Features

Comparing Blade Runner
In Print, Film and Game

It is interesting to compare the metamorphosis of the original story created by Philip K. Dick, entitled Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep through three very different yet familiar forms. It's a rare opportunity to examine the elements and story line development used in each format.

The Book

The original novel by Philip K. Dick, published in 1982, focuses on an apocalyptic time after a nuclear war when androids have been created for the purpose of carrying out menial, demeaning and repetitive labor. They have been relegated to a distant planet where they have conducted a rebellion. Fearful of a similar occurrence in the contaminated and decadent metropolis that was San Francisco, the inhabitants of the city have outlawed them and marked them for "retirement", a euphemism for extinction. The science of robot production has become so sophisticated that they are now indistinguishable from humans, with the exception of one feature, that of empathy. It is the job of Rick Dekard to hunt down and eliminate these robots, which he does with the use of the Voigt-Kampff, a socio-psychological test that measures sensitivity and compassion, a quality lacking in androids.

Dekard , is the main character, a married man whose occupation is that of blade runner, an elite member of the police force responsible for "retiring" the renegade replicants who have now infiltrated the city. Most of the citizens, preferring to leave the planet for a more hospitable colony, have emigrated the desolate town, but Dekard's job has kept him and his wife, Iran, from leaving the post nuclear war devastation. Since the only distinguishing characteristic for humans is respect for life, the ownership of a family pet is a most desirable distinction. The futuristic technology which people like Dekard enjoy has enabled the manufacture of animals almost identical to living creatures. Keeping these creatures is the one luxury available to those who chose to escape the pollution and decay of a post nuclear war metropolis. Dekard has an electric sheep, referred to in the title of the book.

Dekard and his wife own many futuristic devices, such as a Penfield mood organ which can be used to regulate one's emotions, a practice which he and Iran employ regularly. It is capable of creating vicarious (virtual) experiences in the privacy of the home. The couple own a television set which blares forth the constant conversation of Buster Friendly, a benign, on-air personality. Their religion is Mercerism, as espoused by Wilbur Mercer. Their faith dictates the tenet - thou shalt kill only killers, a postulate which Dekard observes.

We enter the story when Dekard's immediate superior, David Holden, has met and been wounded by Roy Batty. The reliant leader, leaving the task of retiring the rest of the aliens to Dekard. Batty is a Nexus-6, a newly improved android, or "andy".

The character who dominates a secondary thread is J.R. Isidore, a "special" - a gentleman who has suffered cerebral deterioration due to the aftermath of the nuclear conflict. He has failed to pass the minimum mental facilities test administered to everyone and placed in a lowly occupation due to his affliction. It is he to whom the replicants turn, accepting his hospitality and his offer of protection. This lonely man harbors Pris Stratton, Batty's refugee-companion, in the deserted building where he has made his home.

Rachel, a new and superior android manufactured by the Rosen Associates, insinuates herself into Dekard's pursuit. When Dekard is captured by a "bull policeman" outsmarted by Luba Luft, a suspected reliant, he is brought to the isolated station house that is the headquarters for the robotic humanoids. His behavior there raises the question of his nature.

Dick Resch is another character who has a parallel position to that of Dekard. He mirrors Dekard and augments the story line that questions the nature of Dekard's real identity: "is he or isn't he?" - human or android?

There is also a relationship between the hero and the reliant, Rachael Rosen. The forbidden romance between a human and a reliant adds to the suspicion.

The novel is rich with details and fodder for philosophic speculation. These principal elements form the framework in which the story unfolds. The structure affords an opportunity for the author to comment on the people, events, and places that are inherent in the world in which these characters exist.

The Film

The motion picture adaptation by Hampton Francher and David Peoples concentrates on the portions of the futuristic tale of the novel that can be told visually. The images of the decadent city; low, predominantly blue lighting; unfamiliar vehicles zooming through the night sky; neon lights in cursive calligraphy; supported by eerie and lyrical music by Vangelis. The story line of the novel is pruned drastically. Rick Dekard is a reluctant hero brought back to active duty by Inspector Bryant when it is reported that six replicants have infiltrated the city. He travels to the Tyrell Corporation to investigate the questionable efficiency of the Voigt- Kampff test used to ferret out the Nexus-6 replicants. He is taunted to examine Rachel and determines that she is definitely a deviant.

His task takes him to the rooms of Leon, an android who failed the V-K test that ended in his "retirement". A highly visual story line is added. He finds a picture of a woman whom he later finds in a strip joint (there will be obligatory strip joints in the future - of this I am convinced). He pursues and retires her. From here on in, his path is direct. Dekard has the property of all the heros in the legendary "hero's journey" that Hollywood has followed since the early '80's when Chris Vogler first circulated his film school thesis on the works of Joseph Campbell. Rick Dekard is fashioned nicely into the paradigm that all action adventure pictures form. The characters in Philip Dick's novel are assigned the functions of the standard movie cast: Protagonist (Dekard); Antagonist (Roy Batty); Love interest, (Rachael) and various sub characters and allies. Isidore, the shape changer of the novel becomes Sebastian. His residence, described in the novel as desolate, is filled with animated figures - another concession to the visual nature of the version. Certain characters are eliminated for the sake of expediency. Dekard's wife is eliminated, as is Luba Loft, the replicant with operatic talent. In the novel, her elimination brings up the question of the value of arbitrary retirement of Andys. All other characters are omitted as is the difficult-to-picture philosophy of the Mercerists and the televised blasting of Buster Friendly, though they are mentioned as motivation for Pris and are a noted part of the filmstory. Resch and the confrontation at the bogus police station is totally eliminated in favor of a more intense and violent picturing of one to one confrontation with Roy Batty.

The Game

In this version, you are the main character of this interactive adventure. You appear in the persona of Roy McCoy, a novice Blade Runner. Your task is to find and ferret out the replicants in your city who have undoubtedly been the perpetrators of the mass killing of animals at Runciter's. You are free to inspect the crime scene, roam the area, pick up clues, and meet with citizens of the metropolis while you travel to the locations of suspicious characters and follow up with the clues you find. You can interrogate participants using the Voigt-Kampff test which is designed to expose calloused and insensitive creatures, or replicants. You may pick up clues where ever you find them taking care to remember that the ally you meet may turn out to be a replicant. It is up to you to uncover the truth at the price of your life.

You have the advantage of a KIA - the knowledge interrogation assistant, the esper, which is a photograph analyzer and at the police headquarters, you have a mainframe filed with relevant data and a lab where you can examine the clues you loaded into the mainframe to be analyzed.

There are photographs which have been collected at your discretion which you can zoom for greater definition or print out as your need demands. This adds up to an armory of aids. One more thing. There is a competent, experienced, fellow blade runner by the name of Crystal Steele who is assigned to a case that, at unspecified times, will put you in her path.

Each decision you make will place you on another track. Your destiny can be any one of a half dozen eventualities but it is always self determined. While the compact disk version makes use of the concept, the ambiance, the characters and the possibilities inherent in the original story - (Dekard is mentioned but he manages to be one step ahead at all times) - the elements are mixed and matched and left open-ended for the player's maximum pleasure. Enhanced with music and speech, rendered in 3D in innovative animation and piercing color, Blade Runner is captivating and addicting entertainment.

Gloria Stern is a game design consultant and the director of The Virtual Classroom, a distance learning program for creating new media. She is the founder of The Mouse Trap and Two By Two. Her web activities include reviews, live chats, a Q & A column and Gamasutra interviews.

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