Alter Ego (game, 1986)

The game allows the user to make decisions that determine the life of an imaginary person (who is the player’s alter ego ), and shows the possible consequences of these decisions. Alter Ego was released in a version for men and women, with different sets of solutions.

The character begins life as a baby. The game offers the player a diagram in the form of a tree, each node of which is marked with an icon representing a situation or “experience” that the player can resolve. The symbol on the icon indicates the type of situation (for example, the heart means an emotional event). Having made a choice in the node, the player returns to the tree, and the node is marked as completed. The player proceeds to the next situation, eventually “living” the life of his “second self” and exploring the influence of his decisions. Some situations are unpleasant, and can even lead to premature death, although most are humorous.

The role aspect of the game is manifested in a change in the character's statistical indicators (“physical strength”, “self-confidence”, “intelligence”), which determine the possibility of success in certain situations.

Computer Gaming World columnist described the game as a delightful, humorous, and thought-provoking exercise in decision making, research, and evaluation of a life value system. Among the minor shortcomings of the game was the lack of communication between past events and current situations, as well as the easy “instructive” orientation of the game ^[1] .

• Online version of the game
• Alter Ego Box Images, Manuals and Screenshots for Commodore 64
• Interview with Peter Favaro about the game