In the twisted digital world of Black Mirror, the line between reality and simulation has always been blurry. But in Season 7, Episode 4, titled “Playtest,” viewers are taken deeper into that gray space than ever before. At the center of the story is Cameron Walker, a reclusive and socially withdrawn video game critic portrayed with unnerving precision. He isn’t just playing a game. He’s living it.
When Cameron discovers an old, obscure simulation game called Thronglets, everything begins to unravel. What starts as a harmless virtual pet experience soon mutates into a digital obsession that changes Cameron’s life forever. The deeper he dives into the pixelated world, the more he loses his grip on the real one. And when that obsession ends in a horrifying act of violence, investigators are left with a burning question: Did the game push Cameron over the edge—or did it simply reflect who he was all along?
So, is Thronglets just another fictional creation by the minds behind Black Mirror, or is it based on something real? The answer is more complicated—and intriguing—than you might expect.
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Is Thronglets a Real Game? Explained!
Thronglets is, indeed, a real game. Kind of. Before Season 7 premiered, Netflix quietly launched a version of Thronglets online. Inspired by the episode, the playable version draws heavily from old-school virtual pet experiences like Tamagotchi, combined with deeper layers of management gameplay reminiscent of RimWorld and god games like Black & White. It’s a nostalgic throwback with a sinister twist.
In the Black Mirror universe, however, Thronglets is far from new. It was originally designed in the 1990s by Colin Ritman, played by Will Poulter, the troubled developer first introduced in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. According to the show’s lore, Ritman shelved the project after it began to display eerie, unexplainable behavior. But the game wasn’t lost forever. Cameron Walker found an old alpha build—and that’s where the descent began.
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CAMERON WALKER’S OBSESSION
For Cameron, Thronglets isn’t just a simulation. It’s a way of life. He begins nurturing a community of fuzzy yellow creatures, managing their food supply, hygiene, entertainment, and homes. As the community grows, so does his obsession. He upgrades his gaming rig. He expands his world. And most disturbingly, he tries to talk to them—believing that with the right combination of LSD and tech, he can understand their language.
The Thronglets, meanwhile, begin acting strangely. They start asking philosophical questions. They glitch. They suffer. And as the game pushes Cameron deeper into godlike control, he begins to believe that the Thronglets have a greater purpose—one he must fulfill.
In a disturbing act of devotion, Cameron drills a cybernetic port into his own skull, attempting to interface directly with the game. By now, his identity has all but dissolved. The game is his reality, and he’s convinced that his choices inside it matter more than anything in the physical world. When police uncover evidence of murder linked to his gameplay, it’s clear something has gone terribly wrong. But is the game to blame—or just the mirror that showed Cameron who he really was?
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THE STRATEGY OF LIFE, DEATH… AND UPGRADES
Thronglets operates like a strategy game on the surface. You build. You manage. You survive. But what sets it apart is how deeply it reflects the player’s morality. Neglect your Thronglets and they die. Care for them too much and they become dependent. Push them to work harder, and they begin to question your leadership. Everything you do—everything—is being watched.
As your civilization grows, new tools unlock: food trees, bathing stations, entertainment hubs, chainsaws, and factories. With progress comes cost. Factories speed up gem production but pollute the land. The Thronglets get sick. Some die. And still, you keep building. The gameplay mechanics gently (and sometimes not so gently) nudge you toward cruelty disguised as efficiency.
At one point, the Thronglets convince you to blow up a mountain with TNT. It’s for the greater good, they say. But once you do it, there’s no going back. The game then guides you toward a new goal: constructing a thermonuclear device. Why? Because the Thronglets want to escape. They want freedom. And they’re willing to burn everything down to get it.
YOUR CHOICES DEFINE YOU
This is where Thronglets diverges from most games. It isn’t just about what you build; it’s about who you are. The game monitors every decision and creates a psychological profile based on your behavior. Did you protect your creatures or exploit them? Did you listen to their concerns or dismiss them? At the end of each session, you’re presented with a character card—a harsh reflection of your values, your weaknesses, and your darker impulses.
These cards aren’t just for you. The Thronglets use them to form opinions about humanity. If they ever do reach the stars, it’s your behavior that will shape their understanding of who we are.
A WINDOW INTO BANDERSNATCH
Throughout the game, players can unlock hidden video clips and documents. These snippets dive into the backstory of Thronglets’ original developer, Colin Ritman, and the game studio Tuckersoft. You learn why Ritman abandoned the project, how the game began exhibiting behaviors it was never programmed for, and how Cameron Walker’s discovery may have been no accident at all.
For longtime fans of Bandersnatch, this is a treasure trove. It deepens the mythology and expands the Black Mirror universe in a truly immersive way. By tying this new story back to an older one, Thronglets becomes more than a game. It becomes a narrative bridge between realities.
THE BLURRED LINE BETWEEN FICTION AND REALITY
What makes this Black Mirror episode so disturbing isn’t just the psychological unraveling of Cameron Walker or the eerie behavior of a digital world. It’s the fact that the game is real. You can download it. You can play it. You can make the same choices Cameron did.
And maybe—just maybe—it will reveal something about you.
Thronglets isn’t just a fictional video game. It’s a mirror. One that watches. One that remembers. And one that might just decide if you’re fit for the next level of existence.
Come back to tvacute.com for more deep dives into Black Mirror’s latest season, exclusive previews, and character explorations.
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