Shadows and Doubt

As the sun sets, you can use your flashlight, but beware the movement in the shadows behind you. Are they your enemies or your allies? Or perhaps they are only in your mind.
--Introduction for Shadows and Doubt

Though the Mechanicals are often the driving force behind new technology, video games were first invented by the Illusionists . Looking for a way to prepare possible Illusionist initiates for training, an innovative Illusionist invented the game Shadows and Doubt, which became so popular in Anthatir that it was later released worldwide. It is rumored that the inventor of the game is now a red band, though I have been unable to locate any actual facts about who the person is.
In Shadows and Doubt, a player is a member of a small military group completing a series of missions. During the game, they must kill enemies, represented by red squares, to complete the missions, but lose the game if they accidentally shoot their allies, represented by green squares. As the game continues, the screen becomes darker, simulating night, and the player's vision is reduced to a triangular shape representing a flashlight beam. Anything within the flashlight beam can be seen clearly, while the rest of the screen is black. Dark colored squares sometimes move across the black background, representing movement in the shadows. When the flashlight is moved in this direction, these shapes may be revealed to be enemies, allies, or nothing at all.

Utility

The game was originally designed to assess potential Illuionist initiates. Units were located in select places which were known as popular locations for young people, and Illusionist recruiters frequented them to watch people play and discuss Illusionist training with those who might be interested. The game became popular for sheer entertainment purposes, however, and this remains the more common use of it.

Inventor(s)

Though it is clear that Shadows and Doubt was invented by an Illusionist, the name and details of the actual inventor seem to be a guarded secret, similar the the creators of other Illusionist inventions, including the person who developed the current method of training.

Access & Availability

The game was first released in select areas in Anthatir, where the Illusionists thought it would be most useful. The subsequent popularity of the game found it released throughout the country, and soon worldwide. It can be found in most arcades.

Discovery

Shadows and Doubt was first developed in 1969. Though video games had been played before on computers via the use of punch cards to make moves, this was the first game which instead used a joystick and button to maneuver. The joystick is used to turn and move in different directions, while the button on top is used to fire a gun. It was invented as a means of additional testing for possible Illusionists, as it tested both reflexes and a player's ability to quickly, but accurately asses a situation.