Thursday, March 12, 2009

Gaming Imitates Life

The first time I saw this teaser for the game Mirror's Edge, I'm not entirely ashamed to admit it brought tears to my eyes. It was a first-person shooter with so many of my favorite things wrapped into one game: simulated parkour (as you maneuver through urban obstacles with gravity-defying fluidity, grace, and ease), combat, and keeping under the radar. And it didn't hurt that it touches on themes such as information as a commodity, the right to privacy / freedom from surveillance, self-empowerment, and fighting back to reclaim what's rightfully yours.

Oh … AND it is purdy to look at.

With such stunning visuals, I had to wonder about the real life inspiration for the various settings.

Another thing attractive about the game and parkour in general is the practice of infiltration or “urban exploration” - examining the normally unseen or off-limits parts of urban areas or industrial facilities.

My curiosity in urban exploration across the world led me to discover what undoubtedly has to be the real life inspiration for the storm drains level in Mirror’s Edge: Japan’s “Underground Temple for People” (the G-Cans Project, AKA Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel).

Check out these comparisons:








































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