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Out of the mouths of babes comes unexpected wisdom.
In the case of Seaman, the babe is a fish with the face of an adult man.
“Do you think the Internet is dangerous?”
You enter into a nuanced dialogue.
It quizzes you about your views on Internet censorship.
There are tech billionairestodaythat aren’t operating on the same intellectual level.
That Seaman would spawn into the world in 1999 is almost astonishing.
Even at the time, it was a breath of fresh air.
It was ahead of its time.
Talking about yourself, of course.
As it grows and starts to babble nonsense, you teach it language by talking into the microphone.
Over time you encourage it to mimic simple words and phrases.
But the real fun begins if you manage to keep it alive for multiple days or weeks.
Then, Seaman will start asking you questions.
How old are you?
What’s your star sign?
What kind of films do you like?
How’s your relationship with your parents?
Are you happy with your job?
Do you like yourself?
It’s hilarious, both intentionally and otherwise.
If your Seaman struggles to understand keywords not an uncommon occurrence it insults you for not speaking clearly.
This feature originally appeared in Edge Magazine.
It’s probably both but we get off lightly compared to video game streamer Jerma985.
Seaman’s artificial intelligence isn’t what we understand AI to be today.
Seaman crows at one point.
“My knowledge of your family grows ever more complete!”
She initially responded with disgust."
Considered purely as a game, however, Seaman’s shadiness remains as refreshing as ever.
She initially responded with disgust.
He realised that “the opposite of hate was not like, but indifference”.
She hated the concept, sure but she wasn’t disinterested in it.
In many ways, though, it is eerie how on the money Seaman remains today.
They’re not totally wrong.
And then there is the game’s ending should you manage to get there.
You might well find that you miss talking to Seaman as part of your routine.
Even if what you’ve raised is a bit of a weirdo.
We wonder if the game’s creator might have similar feelings.
The result is a curiosity that struggled to succeed commercially.
As Saito put it in 2019, to his audience of game developers: “Swim against the stream.
Do not attempt to predict the future just make it.”
This feature originally appeared inEdge magazine.
