Rewinding time is the only worthwhile superpower

A couple of weeks ago I discovered a video game called 'Life is Strange', I had heard of it before but I hadn't taken much notice of it. It was only when I saw it on the Xbox online store that I had considered buying it. For £15.99 I could get all 5 episodes (Life is Strange is an episodic, digital only game, the fifth one is yet to be released). I was unsure at first, but the clips on Youtube looked interesting, it had good reviews, and it's the type of game I like.

So I bought it and I haven't regretted it since, I love it. The smallest of details mean so much. Life is Strange resembles a point and click game, but in a larger (albeit restricted) environment. Without giving any of the plot away, the game centres on a female character called Max Caulfield, a Private boarding school student who studies photography. Who one day suddenly discovers that she can temporarily rewind time. As the game progresses Max has to uncover a mystery relating to a missing person who went to her School.

Throughout the game, you get a choice of actions to pick from, those choices you make determine how the story develops. If you make one choice and you don't like it, you can always go back and choose the one that you prefer. As the player, this conjures up a dilemma, do you pick the choices you'd make yourself or those that would be best for the character in the game.

I chose from my point of view, but someone I know (who also played the game) said that I was doing it wrong, you should always play from the character's point of view. Either way, you can always go back, create a new file and make different choices. But the game has got me thinking about what such powers as rewinding time would give to you.

Because, when you really think about it, in the real world, very few superpowers (let's call it that) would actually be of any great value without abusing them, dehumanising yourself, and above all, getting found out. But the ability to be able to temporarily rewind and undo choices you make is one superpower which could genuinely be used for the benefit of the wider society around you, as well as for your own strict benefit. And it's not just the ability to change what has already happened, but the physical world around you, which I think is far more powerful.

For example, if someone got run over near to where I was, not only can I stop it, but I can prevent it by rewinding time, and warning that person of their impending danger, through persuasion or delicacy. Another (which is included in the game) is stopping someone from committing suicide.

Another example (which is included in the game) and one which could easily be abused, is the ability to pretend your psychic. If I had someone show me how much money they have in their wallet, I could rewind time, and then tell them. I'm sure there are more extreme examples of this kind of scenario.  

But the more I think about it, and the reason why I am writing this blog post, is that I believe the ability to rewind time is the only superpower which would really be of any value in the real world, whether for malignant purposes or not.

Because it ultimately gives you the power to master not only your own destiny but others around you.

What would I do? I would do a bit of both, I would certainly profit from it, nothing evil. However, at the same time, I would choose a life in which the ability to temporarily rewind time would be social good.

So, ask yourself, if you could temporarily rewind time, what kind of choices would you make?