Ryzaki wrote...
Which is my point. My Shepard got replaced by BW's Shepard in ME3 a vast majority of the time.
I totally agree with this statement. When playing ME3 I really felt like My Shepard was completely replaced by Bioware's Shepard. I remember thinking wait...I didn't say that...I didn't even feel that way in some places. It felt like a cinematic movie, but I still felt emotionally connected to Shepard despite that.
I also knew that Shepard was going to die I guess though I had some hope, Bioware did emphasize that this was going to be the end. I know Bioware said they wanted to try new things. I know that it's really difficult to carry over player-choice, and that ending Shepard's story so that you don't have to stress over continuation etc. is hard, as can you imagine sitting down to write a script where every mission and choice the character made was effected by so many choices before--that just adds up.
I feel like the opposite of the original posters question. That instead Bioware focused too little on creating an emotional plot and the consequences of actions, like mixing 'gameplay/action' + emotion, those two things are experimental territory that no one was prepared for. I feel the evidence shows by the end related to the lack of closure, they did so good with evoking emotion throughout the game... and then we get to the end and there was no closure. Killing off Shepard was put as the top priority over giving any closure. The EC offered more closure for me, "Time to say goodbye", but still. I feel like they were very weak with this aspect and that they focused on things like multiplayer more, or other aspects of the game that had nothing to do with emotion.
I feel very emotionally invested in this game, and when people play with evoking emotions they really get into something where they need to handle how to end a game gracefully, as once you emotionally invest in a character and play as that character how you terminate that character can become a very traumatic experience when not done properly. I read many reviews and some comments here where people experienced literal sadness and needed to step away and needed time and some who are still 'hurt' by the ending. Objectively being 'hurt' by a game or the actions of the people who created a game seems laughable by some, but are feelings that were provoked regardless. I think Bioware addressed that 'part' in the EC by acknowledging we needed time to say goodbye, but my point is...Bioware's focus wasn't that it focused too much on emotional plot, but that they didn't think or consider what would happen to people emotionally by investing a player and then cutting the experience instantly just like that.
Because Bioware is so good at what they do I am still afraid of emotionally investing in another story they create with a single character that goes on like this. This is actually one of the first games that I know of that Bioware has made that has gone this emotionally deep with several games, and the feelings and the emotional connection is much larger than a single game with the Warden, or Hawk.
I believe that the experience towards the end at least for me was somewhat traumatic or at least weighed heavily on my heart. Even if you know you're going to die or this is going to be an end...to have it happen the way it did so quickly. And even though I think Bioware figured out that players need closure (and that the vast majority of their players also need plot holes filled
) that fear of emotionally investing again and having something like that happen at the end is...Bioware is experimenting with emotions and I have to ask myself if I will risk going through another emotional experience with them, or if I can trust that they will handle the emotional experience better next time?
We are getting to a point where games are becoming extremely complex, and we are demanding more complexity in emotions and response. We want to laugh, cry, and we don't necessarily want fairytale endings, but we want to leave feeling like we did a job well done. I imagine that as games get more complex, they will get to a point where inflicting death on a character is something that will have to be handled with a certain finesse. Because games will become to such a complexity where the experiences in game will be much more integrated but emotionally AND physically into our perceptions. It is crucial to ensure that when you are dealing with emotions and trying to draw them out, that you realize you're getting into shaky territory, 'psychological' territory. And being able to simulate feelings of happiness and sadness, can also lead to simulating emotions like depression. This may sound 'laughable' but my point is this is the game we are playing, and the outrage/backlash was an example of that. There is real psychology that goes into gaming, real psychology that comes with emotions, and ending a game by using 'death' with a character you have 'emotionally invested' in, for years, is CRUCIAL. And I think Bioware is coming to understand at least part of it, though I still think many people don't realize how 'deep' this is, almost to the point in which it can feel a little scary...that works of art can move you so much that you can become physically ill or feel literally depressed.
We should always be thinking about what emotions we want to evoke and how to cushion players against a dangerous feeling of emptiness. (Some people I think have referred to this as 'nihilism') whatever we call it, this is important. I know I WANT games that draw me in emotionally, but I don't want to be afraid that when it comes time to say goodbye I'm going to have to become so frightened of what will happen that I feel nauseous, sick, that I'll have to step away, that I'll be driving home feeling empty and sad over a loss...that I'll have to feel literal emptiness or numbness after the fact, and even feel resistant to replaying any of the games over again. Emptiness and Despair is NOT what I want games to evoke in me. "Accomplishment" and maybe a state of "Inner Peace", the state of "Being able to put something to rest" towards the end. Which Bioware did well enough with the EC, and the rest of it is just coming to terms with saying goodbye to my character which I've just started to come around doing.
Modifié par Caenis, 01 juillet 2012 - 08:37 .
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