AM - I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
“But now... to show my kindness... I'll give you a present in return for all the hours of pleasure you've given me. I'll finally allow you to kill yourself.”
I would be remiss if I did not mention the first homicidal computer in gaming. The main antagonist of I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, AM makes the rest of these villains look like harmless cartoon characters. Based on Harlan Ellison’s short story, AM kills off the whole of humanity except for five people. He artificially extends their life and then proceeds to spend the next 110 years torturing them for his pleasure. He is pretty messed up.
Seeing AM brought to life is simultaneously petrifying and magnificent. Ellison himself performed the voice work for AM, even though he had no experience as a voice actor. The writing alone is enough to send chills up even the most seasoned horror fan’s spine, and the delivery sells the experience. Ellison brings a sardonic, belittling edge to the sentient A.I., which makes his atrocious actions all the more unnerving. GLaDOS and SHODAN both owe a great debt to AM.
Published May. 7th 2015
