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An interesting article about it here:
http://www.idlethumbs.net/display.php?id=62
And for a slight counterpoint: http://www.ludonauts.com/index.php/2004/10/06/p185
I'm inclined to believe it's emotional connection, and not specifically 'crying' that they're talking\debating about.
On that note, I would say I played videogames where there was moments I experienced an emotional connection. Something that goes beyond just 'ding 17!!!'. Most are RPGs, like Fallout2 and ChronoTrigger. But not just limited to that genre. The final cutscenes in 'Starcraft' still gets my heart tugging. But cutscenes aside, I did feel a calm before a crap storm type of anticipation, during one of the missions where I had to hold a base from a zerg invasion.
So, I'm curious if anyone here are willing to share what viideogame if any that ever made you feel that way. Something besides the fun of playing a game, and more than just watching an interactive movie\novel.
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The problem is that the best storytelling games are often the most tightly scripted, which I'm sure are the games that movie directors would love the most, but for the rest of us it can be a weakness.
Final Fantasy 3 (U.S.) had some moments which were pretty much scripted, but very touching. What really gets me with this game is the use of music. I'm sure many, if not most, Lurkers have played it and know what I mean. You have this scene where one of your characters has to fill in for an opera star, and the musical theme used in that scene is just so sad and beautiful. The thing is, it's not just great emotional background music, but it is something you are focusing on because your job in the scene is to sing the lyrics to the theme and move your character to the right spots on stage. Then later in the game there is a huge scripted event, and afterwards you find yourself in control of the same character, all by herself, not sure if any of her companions are still alive, and that theme music is playing in the background. That's about as close to a tearjerker as I've seen in a video game.
But Stevie needs to remember that video games aren't always marketed to the "chick flick" demographics. Evoking tears usually isn't a goal of the game. Evoking excitement, fright, and the joy of the victor... lot's of games can do these things pretty well.
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On the "anti-cry"-side, I think we're dealing with two subdivisions of people:
1. The people who consider the characters and stories of games, movies, books, television-series to be fake and thus not something to invest emotion in.
2. Those who still stigmatise videogames as an abhorrent, anti-social past-time for deviants of society, and therefore don't consider them to be of any worth.
I think prejudice is the bottom line here. People who are skeptical to videogames don't invest enough time in them to see their worth; which is perfectly natural. Why would you want to spend hours doing something you think will be waste of time, when there's a perfectly good book waiting on the coffee table? Naturally, people who don't see the value in videogames, will of course also not understand the emotional and physical reaction to playing these games. (other than "becoming antisocial" and "growing fat".) These are the ones who belong in my secound grouping of people - the non/anti-gamers.
However, group 1 contains both gamers and non-gamers. Those who do play videogames are the ones who play for 'fun', who can sit down with FIFA2005 or QuakeIII 10 minutes before work and have a blast. The article mentioned that games with decent storylines are few and far between. I agree. But that means there's a veritable landslide of games that do not have characters, plots and story arcs that can invoke some sort of feeling. Not all games are meant to be epic tales of death and love, and it's perfectly understandable why someone wouldn't shed a tear just because Ryan Giggs got a red card for a tackle or because the player couldn't afford a purple spray paint on their Porche in Need for Speed: Underground. Obviously, if you don't play the games that have the ability to invoke feelings of fear, sadness, terror and supreme joy, you won't understand why some players get out the old hankey every time Sephiroth goes all stabby.
I am one of the gamers who can invest lots of time and emotion in characters, and generally do get upset when a favourite character is hurt or killed. In some cases, such as the above-mentioned Final Fantasy, it is when the love interest of our protagonist is brutally slain by the villain, however in the case of Metal Gear Solid, (which was also mentioned in one of the articles) it's when the player kills the baddies that I choke up every time. I've said this before, but it warrants saying again: it's pure artistry to be able to characterise a set of people - villains and heroes - in such a way that you sympathise more with the villains than the person you're playing, so when you command your hero to put that final bullet in Sniper Wolf, you are actually conflicted.
(By the way, I too feel the swelling within as Tassadar makes the ultimate sacrifice at the end of "StarCraft." That slow zoom in on his face gets me every time. The music also helps, of course.)
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Secret of Mana series.
All alone, or in twos,
The ones who really love you
Walk up and down outside the wall.
Some hand in hand
And some gathered together in bands.
The bleeding hearts and artists
Make their stand.
And when they've given you their all
Some stagger and fall, after all it's not easy
Banging your heart against some mad buggers wall.
"Isn't this where...."
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The first time I finished the Fallout 1... really said something about what would probally happen to any real-life hero once they saved whatever they were sent out for. That and when Dogmeat died; god I loved that dog.
FF2 US is my favorite of all the FFs, but I have to admit that FF3 US had a far more emotional story with all of the love triangles, not to mention what happened to Celes and Cid after the end of the world.
Continuing with the FF series 7 had quite a few emotional scenes, including Aeris's death and the "many years later" ending.
Just a few that I picked off the top of my head.
"You can build a perfect machine out of imperfect parts."
-Urza
He's an old-fashioned Amish cyborg with no name. She's a virginal nymphomaniac fairy princess married to the Mob. Together, they fight crime!
The Blizzcon Class Discussion:
Crowd: "Our qq's will blot out the sun"
Warlocks: "Then we will pewpew in the shade"
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Hammerskjold,Mar 27 2005, 04:49 AM Wrote:But not just limited to that genre. The final cutscenes in 'Starcraft' still gets my heart tugging. But cutscenes aside, I did feel a calm before a crap storm type of anticipation, during one of the missions where I had to hold a base from a zerg invasion.
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Also have reactions to starcraft. The end of brood war actually got me depressed for a day when I saw what it was.
The frozen throne single player also hits my emotions, I'm not sure how to describe it though. The night elf missions get me expecting something big to happen and drop me back down when it doesn't, the blood elf missions pull me in and make me feel as if I'm going crazy (the music helps a lot with this), the undead missions bring me back out of the mood of the blood elf missions, but also leave me slightly empty when nothign big happens and Arthas and Illidan get more cut off from the main part of the world. In the orc campaign I don't feel it matters much, and it goes from regular chores feeling to slightly exciting feeling. Those are sort of the feelings I go through.
The wierd part is the school year after frozen throne came out, I went through similar feelings in the same order throughout the school year, and the summer was similar to the orc campaign.
for gameplay moments, I used to get extremely on edge when fighting Diablo. I jumped back once in the chair when a spell came shooting into the screen when I wasn't expecting it.
I may be dead, but I'm not old (source: see lavcat)
The gloves come off, I'm playing hardball. It's fourth and 15 and you're looking at a full-court press. (Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun)
Some people in forums do the next best thing to listening to themselves talk, writing and reading what they write (source, my brother)
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I'll second the Secret of Mana, and the Starcraft bits...
Aside from that, most of the story-heavy games I've played, it has been more of a feeling of... Completion. Wholeness. Baldur's gate 2, Thief, Deus Ex. While throughout them, other emotions did very much have front stage, the conclusion felt like a full circle, coming together.
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Black and White made me cry...
"FIFTY DOLLARS and THIS is all I get?! WAAAAH!"
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Lady Vashj,Mar 28 2005, 06:35 AM Wrote:Black and White made me cry...
"FIFTY DOLLARS and THIS is all I get?! WAAAAH!"
[right][snapback]72107[/snapback][/right] ROTFLMAO!
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Lady Vashj,Mar 28 2005, 08:35 AM Wrote:Black and White made me cry...
"FIFTY DOLLARS and THIS is all I get?! WAAAAH!"
[right][snapback]72107[/snapback][/right] Haha, the ending to Myst was such a let down. I remember seeing mention of it somewhere on a "10 most disappointing video game endings," along with Diablo I and some other games.
When I saw the ending of Brood War I couldn't believe it. I was pretty sad after Duran shot Stukov too. But the only time I ever cried from something in a video game (aside from getting whomped in Super Smash Brothers by my brothers, but I got them back by learning Jigglypuff and owning them all the time now) was when Grom Hellscream Died in Reign of Chaos.
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Odd, that. A director who created Jurassic Park II simply to showcase what a Tyrannasaur would look like rampaging in San Diego decries a storytelling medium for a reputation of entertaining solely via spectacle.
Political Correctness is the idea that you can foster tolerance in a diverse world through the intolerance of anything that strays from a clinical standard.
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Gregorius,Mar 28 2005, 08:28 PM Wrote:Haha, the ending to Myst was such a let down. I remember seeing mention of it somewhere on a "10 most disappointing video game endings," along with Diablo I and some other games.
I didn't think Diablo 1's ending was disappointing, it was quite good and gave me a sense of completion...
And ya... who did not shed a tear when that misguided Grom fell to his grave? Just like when Simba's father dies.
"Turn the key deftly in the oiled wards, and seal the hushed casket of my soul" - John Keats, "To Sleep"
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04-02-2005, 03:05 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-02-2005, 03:07 PM by Swiss Mercenary.)
TaiDaishar,Mar 29 2005, 12:02 PM Wrote:And ya... who did not shed a tear when that misguided Grom fell to his grave?
Me, considering that the Blizzard Storyline Cliches 101 handbook provided me with enough infomation to foretell both his corruption and death when I was in the tutorial.
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04-02-2005, 04:25 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-02-2005, 04:26 PM by TaiDaishar.)
Swiss Mercenary,Apr 2 2005, 05:05 PM Wrote:Me, considering that the Blizzard Storyline Cliches 101 handbook provided me with enough infomation to foretell both his corruption and death when I was in the tutorial.
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Good for you, foreseeing his fate was not a hard feat whatsoever, it was hinted at from the very start of the bloody campaign.
"Turn the key deftly in the oiled wards, and seal the hushed casket of my soul" - John Keats, "To Sleep"
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TaiDaishar,Apr 2 2005, 12:25 PM Wrote:Good for you, foreseeing his fate was not a hard feat whatsoever, it was hinted at from the very start of the bloody campaign.
[right][snapback]72771[/snapback][/right] As was Arthas's corruption. How anyone could think that was surprising....
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Lady Vashj,Apr 4 2005, 11:59 AM Wrote:Taidasher@ Apr 2 2005, 12:25 PM Wrote:Good for you, foreseeing his fate was not a hard feat whatsoever, it was hinted at from the very start of the bloody campaign. As was Arthas's corruption. How anyone could think that was surprising....
[right][snapback]72932[/snapback][/right]
Was it the 2nd or 3rd Diablo 2 cinematic where you all knew it was Baal in the room with Marius?
I may be dead, but I'm not old (source: see lavcat)
The gloves come off, I'm playing hardball. It's fourth and 15 and you're looking at a full-court press. (Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun)
Some people in forums do the next best thing to listening to themselves talk, writing and reading what they write (source, my brother)
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04-06-2005, 03:14 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-06-2005, 03:24 PM by TaiDaishar.)
Quote:As was Arthas's corruption. How anyone could think that was surprising....
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Was it the 2nd or 3rd Diablo 2 cinematic where you all knew it was Baal in the room with Marius?
[right][snapback]73082[/snapback][/right]
5th :D
"Turn the key deftly in the oiled wards, and seal the hushed casket of my soul" - John Keats, "To Sleep"
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04-06-2005, 03:37 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-06-2005, 07:39 PM by Gregorius.)
TaiDaishar,Mar 29 2005, 06:02 AM Wrote:I didn't think Diablo 1's ending was disappointing, it was quite good and gave me a sense of completion...
And ya... who did not shed a tear when that misguided Grom fell to his grave? Just like when Simba's father dies.
[right][snapback]72233[/snapback][/right] They cited the fact that the cinematic is very ambiguous as to which character has just defeated Diablo. Personally I agree that the ending was excellent in terms of closure and story.
edit: Here's the link:
http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_badendings/
Enjoy...
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Jak II.
Tears of rage and frustration.
God I suck at platformers.
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