursive game) the higher the points multiplier becomes. Might need a very big very high-res screen.
-- pocmloc, Feb 19 2021

Camera-on-o-String inspiration (camera showing the back of your head) [pocmloc, Feb 19 2021]

Sim Sim You Sim_20Sim_20You
Not the same idea - here you control a character by having them control a Sims character which reflects your real-life behaviour and thus who has to act in such a way such that they’d be the kind of person who would make you do the things you do in real life [hippo, Feb 19 2021]

Uncanny Valley... um. https://www.youtube...watch?v=1AvyUWUKCw8
Can't make an Omeleto with out beaking a few eggso. [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 21 2021]

Superhot https://superhotgame.com/superhot
It's a first-person shooter where the primary game mechanic is that time largely stands still, and the bad guys only move when you do. [zen_tom, Feb 22 2021]

Black Mirror: Men Against Fire https://en.wikipedi...ki/Men_Against_Fire
An episode of Black Mirror where game players realise things aren't entirely as they seem... [zen_tom, Feb 22 2021]

recursive manipulation - Omeleto "Uncanny Valley" https://www.youtube...watch?v=1AvyUWUKCw8
Similar in concept with harsh realities. [wjt, Feb 25 2021]

There's a rather neat FPS called Superhot where the player is exposed to the idea that through playing the game, their consciousness is be beamed into an unwitting body in order to commit all manner of ninja-like assassinationry. You worry about the death and destruction you cause as you work through the leves, but of course, it's just a game...isn't it? You get more and more addicted to playing the game, getting sucked further in.

### I hope it's not too much of a spoiler (it came out I think in 2016) to mention one of the final levels, ### read on accordingly

You break into someone's house, and sneak up on them playing a computer game, assassination ready...only...the game they're playing looks very, very familiar - they still don't know you're there as you loom malevolently behind them, but it turns out...they sent your mind into a foreign body with orders to assassinate...yourself! And that's the only way to complete the level...
-- zen_tom, Feb 19 2021


I recognise your description, but I can't think of the movies name. Remind me?
-- neutrinos_shadow, Feb 21 2021


^ Being John Malkovich ?
-- FlyingToaster, Feb 21 2021


^ heh

Haven't seen the show [zen tom] is talking about, but here is one kick-ass preview of what we've got coming if we aren't careful. Short film. Well worth the fifteen or seconds of ads you will be forced to watched first. Sorry about that.

[link]
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 21 2021


I was just talking about a level of a computer game, but there are tv shows with similar themes - the Black Mirror episode "Men Against Fire" shares some of those themes, and along with almost all Black Mirror episodes, was pretty good.
-- zen_tom, Feb 22 2021


Sorry, [zen tom]; I didn't realise you were talking about a game specifically. Because I have (reasonably recently) seen a movie about just that, but (annoyingly) I can't remember the name.
-- neutrinos_shadow, Feb 22 2021


Are you sure it was a movie, and not real life?
-- pocmloc, Feb 25 2021



random, halfbakery