Emotional Connection

Every now and then there comes a movie, song, or even a game that seems to connect with a person on all levels. It just manages to tug on your heart strings in the right way and connect you deeper with said form of media. In the world of games this is something that I can say rarely happens for me. I could probably only name a handful of games where I truly cared about what was happening to the character in the story. So many of our games today are today are created in the mold of turning the gamer into a faceless, silent protagonist who pushes forward with their mission regardless of story developments. Right off the bat I'll agree that these games can still be a lot fun, but I appreciate it more when I'm given a character that I can invest in. For a medium where a portion of its fans are crying out for it to be considered art, we have very few titles that can truly be considered as such.

I'm not talking about art from the stand point of art direction and such because quite frankly some of these games are down right gorgeous graphically. There's no doubt that they're created by some talented artists. But in terms of art on the level of a form of media that can move you in the emotional sense and connect with the player on a deeper level the industry seems kind of light. You're probably asking yourself what it takes for a game to have that kind of emotional attachment that most games seem to be missing. Well it takes several factors. Some games seem to be able to combine bits and pieces of this formula while others just falter miserably. I'm going to run through some of the qualities that I think help to bring real sentiment into the gaming realm. Also just a note, this post will contain spoilers for a few games.

Choice

Believe it or not but choice can be a big factor in drawing a gamer into their character. Taking one look at the Fable series shows a game franchise built on the idea of living the heroes journey while making difficult choices along the way. Forging a character the way you want them to appear and play can greatly impact your emotional involvement within a game. Though Fable still has a set narrative, the paths you take to reach the end of your character's journey are not so linear. Each person's path through the game can be unique to their own taste in several ways. From the way your character dresses to the subtle interactions with the citizens of Lionshead's fantasy world, each choice can help to create a sense of impact. In the end the world helps to reflect that what you do truly makes a difference to this little virtual world, whether it be for the better or for worse.

Infamous's Cole displaying the player's ability to make him good or evil

Fable isn't the innovator of the interactive choose your own adventure style of game play but it stands out as a game that definitely shines brightly because of the concept. However the problem with the franchise is that at times it can be a tad bit linear. For a series that promotes the concept of choice, it can be very limiting and use that idea of choice as a thin veil over the narrative. Fable 3 comes to mind where an idea was purely stripped down to its core for story purposes where your choices as the King of Albion have no real overall effect. It's a disconnect with the story that the prior game did not have. The series did have one other thing going for it though and that would be the inclusion of a canine companion.

Companionship

Building a relationship with a virtual character might sound off-putting but that's exactly what some developers strive for when they create in game companions to accompany your character on their journey. I think no other game exemplifies this quite like Shadow of the Colossus. The game is set in a desolate world of beautiful landscapes where the only characters that interact with the hero, dubbed Wander, are the disembodied temple voice he seeks out to restore his love, Mono, to the world of the living. This all powerful being tasks Wander with finding and slaying the 16 colossi of this world in order to bring Mono back to life. As Wander sets out on his quest, fueled by love, he has his trusty steed, Agro, by his side. That very horse becomes your life-line in this game as you battle creatures 10 times the size of your character.

Though faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, Wander fights and defeats colossus after colossus, each time suffering a blackout after slaying a creature. Through all of it though, Agro stands by Wanders side. It also helps that the remarkable Team ICO even allowed players to interact with the horse while traversing the landscapes of the barren world; almost mimicking a real relationship between a horse and its trainer. Needless to say that by the end of the game I had grown quite attached not only to Wander as he effectively played the role of the underdog as he battled monster after monster to bring back the love of his life, but also to Agro who joined me time and time again in accomplishing that goal. That only made it far more tragic and a bit heart-wrenching when the following scene played out on my television back in 2005.

At the time it was very shocking. Here it was that you were heading into battle with the last colossus and Agro was with you every step of the way; even going so far to sacrifice herself in order for you to complete your task. I won't spoil the rest of the game for those of you who have not played it but that's just the tip of the iceberg as far as the emotional ending to this game goes. It definitely shows just how effective companionship can be when you're working with an interactive medium. While it may start off seeming like forced interaction, it usually overcomes this to become a dynamic aspect of the game itself. When you couple this with a good plot and rich characters then you know the player is in for a treat. And that leads me to the third aspect of my list.

Characterization

While Shadow of the Colossus has a great narrative and the companionship factor going for it, it doesn't have the most amazing protagonist. I love Wander, I really do. But for the most part he's playing the normal role of a silent hero. Sure he has a few lines of dialogue here and there in the game's created language but it's not enough to flesh out the character. It's kinda hard to connect to a character who doesn't talk. However most games don't suffer from that. They just suffer from poorly written characters and overly cheap dialogue. One of the few exceptions to this I think comes from one of my favorite developers, Rockstar. Okay, some of the dialogue they create is kinda cheesy but they have a knack for creating compelling characters. The character that immediately comes to mind is none other than Red Dead Redemption's John Marston.

The grizzled frontiersman has a lot going for him but the main thing I want to talk about is the fact that he has qualities that the player can identify with throughout the game. At the outset of the game we find out that Marston used to run with a pretty tough crowd. The gang he once associated with use to run amok in the old west, causing problems for the innocent townsfolk that they came across. Somewhere down the line the life of crime became a bit much Marston and he decided to settle down with his lady. He leaves the old life behind and starts anew as a simple farmer with his son, Jack, and wife, Abigail. That is until the law finally catches up with him and tasks him with bringing in his old gang.

Much like other Rockstar games, Red Dead is all about the sandbox style of game play. You can do the missions when you want and basically however you want. Or there's plenty of other things to keep you busy without ever touching the missions. Open world games have a knack for easily distracting the player with events that don't necessarily tie into the story itself. Regardless of this fact, what makes Red Dead great is the way Marston is portrayed; coupled with the choice of the player. The idea of a man who's taken some questionable paths in his life and is now trying to live on the up and up is something that many people can relate to. It makes Marston easy to identify with. When you're able to relate to the character you're playing it's possible to become invested in their quest and in the character as well. 

Considering Marston's in game motivation, it only seemed right to play the guy like the reformed criminal he was. What that entailed was basically upholding the law and doing the right thing. It essentially felt like I was helping to keep the character from regressing back to his old ways and turned him into a morally upstanding citizen. I have to admit, it doesn't mean things didn't get a little brutal at times. My Marston might have been upholding the law but he still got his hands dirty when he needed to. And that was the fun of the whole process really, crafting an experience that was unique to me. So there you are, fully drawn into Marston's tale of redemption, when the finale sends you for a loop. I've got to be honest in stating that it was the most emotional scene I had seen in a game since Agro's fall in Shadow of the Colossus. 

When it's all said and done, at the end is a real life scenario in which a man struggles to get back to his family, only to have that ripped away from him when he finally achieves his goal. Just because it's told through a different form of media doesn't mean it can't carry that shame emotional weight it would in a book or movie. I think what it comes down to is creating a game that can succeed in that spectrum of entertainment though. Games like this have a more lasting impact on gamers as opposed to faceless space marine battles. As we gamers mature and grow older, I think that's the sort of experience we're looking for. All right I have ranted enough about this subject. Sound off in the comments and let me know what you think about my check list and if you have anything you think should be on the list.