Considering i want my game to make the player have a strong emotional response both positively and negatively i felt as though the first course of action would be the to analyse and understand what makes a player have this kind of reaction to a piece of media. There are many games that have a strong emotional output on its players but some do this more effectively than others.
For me and many other people the Walking Dead game stands the test of time and remains as one of the most iconic games. I’ve revisited this game numerous times over the years imply because of the narrative story telling and emotions that follow.
How does this game create such a strong emotional response from so many of its players? In the walking dead game you play as ‘Lee’ a man navigating the apocalypse; acting as a father figure to the other main character ‘Clementine’. One of the core mechanics of this game is the interactions that the player would have with other characters, making choices between, taking sides, and simply forming an emotional bond as Lee to these characters throughout the game. Giving the player an option between multiple dialogues and actions towards the other characters in a game is a great way to make the player become more attached, they are the ones making these choices and in a way they become so immersed oftentimes the brain cant differentiate the characters from make-believe. So when things happen to these characters that the player has been interacting and conversing with it can be devastating, this is why it works so well. Everything in the game keeps the player immersed in their choices and connected to these player character relationships.
The main player character relationship is between Lee and Clementine, over the course of the game they become family and its something anyone can easily symphonise with. Although the player makes decisions across the duration of the game its more like the illusion of choice hiding the reality that would come towards the end. Near the end of the game you the player become bitten, and the game offers you a choice; cut off your arm or leave the bite. This choice alone can trick the player into believing that there is a chance that Lee would make it, its manipulation used to hide the inevitable.
This choice plays really well to the sudden emotional themes that would come in the end, it hides it and can make it more of a shock to the player. Eventually the player takes control of Clementine the character they have spent the whole game protecting and aiding in this harsh Gameworld, watching from her point of view Lee’s death at the very end. Having the player take control of a child character they tried so hard to protect only to take away the other character the player has spent more time with is a harsh choice, but its why the game works so well at evoking an emotional response from its players.
Overall the reason this game works so well is due to its player character interactions and relationships that they form. Having a player spend so much time trying to protect and ultimately ‘win’ the game only for that never to be an option. This is something that should also be true in my own Gameworld, hopefully using player character interactions and simply the interactions from the environment to have them form a bond to this character. I wont be able to achieve the same level of shock, since it will be clear from the beginning that the main character will die in my game. But this is what I’m hoping will play into it, the player will be experiencing my characters life and exploring knowing that there is nothing that they can do.