Reflection Paper 1984

During 1984: The Game, I learned the importance of the value of independence and freedom. Previous to playing the game, I would consistently wear whatever I wanted, I would write with whatever I wanted to, and I was allowed to live ownlife. But the game gave me a new perspective, not only on Winston and his hardships but on my peers. While engaged in the game, due to the secrecy developed within the tension of ignorance, I felt paranoid and oppressed. Because nobody knew what role everybody in the class played, there were underlying tensions that lead to distrust. Personally, I could not trust anybody, not even my closest friends in the class. I felt like I was always being watched. Even the fact that I survived the week without committing an offense did not justify the uncomfortable feeling I had. Then I realized that this was Winston’s life-always being watched while unwillingly obeying the rules of the party. The situation was ungood, having my classmates betray each other, which taught me that there is no place safe for individualistic freedom. The rules that challenged me facilitated changing my opinion on George Orwell’s view on futuristic society. Having to write with a certain pen, having to wear a visible green ribbon with white apparel, and not being able to verbally approach my peers and teachers the way I was accustomed made me feel as if I were living in Ingsoc. I was not myself. I was forced to be a person who I originally was not. This helped me understand Orwell’s concept of being controlled by the government, and by fighting for individual freedom to change reality, one is only destroying himself. Winston could not take down Big Brother, for he lost everything he had hope for when he tried, which correlates to the fact that if I would have tried to rebel against the rules of the game, the Thought Police or Big Sister would have accused me of betrayal and I would have to write more pages to this essay. It makes me visualize the courage of Winston, for I was fine seeing things blackwhite, because I did not want consequences, but Winston was willing to give anything for freedom. I personally believe that 1984: The Game has taught me the importance of natural rights and freedom. I think that even though our society is not fully correlated with Oceania’s, a future vision could still be anticipated by 1984, which is unfortunate because my personal one week experience made me lack trust in my peers and it made me unwillingly conform to the belligerent rules of the party. If the future consists of paranoia and oppression, I can truly say I went through a week of that feeling, and that I learned that an individual must always pursue his sense of creativity, originality, and happiness.