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 In 1971 a group of psychologists at Stanford University conducted one of the most infamous science experiments ever undertaken. A group of young men, who had previously signed up to take part in an undescribed experiment, were met unannounced at their homes by several "police officers" and were dragged out of their houses, "arrested", and driven to a empty wing of the Stanford psychology building. There the men were divided into two groups -- the "prisoners" and the "guards", with the prisoners given dresses to wear, assigned numbers, and herded into makeshift "cells". The guards, on the other hand, were given clubs and uniforms, were instructed to treat the "prisoners" like they would be treated at any prison, and were given free reign to maintain order and discipline among them. The experiment was a total disaster. Within a few days, the "guards" had gone mad with power, dehumanizing the prisoners, exposing them to random shakedowns and searches, and abusing them mentally and physically. The "prisoners" suffered mental breakdowns, attempted riots and prison breaks, and began betraying one another to gain favor with their captors. After just six days the Stanford Prison Experiment, which was scheduled to be run for two weeks, had to be terminated. It has never again been repeated by an academic institution in this country.  What does this story have to do with anything? It teaches us that in an environment where there is nothing to connect them back to reality, a group of people can experience a mass delusion so strong that there is almost nothing that can be done to wake them from it. Deus Ex 2 did not have to be a bad game. It probably could have been a very good game. But in the rush from design documents to final product which included a XBox as well as a PC version, Ion Storm somehow neglected to notice that, far beyond any other negative aspects which could be mentioned, the game didn't work. |