My wife and I often discuss my various dalliances with other women. The only way I am able to say that without fear of genuine physical harm is because I’m referring to my relationships with women who happen to be video game characters. As narratives in games become more complex, it stands to reason that character development and one’s interaction with said characters becomes accordingly more complex.
I used to feel that humor was one of the most difficult concepts to do well in gaming, and was shortly proven wrong by Ron Gilbert and his Monkey Island games, followed shortly by what I’ll refer to as the “golden age” of LucasArts’ point and click games, citing The Day of the Tentacle and Full Throttle as experiences that got humor right. The evolution of humor has progressed to the point of ultra-satire with the tight writing of Portal 1 and Portal 2, and frankly, I’m loving it.
So no, not humor. How about fear? Well, gaming has fear pretty much licked. From the bizarre polygonal trappings of the first Alone in the Dark game to the schlocky camp of the initial Resident Evil games and the elegance of the Silent Hill and Fatal Frame games, I’d say there are many ways that game devs have to scare the pants off of us.
And speaking of pants . . . (groan) . . . what of love? I definitely remember feeling something for the princess in ICO as I stood yelling into the screen, half dragging her across the crumbling tower in the final stages of the game, controller sweaty with perspiration.
I also thought that the concept of building a game such as Shadow of the Colossus around a young warrior’s love for his lady, scaling truly epic odds in the hopes of offering his one true love a second chance was initially compelling. However, the beauty of that game lay in the eventual love that one gains for each of the hulking Colossuses (Colossi?), which creates a weighty counterpoint to the naiveté of the original premise.
But no, I’m talking about actually being emotionally engaged in that schoolboy crush type of feeling with a videogame character. Probably the first NPC to raise an eyebrow for me was the daughter of Professor Cross in the game Half-Life 2. Her combination of curiosity, playfulness, warmth, and intelligence as a companion through parts of that game certainly made the quieter sections (sans companion) seem quite lonely. I found myself thinking, “I wonder what Alyx is doing right now?” before smiling at the absurdity of it all.
And then Mass Effect happened. Or perhaps more specifically, Liara T’sonis, the Asari scientist seemingly genetically designed to get under my skin. Able to hold a conversation regarding the ethical implications of the genophage unleashed upon the Krogan species? Check. Playful and inquisitive, with a strong sense of moral balance? Check. A beautiful azure-blue complexion with tentacles for hair? You had me at hello. In classic Bioware style, our in-game relationship grew and manifested as a glorious tryst prior to the game’s final battle. So you can imagine my excitement at the thought of saving the universe with her again in the sequel, Mass Effect 2.
During the sequel, it becomes apparent that she, thinking that I had been killed, had moved on. In fact, when we are reunited in the second act of the game, her reaction to me could best be described as, erm, frosty. And I’ll be the first to admit that I was a little upset by this. So much so, that I had to turn to my IRL wife for support and counsel on this matter.
“What changed? I mean, here I am, back for her, and she’s basically giving me the cold shoulder,” I said as we prepared dinner.
“You’re insane,” my wife responded.
“But I feel that the moral center of this game, namely her, has disappeared. I’m feeling a little less interested in the game as a result.”
Silence.
“The only thing that might even be remotely comparable would be if you were suddenly to be so tied up with getting that critical care fellowship that you forgot or started taking for granted us.”
That got her. Was my fascination for Liara a metaphor for my fascination with my wife? Well, duh!
“She’s probably creeped out by the whole ‘reanimated Shepard thing’ and is still trying to figure out her feelings for you.”
And, of course, she was right. And as it turns out, Liara plays an integral part in this backstory, the details of which I won’t divulge for fear of spoilers. Dare I say that in terms of emotional re-engagements, it was one of the most impressive about-faces I have ever made in my feelings for a character? Brava, Bioware, brava!
So what is the point of all this emotional engagement? Well, if you’re reading this blog, you probably don’t need to be told, but it makes perfect sense from a business standpoint. Dare I say that it was because of my persistent relationship with this NPC with all its twists and turns that I purchased Mass Effect 2, in addition to a ton of DLC – especially the epic Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC which seems as if it was created by the developers as a gift to me alone?
Can you feel the love tonight?