Videogames and Emotions

Hello to all. I hope you had a Merry Christmas. I'm sure I did, even though it was somewhat problematic towards the end.

Today I'm going to discuss a topic most of you might have guessed from the title of this entry. Anyway. I'm quite sure for a lot of people, videogames are nothing but means to get entertained; some charming characters, some pretty graphics, an argument and story (Or lack thereof), a style and genre, etc. But I'm also quite sure there are a lot of people who thinks videogames can be a lot more.

It's fascinating how some games can evoke emotions (I mean real, deep ones. Not just feeling a bit happier because your character just leveled up, or getting somewhat scared because a zombie just jumped out of nowhere, those are natural reactions. Now, if a game can make you genuinely happy (Or sad) for one of its characters, or manage to maintain an atmosphere of suspense and horror, make you feel you're in the place of your in-game alter-ego and genuinely scare the crap out of you, that's what I'm talking about.) and make feel the player part of the story too, like a good movie or book would do, be it due to how well-written is their story and how well-defined are the personalities of each character, how well-put together are each element of the whole gameplay and ambient, or simply just because they cause a great appeal. These games can really transcend the core gaming experience and become a lot more for those who play them. Some games take this a bit further, and effectively communicate a message as well, suggesting to think a while about a certain subject and in some cases, even changing the points of view and opinions of those who play them. Of course, this is highly subjective, and varies greatly from person to person.

I'd like to introduce two examples of my last statement: The first of them is a game called Passage (Click here to go to the game's homepage). It is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, so unless you're on a portable device or using an esoteric OS, you don't have an excuse to try it out. It is quite short, you won't take more than 5-10 minutes to finish it, but in that short time, it delivers a very powerful message. I'd suggest you to download and play it, make your own impressions of it, and then read the Creator's statement available from the home page of the game, and most likely you'll fully understand.

The second is a small comic I found looking around in Kotaku, under an entry titled Life, Death And Animal Crossing. This isn't just about the game per se, it is about a small comic strip regarding a specific aspect of the game and most likely originally drawn as a sick joke, turned out to cause a quite different effect on a lot of people, including me. I suggest its YTMND version, the music used on it adds up a little more effect.

Really made me think about things. Seriously, after I read it, I went to call my mother and told her how much I loved and appreciated her.

These are my examples. The answers and conclusions are up to you. I made my own already.