The full interview between Will and Paul Greasely

Q: Initial response to the game was overall rather positive, but I expect since then you've recieved quite a few, erm, impolite e-mails. My question is; did you have any worries before working on the game regarding feedback?

A: It was joked about initially, but I wasn't too worried, if it helps offset it ive received a few positive emails also.

Q: If so, was it as bad as you thought?

A: Nah I think people just over-react to part of the games content way too much.

Q: In Destructoids Rev Rant (http://www.destructoid.com/rev-rant-rape-suicide-and-indie- games-148797.phtml) and Sonny's playthrough, the game is somewhat critisized for the rape aspect being surprising or unintended. I didn't feel this way, as a brief fiddle with the controls made it obvious that I was not playing as an ideal citizen. did you intend for the play to "accidentally" beat and rape Emily and be shocked, or did you intend for the gamer to realise beforehand what he was about to do (or at least have some rough idea)?

A: I think thats a load of shit, the trailer indicates clearly (which was spammed around with almost every possible download link of the game) what is going to happen, the player has a screen and a half of dead space to test the controls, theres going to be no surprises that hitting Emily results in anything other than violence leading to rape.

Q: I feel the game is excellent for showing double-standards in games. Violence and torture to complete strangers is perfectly acceptable, but rape crosses some kind of line. How do you feel about these double-standards, and were you attempting to highlight these with Edmund?

A: There is not much to say much about this as the only reason this game has broken outside the indie development circle is because of the rape, a good example is no one has sent me a nasty email about the opening scene in vietnam where you can wildly shoot down innocents with the choppers heavy machine gun, because violence is cool, isn't it? This wasn't my original intent however, I got better things to do than to make a game that points out peoples double-standards.

Q: Do you consider just driving away a true ending of the game, or does the game only actually "end" in the apartment? Any other thoughts on the games multiple endings?

A: I think the point of making it a game was the player was able to choose there endings, I think in hindsight had I had more time more endings would have made the game a lot better experience, but I still consider re-entering the taxi the true ending, and the only one which effectively avoids Michael/Edmunds problem, even if for just another night.

Q: Were you inspired by any games, movies (particularly Edmond http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443496/) or real life experiences to make this game?

A: Im pretty sure everyone can see the Machinist/Fight Club influence, the rest was largely personal, not one thing though hearing stories of rape from close friends/girlfriends influenced the direction of the game, and over the 4 weeks of development I built on that.

Q: The game is one of the best eye-openers to rape I can think of, as it forces the player into doing so and actually becoming a participant. Did programming this make you feel awkward or uncomfortable at all, or were you too preoccupied by the message?

A: Building the game was difficult, the uneasy feelings I got making the game were largely overshadowed by trying to deliver the story right. For the record I made the game to stretch myself as a game developer and to maybe stretch the medium a little.

Q: Michael was psychologically scarred in Nam, that much is clear. Would you say the game is more about Michael's guilt from the war, or the deplorability of his actions?

A: The game is definitely about how Michael carries his guilt from the Vietnam wartime, and the violence and rape that he experienced, all the memories that he has trouble putting to rest. The rape and violence aren't the focus of the game but rather the inner struggle is, to deal with them between the fictitious character called Edmund which represents the horrors of Michaels past.

Q: Finally, if possible, tell us what Edmund is "really" about, and what it's message "really" is.

A: I don't think theres any hidden secrets here, its about a wartime veteran dealing with horrors from his past, I don't think I walked into this with a message in mind, but to tell a story about a man named Michael dealing with the horrors he faced wartime some time later, and the mental struggle he undertakes nightly from allowing Edmund to take over conciousness, a mental struggle between good and evil, represented on-screen by Michael and Edmund. (less info)