Contextual Studies: Presentation Research

For my presentation I have decided to focus on Character vs True character, and how the two are necessary in creating a coherent world when the games character has moral choices to make.

True Character vs. Character

My hypothesis: Many video games involve “enemies” to your character. To be a coherent world, the player must feel a sense of reason by defeating these enemies, whether it’s for self-defence (example: people attacking you) seeking justice/revenge (enemies are “evil” ) or some other significant motivation. If this is not apparent, the player can lose contact with the character, having no relation to the character or their actions.

In games where you play as a villain or play against the law, there usually needs to be a higher evil or corrupt government to give the player a sense of approval for their actions. An an example of this can be seen in the Grand Theft Auto game series. In these GTA games, the main character is playing against the side of the law and the story takes the player through different acts of corruption, including drug dealing, arms and weapons, and murder. As a sandbox game, there is a certain amount of free will for the player outside of the main story. The player can drive how they like, attack who they like and pretty much commit whatever crimes they wish within the game, they are rewarded yet punished for these actions (murdered victims drop money, yet police will come after you) and so this free will gives the player a sense of justice and choice to be morally abiding or not. In a game about crime, without the risk of punishment, the game would not be creating a coherent world.

Superheroes: Very black and white Good vs. Evil

Not all games produce such a black and white outlook on good vs evil. Often the main character is stuck somewhere between these two contrasting sides and their character and True character must reflect this understanding of not being wholly good whilst still showing a sense of right doing. A character I chose to look at is Ezio from the Assassins Creed series. Like many superheroes, Ezio has two identities, "The Assassin" and "Ezio Auditore de Firenze" who, on their own would not make sense, yet together create a sense of cohesion in the world.

The character of The Assassin: If we look at the character of "The Assassin" on his own, he is a murderer and someone to be feared. Without the character of Ezio, we would not be able to relate to this character or understand his actions.

The character of Ezio: It could be argued that this is Ezios "true character", he is shown to be a young naive adolescent, who is thrown into the role of being an assassin to seek vengeance on those who killed his brothers and father, to protect his surviving family and to bring down a corrupt government to save his home. These reasons for a corrupt lifestyle are all easy to relate to, and so creates an understanding of why the player must commit such crimes as assassination and theft, creating a coherent world for the player to understand.