<s>
"	O
Playtest	B-General_Concept
"	O
is	O
the	O
second	O
episode	O
in	O
the	O
third	O
series	O
of	O
the	O
British	O
science	O
fiction	O
anthology	O
television	O
series	O
Black	B-Application
Mirror	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
episode	O
follows	O
Cooper	O
(	O
Wyatt	O
Russell	O
)	O
,	O
an	O
American	O
who	O
playtests	B-General_Concept
an	O
upcoming	O
augmented	B-General_Concept
reality	I-General_Concept
game	O
in	O
London	O
while	O
travelling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
episode	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
an	O
idea	O
Brooker	O
had	O
for	O
an	O
augmented	B-General_Concept
reality	I-General_Concept
Whac-A-Mole	O
game	O
which	O
increased	O
in	O
speed	O
until	O
the	O
subject	O
went	O
crazy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
is	O
forced	O
to	O
stay	O
with	O
her	O
after	O
his	O
bank	O
account	O
is	O
drained	O
when	O
he	O
becomes	O
victim	O
to	O
identity	O
theft	O
,	O
but	O
finds	O
a	O
paid	O
offer	O
to	O
playtest	B-General_Concept
a	O
game	O
for	O
SaitoGemu	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
tests	O
an	O
augmented	B-General_Concept
reality	I-General_Concept
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
Whac-A-Mole	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
meets	O
with	O
Shou	O
(	O
Ken	O
Yamamura	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
owner	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
told	O
that	O
he	O
will	O
experience	O
a	O
horror	O
game	O
where	O
an	O
artificial	B-Architecture
neural	I-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
personalises	O
the	O
experience	O
to	O
his	O
fears	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
Harlech	O
House	O
,	O
the	O
mansion	O
he	O
recognises	O
from	O
a	O
SaitoGemu	B-General_Concept
game	O
,	O
Cooper	O
has	O
an	O
earpiece	O
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
Katie	O
;	O
there	O
are	O
also	O
cameras	O
throughout	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whilst	O
series	O
one	O
and	O
two	O
of	O
Black	B-Application
Mirror	I-Application
were	O
shown	O
on	O
Channel	O
4	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
,	O
in	O
September	O
2015	O
Netflix	O
commissioned	O
the	O
series	O
for	O
twelve	O
episodes	O
(	O
split	O
into	O
two	O
series	O
of	O
six	O
episodes	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Playtest	B-General_Concept
"	O
is	O
the	O
second	O
episode	O
of	O
the	O
third	O
series	O
;	O
all	O
six	O
episodes	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
were	O
released	O
on	O
Netflix	O
simultaneously	O
on	O
21	O
October	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Black	B-Application
Mirror	I-Application
is	O
an	O
anthology	O
series	O
,	O
each	O
installment	O
is	O
standalone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Playtest	B-General_Concept
"	O
was	O
placed	O
second	O
partly	O
because	O
Halloween	B-Application
was	O
soon	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
date	O
,	O
though	O
series	O
creator	O
Charlie	O
Brooker	O
commented	O
that	O
maybe	O
it	O
should	O
not	O
have	O
been	O
second	O
as	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
"	O
romp	O
"	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
"	O
message	O
episode	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Playtest	B-General_Concept
"	O
was	O
screened	O
at	O
the	O
New	O
York	O
Comic	O
Con	O
in	O
early	O
October	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
treatment	O
of	O
"	O
Playtest	B-General_Concept
"	O
was	O
written	O
by	O
Brooker	O
,	O
after	O
which	O
he	O
worked	O
on	O
producing	O
and	O
refining	O
a	O
script	O
with	O
the	O
director	O
Dan	O
Trachtenberg	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conceptually	O
,	O
Brooker	O
was	O
inspired	O
with	O
an	O
idea	O
where	O
a	O
person	O
is	O
given	O
augmented	B-General_Concept
reality	I-General_Concept
implants	O
to	O
play	O
a	O
virtual	O
Whac-A-Mole	O
game	O
which	O
becomes	O
repeatedly	O
faster	O
,	O
causing	O
the	O
person	O
to	O
go	O
crazy	O
and	O
be	O
placed	O
with	O
numerous	O
other	O
subjects	O
all	O
traumatised	O
by	O
moles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brooker	O
then	O
conceived	O
of	O
adding	O
a	O
haunted	B-Application
house	I-Application
concept	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
augmented	B-General_Concept
reality	I-General_Concept
technology	O
would	O
dynamically	O
change	O
what	O
the	O
person	O
saw	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
their	O
fears	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brooker	O
commented	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
partly	O
inspired	O
by	O
Daniel	O
Mallory	O
Ortberg	O
,	O
who	O
wrote	O
in	O
an	O
article	O
:	O
"	O
Next	O
on	O
Black	B-Application
Mirror	I-Application
:	O
what	O
if	O
phones	O
,	O
but	O
too	O
much	O
?	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
one	O
draft	O
,	O
Cooper	O
was	O
told	O
he	O
was	O
a	O
character	O
in	O
Black	B-Application
Mirror	I-Application
as	O
a	O
way	O
of	O
breaking	O
the	O
fourth	O
wall	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alternate	O
scenes	O
were	O
a	O
key	O
concept	O
of	O
the	O
later	O
interactive	O
film	O
Black	B-Application
Mirror	I-Application
:	O
Bandersnatch	O
,	O
which	O
incorporated	O
viewer	O
decisions	O
into	O
the	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Playtest	B-General_Concept
"	O
was	O
the	O
last	O
episode	O
of	O
the	O
third	O
series	O
to	O
be	O
filmed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Exterior	O
shots	O
of	O
SaitoGemu	B-General_Concept
's	O
headquarters	O
used	O
Englefield	O
House	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sets	O
for	O
SaitoGemu	B-General_Concept
were	O
created	O
from	O
an	O
abandoned	O
school	O
building	O
,	O
while	O
scenes	O
in	O
Harlech	O
House	O
were	O
filmed	O
in	O
the	O
home	O
of	O
an	O
elderly	O
woman	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
shots	O
of	O
the	O
house	O
for	O
special	O
effects	O
were	O
made	O
by	O
rendering	O
the	O
home	O
within	O
the	O
Unity	B-Application
game	I-Application
engine	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
primary	O
technology	O
of	O
the	O
episode	O
drew	O
comparisons	O
to	O
augmented	B-General_Concept
reality	I-General_Concept
and	O
contemporary	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
technologies	O
including	O
Oculus	B-Device
Rift	I-Device
and	O
Microsoft	B-General_Concept
HoloLens	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
episode	O
shows	O
futuristic	O
technology	O
at	O
the	O
headquarters	O
of	O
SaitoGemu	B-General_Concept
,	O
Bishop	O
describing	O
the	O
setting	O
as	O
"	O
full	O
of	O
all-white	O
rooms	O
and	O
silent	O
worker	O
bees	O
tapping	O
away	O
dutifully	O
behind	O
minimalist	O
visor	O
displays	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cooper	O
also	O
sits	O
next	O
to	O
a	O
girl	O
whose	O
face	O
is	O
used	O
for	O
a	O
creepy	O
portrait	O
and	O
sees	O
a	O
SaitoGemu	B-General_Concept
employee	O
designing	O
a	O
costume	O
which	O
later	O
appears	O
on	O
Josh	O
Peters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trachtenberg	O
included	O
several	O
of	O
his	O
favourite	O
video	O
games	O
as	O
props	O
on	O
a	O
shelf	O
in	O
Sonja	O
's	O
room	O
,	O
while	O
many	O
video	O
game	O
consoles	O
are	O
seen	O
at	O
SaitoGemu	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
references	O
include	O
a	O
mural	O
to	O
Pac-Man	B-Application
that	O
Cooper	O
visits	O
in	O
London	O
and	O
non-video	O
game	O
references	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
1997	O
action	O
film	O
Face/Off	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Harlech	O
House	O
resembles	O
the	O
house	O
in	O
the	O
1996	O
game	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Cooper	O
's	O
surname	O
"	O
Redfield	O
"	O
is	O
another	O
reference	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
,	O
an	O
allusion	O
to	O
the	O
phrase	O
's	O
usage	O
in	O
the	O
2007	O
game	O
BioShock	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
phrase	O
related	O
to	O
whether	O
players	O
follow	O
instructions	O
unquestioningly	O
,	O
which	O
Miller	O
saw	O
as	O
related	O
to	O
its	O
occurrence	O
in	O
"	O
Playtest	B-General_Concept
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Playtest	B-General_Concept
"	O
garnered	O
B	O
ratings	O
from	O
Agard	O
and	O
The	O
A.V.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Playtest	B-General_Concept
"	O
received	O
mixed	O
positions	O
on	O
many	O
critics	O
 '	O
rankings	O
of	O
the	O
23	O
instalments	O
in	O
the	O
Black	B-Application
Mirror	I-Application
series	O
,	O
from	O
best	O
to	O
worst	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IndieWire	O
authors	O
ranked	O
the	O
22	O
Black	B-Application
Mirror	I-Application
instalments	O
excluding	O
Bandersnatch	O
by	O
quality	O
,	O
giving	O
"	O
Playtest	B-General_Concept
"	O
a	O
position	O
of	O
10th	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meanwhile	O
,	O
Brian	O
Tallerico	O
of	O
Vulture	O
rated	O
Russell	O
's	O
performance	O
the	O
sixth	O
best	O
of	O
Black	B-Application
Mirror	I-Application
,	O
praising	O
him	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
truly	O
charismatic	O
and	O
engaging	O
actor	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Proma	O
Khosla	O
of	O
Mashable	O
ranked	O
the	O
same	O
instalments	O
by	O
tone	O
,	O
concluding	O
that	O
"	O
Playtest	B-General_Concept
"	O
was	O
the	O
fourth	O
most	O
bleak	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
critics	O
ranked	O
the	O
13	O
episodes	O
in	O
Black	B-Application
Mirrors	I-Application
first	O
three	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
critics	O
ranked	O
the	O
six	O
episodes	O
from	O
series	O
three	O
of	O
Black	B-Application
Mirror	I-Application
in	O
order	O
of	O
quality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
their	O
work	O
on	O
visual	O
effects	O
in	O
"	O
Playtest	B-General_Concept
"	O
,	O
multiple	O
individuals	O
and	O
groups	O
were	O
nominated	O
for	O
a	O
British	O
Academy	O
Television	O
Craft	O
Award	O
,	O
a	O
Royal	O
Television	O
Society	O
Craft	O
&	O
Design	O
Award	O
and	O
a	O
Visual	O
Effects	O
Society	O
Award	O
in	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
