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How deep should a game be?

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Morality is always a tricky topic, as are religion, politics, sexuality, etc.  All of these are things we’re not supposed to discuss at dinner parties – makes for awkward conversations.  But do they make for better games?

It’s almost a gaming cliche to fight against some sort of evil empire.  The only group we’re still okay killing with reckless abandon is the Nazis.  Everyone else varies through time periods – sometimes the Russians are the bad guys, or maybe a random Arab nation, and sometimes it’s just an evil corporation.  It seems that we can accept any of these as “the enemy”.  Is this a sign of our general political leanings, or just the times that we live in?  I suppose we all want to be “the good guys”, fighting for good, but sometimes the political undertones can be a bit questionable.

Games are coming under fire lately for including, or excluding, homosexuality.  Bioware has plenty of options in this regard, which I always like seeing in a game.  However, there are still companies that get flak over these features.  Right wing and religious groups see this as an attempt to influence young people’s minds on a controversial topic (although I doubt it will be seen as controversial in 50 year’s time… I wonder what new controversies will be around then).

I suppose I’m thinking about this because of The Last of Us.  Not to give anything away (and please don’t give spoilers in the comments), but the game and particularly the ending gave me a lot of think about regarding humanity and morality.  What is the right thing to do?

Gaming lets us play out a variety of hypothetical situations.  What would happen in the event of a zombie apocalypse?  Or interstellar war? If you could play god, what kind of world would you create?  If you ruled countries or civilizations, how would you interact with other nations? All of these things make us realize more about ourselves.  For example, despite my occasional aggressive tendencies in some games, I generally tend to be a pacifist.  I want a world filled with cooperation and diplomacy, as long as I win, of course.

Having an impressive statement about a controversial or complicated topic doesn’t necessarily mean that your game will be a success – just look at Nier, or even Remember Me.  However, most of the games that have been universally loved had some intensity in these areas.  If done well, it can leave the player thinking about concepts long after the game is over – but if it’s done poorly it just feels heavy handed and inane.

There will always be games that are just for fun, that involve mindless killing or pwnage, and they can also be fantastic.  But what do you look for?  Are you interested in playing a game that makes you think, or do you just want to get on with your life?  Which controversies should be tackled in games, and which ones make you cringe?

Last Updated: July 1, 2013

40 Comments

  1. RinceWind

    July 1, 2013 at 17:09

    Oh, big question. I think like any art form games should tackle with issues that get us thinking. For example, although Jason was about as deep as a spoon in Far Cry, it was interesting to see what one would be willing to do to save one’s friends. Real heart of Darkness kindda stuff. Other games do push the envelope as far as controversy. I remember the ‘Airport’ scene in MW and was not sure whether to feel disgusted at myself or at the game allowing me to murder people by the truck load. I find it irritating though when people start moaning that religion is in certain games. It’s possibly the most prevalent thing on the planet, in one way or another, why should it not be in games?

    Reply

    • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

      July 1, 2013 at 17:14

      Agree. I find it great to see this kind of deepness from the characters themselves. But not on a personal level though. As with all form of media I choose to ignore the artistic vision of the designer when it comes to things like religion as It’s his vision and he is allowed that. Not unless they start directly bashing a certain religion though, they still have to be mindful of religion.but do agree with you.

      Reply

  2. Umar Kiiroi Senk?

    July 1, 2013 at 17:11

    Firstly…nier reference…so many feels…

    For me..I don’t like dabbling in anything too complicated. TLOU was the first game to really make me think about morality and humanity,but i prefer connection over philosophy.sure games like Bioshock Infinite has many .. MANY aspects that one can ponder about.but for me deepness lies in the connection you feel with the game,it’s world and it’s inhabitants.I care about joel and ellie..i felt for yonah..that’s as deep as I go. I’m too simple minded for anything deeper

    Reply

    • RinceWind

      July 1, 2013 at 17:14

      FF isn’t deep!? 0-O Take that back!

      Reply

      • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

        July 1, 2013 at 17:16

        Ofcourse it’s deep lol but like I said I find deepness in the connection with the characters and world. My tiny brain can’t understand anything more.

        Reply

        • RinceWind

          July 1, 2013 at 17:19

          SILENCE! I will let you off, for now! But I get what you mean. The character’s stories are what does it for me. I like seeing multiple levels to their psyches, and to me you can only achieve that by exploring real world issues, such as where to get the hottest chilli sauce, and whether the new season series of Da Vincie’s demons is hot, or shit hot 🙂

          Reply

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 1, 2013 at 17:41

            Lol chili sauce…… but I get that yes. You do get to see that when faced with real issues like …where to find chili sauce lol

          • Trevor Davies

            July 1, 2013 at 18:57

            …or so bad that you just have to keep watching to see how far they’ll go down that insane rabbit hole. I’ve only seen the 1st episode, and my face isn’t big enough for all the palms.

      • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

        July 1, 2013 at 17:20

        By the way I do not appreciate you making me cry this late in the day lol oh the tears I shed……DAT MUSIC!!

        Reply

        • RinceWind

          July 1, 2013 at 17:20

          Sorry man, you are right, I went TOO FAR 🙁

          Reply

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 1, 2013 at 17:22

            Haha seriously I can’t look at that pic without feeling some sort of sadness.amazing after so many years we still feel this way about it.

          • Zoe

            July 1, 2013 at 19:04

            i couldn’t believe it was REAL! kept waiting for something to happen, for her to come back.

          • Umar Kiiroi Senk?

            July 1, 2013 at 20:19

            I was like please…please let me open the menu and use a phoenix down:( I still clearly remember the moment that music started playing..when the white materia hit the ground…sigh….now I’m sad

  3. Daryl Eksteen

    July 1, 2013 at 18:25

    Whahaha love the “Religion is like a penis” 🙂

    Reply

  4. Turd Ferguson

    July 1, 2013 at 18:26

    As deep or as shallow as the developer’s want them to be. Unless you’re funding, designing, programming or otherwise working on the game, I don’t really think it’s smart to have backseat developing going on. If developers want to crowd source ideas from their fans, great. But, that’s entirely up to them.

    I’m perfectly happy with both. Sometimes I feel like being deeply engaged in a game, other times I just want to run around collect coins, powerups, etc…. and blast shit.

    Reply

    • Tarisma

      July 1, 2013 at 22:09

      I’m with you there sometimes it’s nice to be drawn into a game and feel what the characters are going through and their moral choices etc. sometimes I just want to run through a wall in my mec and face stomp the enemy.

      Reply

      • Turd Ferguson

        July 1, 2013 at 23:17

        Agreed, I firmly believe in letting the developers do what they do, and then either buying it in support, or not buying it out of either disinterest in the IP, or objection to whatever shit platter they’re attempting to serve up. The key I feel is making sure that developers understand exactly why you did/didn’t buy the title, and giving them feedback on the key features that you enjoy/disagree with.

        Reply

  5. Trevor Davies

    July 1, 2013 at 18:54

    It matters to me when you have to make a moral choices in a game that have real consequences for your character or the NPCs you interact with, and you can’t go back. That’s when you really feel drawn into the character, and it feels great to play because you’re immersed in the story. If you draw me into a virtual world & make me pause to think about whether or not taking a certain action is right or wrong from a moral point, then you’ve done your job as a storyteller.

    I’ll never forget having the choice to knock off a Little Sister in Bioshock, I couldn’t do it man. And how she cries when you kill her Big Daddy, I actually felt bad.

    Reply

  6. Melasco

    July 1, 2013 at 19:35

    For me, games fall into 1 of 4 categories, and none of these are meant to be “better” than the rest. There is a time and place for every game. If I have 30min to game, I typically won’t got for a title in the first 2 categories…

    1. The Story (deep) games. These are the games I typically play for the story and emotional connection they sometimes cause. This for me would be TLOU and Mass Effect as an example. The story and characters are what makes these games awesome. These games are rare, and I tend to invest long play sessions into them…

    2.” Challenge” games. These I play because beating their difficulty causes a great feeling of satisfaction, like WOW raiding back in the day(Classic and BC) or Dark Souls. This would be something I put very long stretches of play into at a time, but, sadly, I don’t often have this kind of time. I rarely have time to game more than an hour at a time. These games are rare, the 2 I mentioned is pretty much what I’ve got in that category, but they cause a very distinct feeling of satisfaction, and I’m yet to find something else I can add here…

    3. Time killers. These are every other game like Crysis 3, Skyrim, AC, Infamous 2, Far Cry 3 most shooters campaigns etc. They are just good fun to play whenever, some better than others, but not games I’d typically find myself thinking about after I’m done like I do with Mass Effect… As much as I love Uncharted it’s just not up there with the story games for me, but still one of my favorites.

    4. Multi player: BLOPS2, BF3, Killzone 3. The bulk of my gaming time goes into this if you look at how I game over a long period of time. I just love a good online shooter. Just something awesome about pulling off a good opp against human players 🙂

    For next gen I’m hoping something like Elder Scrolls Online will be worth it to invest some time into…

    Reply

    • Tarisma

      July 1, 2013 at 22:10

      Don’t hope too hard I doubt it will be something we haven’t seen before

      Reply

    • Admiral Chief Groot Wors

      July 2, 2013 at 08:06

      Dunno why you got downvote for that. Good comment.

      Have upvote from me.

      Reply

      • Trevor Davies

        July 2, 2013 at 08:44

        I know, because they said “good online shooter” without mentioning CoD. trollol

        Reply

    • Trevor Davies

      July 2, 2013 at 08:42

      Good breakdown – I enjoy 1 – 3. All depends on how I feel at the time, sometimes I want to think & take things slowly, other times I just want to kick ass & chew bubblegum.

      Reply

  7. brad coetzee

    July 1, 2013 at 20:09

    movies tackle heavy issues. The gaming industry is on par if not bigger than the movie industry therefore games can and should tackle heavy issues now and again. i mean, why the hell not?

    Reply

  8. Tarisma

    July 1, 2013 at 22:12

    I know this is probably not the right place to say this butttttt…

    I still identify with characters better in novels, and their emotions better than in games. I just think the imagination is superior to visual stimuli

    Reply

    • matthurstrsa

      July 2, 2013 at 07:11

      With you on that one.

      Reply

    • Zoe

      July 2, 2013 at 07:13

      i think it also helps that their thoughts are in your head (while you read them) rather than hearing them. very different experience!

      Reply

  9. matthurstrsa

    July 2, 2013 at 07:13

    Games have the opportunity to be even greater than movies in this regard. So just like movies, not all games need to make us think, but you need those games like Spec Ops, Bioshock Infinite and the like to make you feel a bit uncomfortable with what’s happening and to make you question whether what you’re doing is right (and, if its wrong, what would be the best course of action).

    Reply

  10. Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

    July 2, 2013 at 07:31

    Things like this are always touchy but the problem is it only gets labeled when specific things are brought up. Religion and and sex mostly.

    That image of yours can have the word religion replaced by anything really. Atheism, Scientology, evolution, etc; the list goes on. The important thing is how it’s handled in the game.

    Don’t force an idea on me in a game. Use whatever you want to make a story in the game but don’t come across as if the theory/viewpoint/etc you have put in the game is THE only thing to believe, ie: in life outside of the game.

    Use it as a story mechanic, not a form of propaganda and I am fine with it.

    It’s like the whole sex and nudity in games thing. Yesterday evening I was playing Metro: Last light. (Great game so far!) and BAM, a wild strip club appears. So my wife walks in and goes, urm, what the heck, (which was pretty much my reaction as well). So I explain the story so far and how I followed some dude to this point. The game is gracious enough to let me move on without doing anything or getting a lap dance or whatever. It’s optional and isn’t forced. THIS is fine by me because I get to chose not to be part of that portion of the game. That is using the whole thing as a story mechanic. A place that would naturally exist in a seedy part of the metro, it makes sense to be there, but isn’t forced on you.
    My wife wasn’t even upset. She just said ok and went on her way. However if the game had forced the point further I am sure she and I myself would even have had an issue.

    The point is, any opinion in life is just that. Use various opinions in game to bring forth your story and thought provoking gameplay. Just please do not make it in such a way that makes me feel like you are insulting the very things I do believe in. Regardless of what that my be.

    Reply

    • Trevor Davies

      July 2, 2013 at 09:03

      My take-away from this is that you have an awesome wife because she’s okay with you going to strip clubs 😉

      I agree with the optional/choice part & as long as it makes sense in the context of the game then fine. There are tons of things & situations in the world that are not very nice, and I don’t have a problem with a game exploring those as long as they’ve put some thought into it, in fact I applaud it. I was a bit moved in Borderlands 2 of all games after following Tiny Tina’s quest line & later finding the echo recordings that explained what happened to her & her family.

      I had a very religious friend who complained that he was offended by the conquest cards you got in The Witcher after bumping uglies with the various women in the game – but he didn’t have much to say when I pointed out that those were optional encounters.

      Reply

      • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

        July 2, 2013 at 09:05

        Hahaha. No, my wife would never allow me to go to a real strip club 😛 She just knows that pixels do nothing for me 😉

        Reply

      • Zoe

        July 2, 2013 at 09:06

        Agree. however, if you get a bit OCD and want to get all the achievements, it can mean extra death, destruction, sexuality or morality. sure, it’s optional, but if you want the achievement, time to saddle on up and play with the strippers 😉

        Reply

        • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

          July 2, 2013 at 09:11

          I don’t know why but that comment made me laugh lol

          Reply

        • Trevor Davies

          July 2, 2013 at 09:25

          I imagine the developers would not be very happy if I didn’t make the effort to appreciate all their hard work, and I don’t want to let them down. YEEEEHAH!

          Reply

  11. Admiral Chief Groot Wors

    July 2, 2013 at 08:05

    What about killing the zombies? Huh? They have feelings too, I guess.

    Reply

    • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

      July 2, 2013 at 09:10

      No they don’t. They are brain dead. You can’t have feelings without the brain pumping various chemicals through your system.

      Although considering depression is caused by synapses firing very slowly or not enough firing due to some buildup between them one COULD argue that since the Zombies synapses are only just barely firing they are suffering from SEVERE depression. Which would explain the whole “destroy the world” attitude

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief Groot Wors

        July 2, 2013 at 09:31

        So genocide of a species is ok in your books?

        Sies LC!

        Reply

  12. DBL_ZA

    July 2, 2013 at 08:35

    I always prefer a game that makes you think, or has some form of backbone to it outside of “mindless” killing. While I enjoy most kinds of games, story is always what keeps me interested, which is why I’m not a massive online player.

    Except when PvZ: Garden Warfare releases. Then I will live online.

    Reply

  13. Tbone187

    July 2, 2013 at 09:09

    Every game has it’s place…whether it be mindless shooting or thoughtful processes…Problem is folks who have a chip on their shoulder coz of their game choices…it’s the most ridiculous thing ever…

    Reply

  14. OVG

    July 2, 2013 at 13:02

    Depends on how deep my pockets are.

    Reply

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