A new game from from developer Accidental Queens gives you free control over someone else’s phone. The plot of the game A Normal Lost Phone revolves around solving a mystery based on the contents of a stranger’s smartphone. It’s kind of a creepy concept when you think about it- take a moment and think about all that you have on your phone. Saved conversations, pictures, social media, and dating apps like Tinder: imagine the havoc someone could wreak with all of that info.
Thankfully, this game is fictional. The phone in the game is that of a missing person (who doesn’t actually exist). You have nearly unrestricted access to her cell phone, and although the concept is really cool and unique, I can’t help but feel like a real weirdo looking through a stranger’s phone (even if she’s not a real person). However, that’s part of the beauty of the game. A video game, as a form of art, is supposed to make you feel something, be it the adrenaline from a first person shooter or fear from Resident Evil VII. A Normal Lost Phone makes you feel. It makes you feel uncomfortable, like you’re doing something you shouldn’t be even though it’s for a reason. It also explores the moral gray area of privacy- how much of this person’s personal information do you actually need to go through in order to solve the mystery?
A Normal Lost Phone is a fantastic and unique game that definitely deserves your attention. Check it out on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Steam.
Credit: Accidental Queens
