Emotional connections in video games - Page 2

mykalgaidin · #11 07-08-2009, 10:18 PM

The final fight in MGS3. Hand-to-hand, against someone you don't want to kill, amidst one of the most beautifully rendered locations I've ever seen in a game, with minimal music. Haunting, to say the least.

dagamdagee · #12 07-09-2009, 01:04 AM

The moment that shook me the most was the ending of Half-Life 2 Episode 2. I did not see it coming at all, and I thought the voice actors captured the moment better than I thought VOs were capable of.

Now, I have a friend who has never experienced an emotional connection with video game characters. His explanation is that video games are not real in any way. He doesn't believe that games offer real-life scenarios that he can believe in.

What are your thoughts on this? Are games doomed to never be able to make emotional connections like books, movies or music? What are your thoughts on the present state of video game story-lines?

Mishy · #13 07-09-2009, 01:57 AM

I connect with nearly all of my games dunno why but i do but some games type is can't (like RTS wouldn't work for example) but since i play FPSs and RPGs they generally show the characters (Halo is an example where i connect with certain characters) or Mass Effect (If i need to explain this one you need to be drawn, quartered and staked... slowly.)

WAIT! One RTS game i did connect with was Starcraft fell in love with those characters

Dagamdagee ask your friend how a book is "real" if you look at it games are books but interactive and involve seeing and hearing. I do wish though that storylines came back into games as its more turning into shoot that guy because i want you to

mace990 · #14 07-09-2009, 09:39 PM

yeah as said before MGS4 just never gets out of my mind now

I like all of the characters and I just played the game because I wanted to watch the next video sequence

People experience emotions with video games other people don't, Friend of mine plays only RPG's reading through all the stories and so on, I guess he experiences emotions (at least a little) although he won't say :P
Another friend just plays CoD4 and WoW, never reading quests in WoW just the aim, he never experienced any emotions - he even told me

But MGS4 even let him experience emotions in connection with Video Games

ooo

I guess it depends on the kind of person one is if he/she feels something while playing a game... (I myself feel emotions even while reading books

- even a little bit more than playing games ^,^)

echo65 · #15 07-10-2009, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mykalgaidin

The final fight in MGS3. Hand-to-hand, against someone you don't want to kill, amidst one of the most beautifully rendered locations I've ever seen in a game, with minimal music. Haunting, to say the least.

Definitely. Also the final fight in MGS4 with the montage of songs from the series. Brings to the forefront the connection developed throughout the series.

Soyle-sama · #16 07-10-2009, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mishy

I connect with nearly all of my games dunno why but i do but some games type is can't (like RTS wouldn't work for example) but since i play FPSs and RPGs they generally show the characters (Halo is an example where i connect with certain characters) or Mass Effect (If i need to explain this one you need to be drawn, quartered and staked... slowly.)

WAIT! One RTS game i did connect with was Starcraft fell in love with those characters

Dagamdagee ask your friend how a book is "real" if you look at it games are books but interactive and involve seeing and hearing. I do wish though that storylines came back into games as its more turning into shoot that guy because i want you to

Glad to see someone mention starcraft. That one definitely had it's moments

stashnet · #17 07-12-2009, 07:56 AM

The Final Fantasy series are the first ones I think of when I think of an emotional connection in a game. I can't remember having any connections with non RPGs though. IMO you really have to invest the time into the characters to connect emotionally with their story.

As far as the vs. books vs music question - many ppl make emotional connections to music as well and the score of a vg can make a big difference to some in the 'connection'. With that being said, however, I also get emotionally vested in the characters of the books I read so what's that leave us with? A wash? - there's an emotional connection or at the least the possiblity of one in each avenue.

AlazarRamir · #18 07-12-2009, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soyle-sama

Glad to see someone mention starcraft. That one definitely had it's moments

Damn straight. i will NEVER forget leaving Kerrigan behind. You see, I even remember the name still!!

But nowadays I remember RPGs more. If I play a really good one, it will leave a mark on me. I remember Lufia 2, that used to eat me up inside quite a bit.

Another is Ar Tonelico. Though i haven't played it through, I am still experiencing enough to attach myself to the characters.

Oh, and one other character which I felt for - Aribeth from Neverwinter Nights. At first I was a little unaffected but it was when I re-encountered her in one of the expansion packs. That is when it had taken most effect on me.

dagamdagee · #19 07-12-2009, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlazarRamir

Oh, and one other character which I felt for - Aribeth from Neverwinter Nights. At first I was a little unaffected but it was when I re-encountered her in one of the expansion packs. That is when it had taken most effect on me.

Okay, that actually brings me to my next point. Rev from Destructoid http://tinyurl.com/mbpu73 said in a youtube video, that a disconnect exists between players and their main characters. The storyline in infamous tells you to be in love with your girlfriend, but you're not in love with her yourself. Yet, a game like infamous is always trying to convince the player to become the main character.

So this has made me think that games shouldn't make it the onus of the story to connect the main character with the player. The connection is already there. The storyline rips the player away from the experience when they must deal with a blabber-mouthed main character. That is why I love Half-Life 2 so much. Gordon Freeman has no reason to say anything. He knows his mission, because he, like the player, know what they have to do. The story is then played out among the other characters and it's up to the player to form their own opinions.

AlazarRamir · #20 07-12-2009, 07:51 PM

I connect because I step into the character's shoes. If my main character yaps and yaps there is a strong chance I cannot attach myself to that person. This is why I will have a stronger bond with a silent character or even a character that you name / design yourself.