Playtest story
"Playtest" is the second episode of the third series of British science fiction anthology series Black Mirror. Written by series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and directed by Dan Trachtenberg, it premiered on Netflix on 21 October 2016, together with the rest of series three. Directed by: Dan Trachtenberg. Story by: Charlie Brooker.
16 total · 6 choice · 5 major · 5 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| brain-computer interface | choice | The SaitoGemu company developed an augmented reality system, called mushroom, that allowed used to embed themselves inside a video game. |
| facing one's darkest fear | choice | Cooper faced some of his darkest fears inside the game. |
| fear | choice | Different kinds of fears were explored through Cooper's experience in the old mansion. |
| mother and son | choice | Cooper's greatest fear related to his mother. |
| the nature of fear | choice | Different kinds of fears were explored through Cooper's experience in the old mansion. |
| the nature of the subconscious | choice | Different kinds of primal fears inside the subconscious mind of Cooper were explored. |
| coping with a family issue | major | Cooper had trouble with his mother. |
| coping with the death of a parent | major | Cooper's dad had recently died from early-onset Alzheimer's and he went backpacking around the world to get away from his family. |
| loyalty to one's family | major | Cooper felt ashamed about having left his mother to backpack around the world. |
| remorse | major | Cooper felt about guilty about having left his mother to backpack around the world. |