The idea behind categorizing everything by genre is vastly different and more vague than looking at literature through its themes. Yet, while everyone can rattle off their favorite types of literature, games, music, etc., it is these smaller aspects regarding tone and storytelling which really describe what you like about a genre.
Theme-y Thursdays, starting next week, is going to look at a multitude of different games through one narrative theme. In the same sense that you should never judge a book by its cover, judging a game by decided upon genre instead of its contents could be isolating you from a great experience. This week I am going to be looking at the theme of loneliness...
A major misconception behind this theme surrounds individuals not understanding the difference between being alone and being lonely. With the current state of technology and communication, it is astonishing how many people feel like they are alone in the world even while in a room full of people. Stories which play on this narrative well generally stand out in the gaming industry for being more realistic and personable in their plot and characters, as it is something that many can connect with.
A few games that play on that sense of complete isolation by actually isolating the player, do not succeed in anything more than making their games seem empty. However, some game designers make amazing new titles by pushing this idea of isolation as literally as possible. Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, Journey or Alone in the Dark, just naming a few, make your character seem like the only thing that is truly real in a world that seems to be endless.
This constructed loneliness is fairly obvious, yet is extremely effective in the way that it enhances the player's connection with the story. It can force players to experience the psychological implications of isolation, connecting and creating relationships with inanimate objects or disembodied voices, like in Portal and the original BioShock.
Another way of creating that sense of isolation is through forced introspection where you, as a player, are never technically alone in any way. The Masters Review Blog by Cole Meyer, another blog focusing on literature in all forms, mentioned a game that I was previously obsessed with, Papers, Please.
This game has such a huge agenda regarding its theme and message about society and morality that I would feel wrong not mentioning it here. Connection and communication is a necessity to us, as humans, and this game's perfect representation of the dehumanizing effects of modern labor make it feel like you are under the pressures of a real job.
While I could go on forever describing and recommending games, I want to here what you guys think about this theme. Have you ever stopped playing a game because it felt too "empty"? Do you guys enjoy playing mostly multiplayer games to counteract how lonely some games feel or do you enjoy post-apocalyptic survival scenarios? I have always felt more connected with single player campaigns than multiplayer ones since the stories are generally more interactive.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day and thanks so much for reading.
SS
This post really made me reflect on the idea of being alone vs. loneliness in games. I remember losing many hours to playing a game called "little computer people" on my Atari (showing my age here!) where all you did was control a computer character in a house to sleep, eat, play music/computer, feed the dog, etc. If you forgot to tell him to go to sleep or eat, he would eventually die and all progress was lost--I was fascinated! It was a precursor to the Sims (to which I also lost many hours) but even worse as it happened in real time--i.e. 8 hours of sleep was really 8 hours.
ReplyDeleteTimes have definitely changed, but I still enjoy a one-person game with limited interaction with other characters and don't feel lonely as long as the world contains plenty to explore. I've heard good things about Alone in the Dark. Would you recommend it?