Other Life

Throughout the narrative, the online game Other Life represents the specific efforts of Sam to escape his real life, and on a broader metaphoric scale, to symbolize similar efforts made by several other characters. While the exact nature and details of how Other Life works, there is the clear sense that it is a reality in which players have the power and capability to create and to destroy objects and other characters.

Samanta and Eyesick

Samanta and Eyesick are the names given to the two avatars (alter-egos, game characters) played in Other Life and which symbolize different aspects of Sam's character. Samanta is a young Latina, whose existence in the game comes to an end in the aftermath of a playing mistake made by Sam's father. Eyesick is her replacement: the character's name is a clear evocation, or echo, of Sam's perspective on himself. It...