We’ve spent a lot of time in class talking about how character identification – or the extent to which a player feels personally connected to their avatar – is a central component of many games. The classic example would probably be World of Warcraft, wherein players can exert considerable control over the appearance of their characters and then in turn spend the entire game guiding them through quests and forging relationships with other characters they encounter. The same is true for many other games – even those that offer players less control over their character’s appearance, and especially those that incorporate role-playing elements.
So what I’m wondering is: do people identify with their characters in horror games? To what extent does character identification (or the lack thereof) impact a player’s enjoyment of the game?
When I played Bioshock and Resident Evil 5, I didn’t experience any kind of deep or meaningful connection with the characters I was playing. Bioshock is first person, which might have contributed to this detachment – but so are many horror games. And in Resident Evil 5, the rigid, almost overtly-presented narrative hindered my ability to create any of my own meaning, while the constant barrage of non-diegetic game directives prevented me from feeling like I was navigating fluidly through the environment (which seems requisite for any kind of real immersion). The character of Chris Redfield just felt so preset – and so ridiculously jacked and stereotypical – that I didn’t experience any kind of personal investment in him whatsoever. Maybe this is because these games are more concerned with the mechanics of gameplay, the horror elements, and the aesthetics of the environment than with a player’s ability to connect with the protagonist on a meaningful level, but I’m sure that there are horror games out there that somehow manage to fulfill these two objectives (which seem ostensibly mutually-exclusive).
Take Fallout 3, for example. I’ve never played it, but after watching the in-class demo it seems like it leaves a lot of room for players to craft and subsequently define a character whom they feel somehow connected with. Though the game’s storyline remains more or less the same – you’re born in Vault 101; Liam Neeson is your father; etc. etc. – the choices that they give you (when you’re creating your character’s appearance, choosing their individual strengths, and then selecting interactions with other characters as you progress through the game) allow you to shape your character’s identity in a way that is both intimate and powerfully subjective. Again, I’ve never played it, but I would imagine that one would feel more connected with their Fallout 3 character than with Chris Redfield and his colossal biceps.
Is there subsequently an appreciable difference between games like Fallout 3 and games like Resident Evil 5? Or even with Halo 3 – which I suppose encompasses some horror elements but which seems to emphasize combative player-player interactions more so than the dynamic between a player and his or her in-game persona. I feel like a strong sense of character identification would ultimately augment the frightening elements of horror games – if you’re going to be beaten to death by a mob of sadistic aliens, it’s bound to be a more acute loss if you’re personally invested in your character than if you’re not. I would imagine that this fact would up the stakes of the game, while simultaneously making mistakes seem more critical and thus more frightening. In short, I would argue that this makes for a better and more visceral horror game.
Unless, of course, the game is trying to simulate a situation in which you’ve abandoned yourself so completely that you’re able to kill freely and wildly and without any kind of reservation; in this case, it might be better not to identify with your character at all, so that you can fully take advantage of the game’s escapist quality. What do you guys think?
When considering the degree of character identification, I think the two most important variables are narrative and diagetics.
ReplyDeleteTo fully immerse a player, the narrative must be compelling but not overwhelming. As humans, we have immense freedom in our daily lives, and the game should reflect some degree of this freedom if it wishes to fully engage a player. Like you said, Fallout 3 does a fairly good job of guiding the player while still allowing the player to develop their character through difficult moral decisions. By allowing the player to institute their own morals into gameplay, the player's connection to their avatar will grow. Coupled with a map that encourages exploration and wandering, Fallout 3 encourages the player to identify with their character. A game like Resident Evil 5, where moral ambiguity is absent, all the player must do is survive and kill zombies. In this instance, the player is primarily focused on keeping their avatar alive rather than developing a deeper connection with their avatar.
The diagetics are also very important. Dead
Space is my personal favorite in terms of diagetcs, there are very few instances in the game where the player is invulnerable to attack which constantly keeps tension high. If the game has too many breaks (RE5, as you mentioned) the player is likely to become detached. However, when I played Silent Hill 2, in which no information about my avatar was available (at least as far as I played), I found the game to be frustrating and confusing. Balancing the amount of information available while incorporating it into actual gameplay is difficult, but important to create a successfully scary game. Breaking gameplay to provide the player with information can be detrimental to the scary atmosphere of a game, while too little information can confuse and discourage a player from fully identifying with their character.
Lastly, and this is my personal preference from horror games I've played thus far, I prefer never to see my avatar's face or even characteristics. For me, this frees my imagination, which allows me to picture my avatar as I choose. I find it difficult identify with an absurdly jacked Rambo type character or a number of other characters who's features are given to me rather than imagined/developed by my. Fallout 3 tackles this issue in a neat way by allowing the player to create their character while still largely remaining inside of gameplay.
I think that player identification is a huge part of the gaming experience. Looking at avatars from a psychological perspective, characters often represent the players' ideal versions of themselves, especially in games when you have many ways in which to alter your character. Therefore, I agree with Zoe that a strong link of identity between player and avatar would make a horror game scarier. Even though your character may look completely different than your actual appearance- he may be buffer, thinner, more chiseled jawline whatever- when attacked, it's like that perfect version of yourself is being attacked, and if it dies, than any hopes for that image becoming a reality, if only a reality within the game realm, dies as well.
ReplyDeleteEarlier I commented on how I found third-person games scarier. Some disagreed because they thought there was more of a detachment in games where you could see the body of the character you were playing. But it seems you have a stronger connect to something you've created. It almost goes back to a biological "mother bear" thought process. Most mothers would throw themselves in front of a bus if it meant saving their child. Same goes for characters in games. You share a strong connect with your character, not only because you identify with it, but also because it's "your baby"- it represents something you've created, an accomplishment you've made.
And therefore, returning to the issue of level of horror in horror games, the games are scarier if you actually see your character being destroyed, often in a gruesome way. In a first-person shooter, you may see a splatter of blood and then you're informed that you're dead, but in a third-person, when you've chosen and often created your avatar, you see the effects that attacks and death have on your character. This makes the game scarier, and also instills in the player more of a desparate need to survive.