Here Is My Power Button is a popular American game about relationships between artificial intelligences and their human users. It’s a game with a simple structure that derives most of its content from the idiosyncrasies of connection between the two players in each dyad.

In the game, you will play either a consumer or their paired AI. Consumers begin play with a character developed as part of the workshop, while AI begin as blank slates. AI will instead develop their characters through their interactions, either with their paired consumer or the rare moments when they can speak with another AI.

The game is an American freeform larp, which combines design cues from the Fastaval freeform elements that have trickled into the US along with eclectic principles from American traditions. There will be a strong workshop and character development period, which helps pair players with similar values and goals into dyads. Play is embodied throughout the game and uses a scene structure denoted with audio cues. These alternate between private dyad meetings and facilitated group sessions, in which consumers give feedback about the program and AI have monitored “enrichment” periods.

“Why does Here Is My Power Button elicit such a strong emotional reaction so consistently? It has interesting and provocative things to explore about sapience and autonomy, but it is best known as a relentless machine for wringing out human tears.” –Jason Morningstar

This is an intimate near-future game about relationships, identity, and power for players age 16 and up.

Here Is My Power Button is an American Freeform game. It features an asymmetrical play experience about humans interacting with artificial intelligence.

Participants playing AI will experience learning from the examples of the human with whom they interact. Between interactions, they will experience enrichment activities designed to build their personhood.

Participants playing humans will workshop a character who has found reason to engage in a focus group for testing a companion AI. Their ongoing experience will focus on their personal AI's development among other human participants, and with the failsafe of resetting any undesirable growth.

As this is a game that incentivizes emergent relationships and emotional intimacy, we will workshop to establish general and specific boundaries before beginning play. Consider signing up with a buddy with whom you'd like to explore having an intense relationship. It is also recommended that if someone under 18 would like to play, that they sign up with a friend who is also under 18.

Content warning: - power in relationships, up to emotional abuse - identity invalidation - emotional dependence - memory erasure - sustained one-on-one play - potential for romantic or sexual relationships

Here Is My Power Button is an intimate near-future American Freeform larp about relationships, identity, and power for players age 18 and up. It features an asymmetrical play experience about humans interacting with artificial intelligence.

Participants playing AI will experience learning from the examples of the human with whom they interact. Between interactions, they will experience enrichment activities designed to build their personhood.

Participants playing humans will workshop a character who has found reason to engage in a focus group for testing a companion AI. Their ongoing experience will focus on their personal AI's development among other human participants, and with the failsafe of resetting any undesirable growth.

The core larp structure will alternate between NPC run focus group meetings and one on one interactions between a human and their respective AI. You can sign up to play either of these character types if you know in advance, or sign up as flexible.

As this is a larp that incentivizes emergent relationships and emotional intimacy, we will workshop to establish general and specific boundaries before beginning play. You may sign up with a buddy if you'd like to explore having an intense relationship with a specific person, but contact the GM if you wish to do this.

To participate in this larp, players need to be able to communicate with other players, sit for much of the game, and several times move in the space. Please contact GM if you need accomodations.

Here Is My Power Button is a larp about a research study in companionship AI, set in a near-future. Half the players will be the human participants, the other half will be their newly formed AIs. This is a structured game, with very few mechanics, that focuses on identity and connection. It's primarily played in conversations, and is great for any level of player experience.

Here is my power button is an American freeform game about companionship and power disparities as explored through artificial intelligences.

Desired content involves intimacy, individuation, and invalidation as characters come to define themselves based on a dyadic play partnership in which one person can delete the other.

Here Is My Power Button is an intimate near-future American Freeform larp about relationships, identity, and power for players age 18 and up. It features an asymmetrical play experience about humans interacting with artificial intelligence.

Participants playing AI will experience learning from the examples of the human with whom they interact and developing that relationship. Between interactions, they will experience enrichment activities designed to build their personhood.

Participants playing humans will workshop a character who has found reason to engage in a focus group for testing a companion AI. Their ongoing experience will focus on their personal AI’s development among other human participants, developing a relationship with the AI during play, and with the failsafe of resetting any undesirable growth.

The core larp structure will alternate between NPC run focus group meetings and one on one interactions between a human and their respective AI. You can sign up to play either of these character types or select the option to indicate you don’t have a preference.

As this is a larp that incentivizes emergent relationships and emotional intimacy, players will have a chance to establish general and specific boundaries before beginning play.

Human characters will be developed during a workshop at the beginning of the larp. This will be done with a brainstorming partner, using character prompts you choose from. AI do not start with character descriptions at the start as their personality is developed through the course of the game.

Advanced Preparation

In order to run smoothly, all players must promptly participate in the small amount of advanced preparation. Soon after signup, players will receive (by email) game information to read and a form to fill out. The form will gather their preferred intensity/style of play, any content they don’t want present in the larp, and optionally other information the GMs should take into consideration such as for their safety and comfort. Players of human characters will be offered some options for a character prompt to select from or to request alternates. These character prompts are 1 paragraph long, along with a series of questions which will be used during the workshop.

Modifications

This run of Here Is My Power Button will have modifications for online play. This shortens run time to 3 hours by moving some of the workshops to advanced casting/signup, removing one round of interactions, and altering some of the game details to maintain the online interaction as diagetic.

Content Notes

Content is likely to include: power in relationships, identity invalidation, emotional dependence, loss and grieving, memory erasure, sustained one-on-one play and potential for romantic relationships. Players will have the opportunity to veto most other content in advance of play.

How this larp will run virtually
This larp will be run on Zoom with switching between breakout rooms. Players must have a device which can connect with audio and video, a suitable internet connection, and a quiet place to play. Players must promptly participate in advanced preparation by email.

"Kom og prøv den nyeste modellen! Spesialdesignet for å være akkurat DIN perfekte følgesvenn i tykt og tynt."
En laiv hvor mennesker og kunstige intelligenser utforsker vennskap og identitet. Spilleren spiller enten mennesker eller kunstige intelligenser. De som spiller mennesker velger en identitet som så fordypes i spill gjennom interaksjon med en kunstig intelligens. Hvis menneskerollen blir misfornøyd med sin "venn" kan de velge å nullstille den kunstige intelligensen. Spillere kan forvente en fysisk sett rolig laiv med overraskende hendelsesforløp, følelsessterke scener og gode muligheter for våte øyne.
Dette er en laiv som ikke krever noen forberedelser, og alt forklares gjennom øvelser før spillet starter. Spillet består i all hovedsak av at to og to spillere interagerer med hverandre i løpet av et forhåndsdefinert sett med scener. Laiven tar omtrent fire timer.
Laiven er skrevet av spillskaperen Brodie Atwater, og er en god miks av sosial science fiction, nordisk laivstil og amerikansk forbrukermentalitet.
Laiven har i utgangspunktet aldersgrense 16 år, ta kontakt med arrangør på e-post om yngre deltagere.

Here Is My Power Button handlar om relationen mellan en artificiell intelligens och den människa som har till uppgift att forma AI:n. Varje AI börjar som ett blankt blad och utvecklas genom interaktion med sin användare. Spelet ställer frågor om identitet, relationer och ansvar. Lajvet är skrivet av den amerikanska lajvskribenten Brodie Atwater.

♥ Ett känslomässigt engagerande, stundtals sorgligt och tankeväckande lajv.