Grief, Discrimination, and No I'm Not A Human

Grief, Discrimination, and No I’m Not A Human

 Hello everybody! So, today's blog post is going to be a bit different than usual. Instead of
a normal written article, I've put together the first episode of the Arcading and Animating
Podcast! How exciting is that?

    I've gotta say, podcasting is very different to writing. I don't do well with scripts, so I tend
to rely on bullet point outlines instead. But getting my thoughts in order is quite a bit
harder when I'm speaking out loud. There's certain things I wasn't able to fully touch on
during the recording, such as the untrustworthy nature of the government organization FEMA
in the game, the characters who are guaranteed to be either humans or visitors and how these particular characters reflect the game's themes, the contradictions and
potential flaws of using the game as a direct allegory for discrimination when Visitors are an
active and real threat whereas real world discrimination often relies on purely
superficial traits like skin color or gender, and so on and so forth. But despite that, I think for
my first time podcasting, it turned out alright, so I hope you all enjoy it! Please do feel free to
let me know what you think.

    In any case, the following is a transcript of the podcast itself. If you want to give it a listen, check it out here.

INTRO
HOST:
Hello hello, and welcome to the Arcading and Animating Podcast!

[Intro jingle plays]

[Jingle fades out] 
HOST: 

This is the podcast where I talk about animated media and video games, and touch on
how these crucial pieces of culture reflect on our modern world, along with sharing my
opinions and talking about what I love about the pieces we cover here.

Today I’m here with a very special guest, Moss! Say hello Moss!
MOSS:

Hello!

HOST:

Hello! We’re happy to have you here. Thank you so much for joining us, Moss. Moss is
a talented artist, a fan of animated media and video games alike, and most importantly a close
friend of mine.

[Aww sound effect plays.]

SEGMENT 1: [Topic or Main Point] (1:30 - 4:00)
HOST:
Today, we will be talking about a thrilling horror game that hit the scene in 2025… No, I’m
Not a Human!

For those of you who don’t know or need a refresher, No I’m Not A Human is a
psychological horror game that makes you question who you can trust with life or death
stakes. The sun is burning people alive during the day, and unearthly creatures called Visitors
are knocking on doors in the night. They look and act just like humans, but if you let them in,
they will slaughter any humans inside of your home. The only way to tell them apart is to look
very carefully, and to see if they display any signs. The problem is that these signs are quite
similar to a lot of justifiable, normal human traits, so it’s always a question of whether or not
the person you’re examining has displayed enough to warrant having to execute them. If
you’re ever left completely alone, an especially intimidating visitor, the Pale Man, will kill you. 

SEGMENT 2: [Deep Dive]
HOST:

So, Moss, what do you think about No I’m Not A Human?

MOSS:

Well, I think No I’m Not A Human is a very interesting and realistic game. I really like the
way it handles its characters and emotions, and the gameplay. I believe it’s very immersive
and fun.

HOST:

Yeah, I agree with you! I mean, I’ve had a really great time whenever I’ve played it in the
past, and I think that despite the horrific apocalyptic setting, the characters are all surprisingly
grounded. The art direction is very fun and interesting. I definitely think that it’s a good time!

Speaking of that, how do you think No I’m Not A Human captures the human experience
in such a hostile setting?

MOSS:

Well, I believe it captures it very well, especially in the way that certain characters grieve.
Like, for example, we have a widow who’s carrying around her husband, and when you talk to
her, she is essentially in denial about her husband’s death. Whereas we have another
character who is very optimistic, and very, like, “looks on the bright side”, and tries not to let
the apocalypse and all the other horrible things keep him down.

HOST:

Yes, everyone really does respond to the setting of the game differently. And I think that
the ways in which the characters are written, and how they each respond to their
circumstances and the circumstances of taking shelter in a stranger’s home very differently
and very distinctly… I think that that’s definitely a strong point of the game, and really adds to
the realism of the situation that all of these characters are being put through. It’s quite
fascinating.

With that being said, I think that a central theme of the game and of the game’s messaging is that you have to be very careful about where you’re getting your information
from and whether or not the people you’re around are real threats. Because in this game it’s
very easy to make snap judgements, and y’know, to an extent it’s encouraged. Because if you
don’t act, and you don’t take care of any real threats that are about, the people that you take
under your roof will suffer for it and they will die. But if you’re too hasty, then it’s very easy to
accidentally kill a fellow person, who’s just like you and who doesn’t mean any harm. So, I
think that the main lesson that a game like this can teach us– even considering its hostile
setting and the strange circumstances that the characters within it face– is that it’s important
to stop and think where you can, and to make sure that when you are guarding yourself
against a threat, to be careful about being sure that the things that are threatening you are
really unsafe.

If you want to learn more information about this topic, I recommend checking out “How
No I’m Not A Human Explores Discrimination” by Dreadwick over on Youtube. 

With that being said, it's always important to consider where your information is coming
from, and who benefits from you seeing certain types of people as “threats”. Always question
if the people that have been othered by these mainstream news outlets are really so different
from you in the end. Keep an open mind and be kind.

Do you have any additional thoughts, Moss?

MOSS:

Like you said when you mentioned the art in the game, I also really like the art in the
game and the way that it, like, exaggerates proportions to make the characters more different
from each other– to make them distinctive. Like, for example, we have a character who is
really tall, and another who is really short. And then we have a character who has a very
specific face structure, or one who has a very specific body build. And I find that really
interesting and fun.

HOST:

Yes, I absolutely agree with you. Every single character in this game has some sort of
uncanny feature about them that makes you question whether or not they are trustworthy. But
a lot of these characters are just normal people, and most of the visitors don’t stand out as
being especially threatening-looking compared to the people around them. Which I think
definitely adds to the games theming of who can or cannot be trusted. And it makes it easier
to make snap judgements and make mistakes. The art style of the game definitely plays into
its themes.

SEGMENT 3: [Outro]
HOST:
And with that, the first episode of the Arcading and Animating podcast comes to a close.
Shoutout again to our special guest, Moss. I wish you all good times, good health, and plenty
of smiles. Have a wonderful evening, morning, or afternoon.

[Outro jingle plays]

[Music fades out]

END OF EPISODE