'As from the darkening gloom a silver dove upsoars, so fled thy soul into the realms above, regions of peace and everlasting love.'
     – John Keats, As from the darkening gloom a silver dove, 1814.

Within two years, Steven Meretsky had established a solid reputation with his work on Planetfall (1983), Sorcerer (1984) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1984). In 1984, Ronald Reagan's re-election against Walter Mondale was a historic landslide, with Mondale only managing to win Minnesota and Washington, D.C. This resounding victory was due to the favourable economic climate, as the recession had eased in 1983. At the same time, commentators pointed to the inadequacy of Mondale's campaign compared to Reagan's: while Mondale's policies were very liberal by the standards of the US political landscape, they were seen as inimical to the interests of the middle class, who were more aligned with Reagan's agenda. Ultimately, Mondale's defeat was a setback for the progressive ideas fermenting on college campuses and elsewhere. A poll by the College Voice of Connecticut College, released on 6 November 1984, showed a significant preference for Mondale among students (51% to Reagan's 37%). But more interestingly, when asked 'Which candidate better reflects your views on the following issues?', Mondale emerged as the clear preference on all social issues (Equal Rights Amendment: 76/16; Abortion: 82/15; Social spending: 72/22; Nuclear freeze: 64/28) – on economic issues (47/46), his honesty undoubtedly worked against him. [1]

     The Reagan presidency: a political critique

Reagan's landslide re-election was therefore a bitter disappointment for progressives. For Meretsky, making a political game as a way of taking a stand became a necessity. In contrast to the humorous style of his previous titles, A Mind Forever Voyaging was intended to be a serious piece of fiction, on a par with the classics of science fiction. Meretsky clearly incorporated the legacy of the classic counter-utopias: the characteristic themes of Yevgeny Zamyatin's My (1920-1921), Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932) and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), with their depiction of totalitarian states imposing tight control over their populations, are particularly evident. Just as Zamyatin described his disillusionment with the October Revolution (1917) and Huxley explored the socio-economic crisis following the 1929 Crash, Meretsky anchors his work in a critique of the key policies of the Reagan presidency. A Mind Forever Voyaging should therefore be read as a continuation of this critical tradition in science fiction.

The player assumes the role of PRISM, an artificial intelligence that has reached the singularity in 2031. The game manual begins with a short story that introduces the genesis of the PRISM project, which lived in a simulation to gain consciousness and emotions. In Perry Simm's fake life, the computer knew his parents, fell in love and married a woman called Jill. One day, Perelman, the head of the PRISM project, informs the AI that it was all a simulation and that he needs its help to evaluate the effects of Senator Richard Ryder's proposed Plan for Renewed National Purpose. The player, in the life of Perry Simm, can then explore the United States of 2041, ten years after the implementation of the Plan, to measure the changes in society. The game is not about solving puzzles, but about recording events and discussions and passing them on to Perelman's team. In the first act, the populist, war-mongering, neo-liberal rationale of the Plan seems to be followed by positive effects and economic recovery, just like the Reagan Doctrine. The streets are full of life and the population is generally happy. The cinemas offer a wide range of films, including a Korean production, Freefall. Cultural life is vibrant through a network of museums, concert halls, galleries and libraries.

     From political commentary to interactive fiction: exploration and immersion

However, the player who embraces the non-linearity and freedom of exploration can already see the latent signs of economic inequality. While the city centre is welcoming and vibrant, the industrial area to the east is in a more dilapidated state, highlighting the lack of public support for this less privileged population and the superficial development projects that mask the structural problems. In some respects, the geography of the city is reminiscent of Chicago, and the problems of racial segregation, which will be exacerbated later in the simulation, are already apparent. The Border Security Force, already created in 2031 and anticipating the creation of Homeland Security (2002), also gives a glimpse of the armed force of the executive, ready to defend its interests and its conception of society. In any case, Perelman is satisfied with the results of the 2041 simulation, but he still has some concerns and asks PRISM to continue to study the simulation in depth to ensure that the Plan does not have any negative consequences. A dive into 2051 gives way to a very different picture of American society.

It has become largely radicalised, and from the very first moments the player witnesses scenes of police brutality, even in the protagonist's own apartment. As Perry moves from one street to the next, he is stopped by violent incidents and observes the deterioration of the socio-economic context: freedom of the press has been largely curtailed by the government, while religious proselytism has reached a critical point, with the success of a new religious sect taking precedence over traditional Protestantism and Catholicism. Cultural life is in decline, while environmental problems are on the rise, with mentions of over-exploitation and acid rain – classic environmentalist tropes of the 1980s. Perhaps most striking are the scenes of family life. The player can interact with Jill and observe how changes in society affect domestic harmony. This approach predates the main idea of Norman Spinrad's novel Russian Spring (1991), which also uses family relationships to explore the socio-political context of an alternate world in which the Soviets have emerged victorious from the Cold War. In A Mind Forever Voyaging, when the BSF invade the family home, the political changes take on a much more personal tone for PRISM, and Meretsky uses the power of interactive fiction to convey these emotions to the player, in contrast to the generally neutral and cold descriptions of totalitarian violence outside the protagonist's home.

     A defence of a liberal and patriotic America

Subsequent simulations show a dramatic worsening of the situation: the family unit is completely disrupted, while public executions, concentration camps and the return of slavery, driven by the Church of God's Word, increase. Meretsky's critique is not subtle, but he contrasts this dystopian world with his own patriotic vision of a liberal United States. He attaches great importance to the democratic republicanism of the US, as evidenced by the negative valence given to the dismantling of statues of former presidents. His approach to food is also positivistic and carnist. When the player visits Burgerworld – the new name of Burger Meister –, meat has been replaced by algae and soy alternatives, which are portrayed as abhorrent.

Insofar as Meretsky's positions are in opposition to the Reagan presidency, A Mind Forever Voyaging is not intended to be a resolutely radical pamphlet either: it borrows many themes from contemporary social movements without indulging in the political activism of the 1960s Black Panthers or the Berkeley campus, which in fact culminated in the deadly confrontation at People's Park (1969) during Reagan's governorship. The symbolic power of the game lies in its less subtle elements. As the simulation progresses, the likelihood of the player dying for various reasons increases, a situation that culminates in the final section of the second act, where every action seems to be fatal for Perry. Armed with all these experiences, PRISM and Perelman must take action to prevent the Plan from being adopted, despite Ryder's threats. This last passage is the only puzzle in the title that requires the player to consult the documentation in PRISM's library. The player is then treated to a touching epilogue, which I must admit is one of my favourite moments in any video game.

A Mind Forever Voyaging is therefore not outstanding for its puzzles, but for its scale for its time. At the end of the era of text-based games, it offers a dense, exploration-oriented experience, with scenes in every corner of the city. In the first act, Perelman provides a list of events to record, but this disappears in the second act, where the player is free to explore and record whatever they wish. There is a real curiosity in comparing the simulations to see how the situation deteriorates over the decades. Perry is a witness in this cruel universe, where he has no control over his surroundings; when his family life collapses, he can only console Jill until it no longer works. At most, a command line 'RECORD ON' gives hope that these snapshots will allow Perelman to use his full weight to stop the Plan. A Mind Forever Voyaging is a unique work from the 1980s and retains its critical charge at a time of global far right resurgence. Just as it is always enlightening to revisit classic science fiction literature alongside more recent releases, so it is ever appropriate to reexamine A Mind Forever Voyaging.

__________
[1] Connecticut College, College Voice, 6th November, 1984, p. 1.

A pretty neat IF title, it puts you in the role of an AI who they've trained by living a human life from the age of 6 months old.

The researchers have created a simulation of the US if a proposed plan goes into place and task you with recording the results 10 years into the future (and later further).

Kind of gives off a time traveller sort of vibe as you jump between the different times and see how the city degrades and what stays the same. And a nice touch is that you get to see how your family reacts to the changes in the world too.

Mostly it's just wandering around trying to find what you've been asked to record in the first act and what you think is important in the second act.

The third act shifts things up (and adds a bit of puzzliness) and the epilogue is rather touching too.

I don't think it comes off as preachy, I can't help but think something like this would today if it was a 3d adventure game.

One grief I experienced playing the game was after playing so much MUD of late I kept forgetting to type "wait" expecting that things would continue without my input. Another was the method of speaking was a bit rough and the fact that it demanded the word "at" when I'd type "look ". Like "look at newspaper" instead of "look newspaper". But minor gripes.