Is it the Dark black shadows that make you scared when playing a good game, or the dramatic sorry line that sucks you in and makes you smile. What is it about PC games that makes you emotional, and what games have you played with extreme emotion?

Emotional attachments work. Generally, if the player is emotionally attached to the character, then they share in whats going on. If you''ve played FinalFantasy7 (PS1), you should emotionally attach to Cloud and take it to the heart when something bad happens around the end of the first CD.


-> Will Bubel
-> Machine wash cold, tumble dry.

I personally don''t much about pc games but I''ve found that a good developed story can really get you emotionaly attached. Also you must be able to relate to the characters some way. Take for example an rpg where the main character meets a girl and they go on adventures together. Now over time there might be some innocent flirting here and there then some moments were there just staring at each other or something like that were you can really feel the attraction. After this there might be some casual dates then the two characters might act boyfriend and girlfriendish. A love story should never be the main story but in instead a kind of side story. So you mix the above recipe with adventures to destroy evil and whola you got yourself a developed story. Okay now let''s say that the girl gets killed, you playing the game will most likely also be sad or upset because you and the girl have expierenced so much together. Most people can relate to loving somebody then someone or something taking them away. Even if you can''t relate try to imagine someone you love being taken away. That''s what I mean by relating to the characters. Both Grandia games do this well.
Also music helps set the tone and mood for your game. I suggest listening to rpgfan''s online radio station http://www.live365.com/stations/80941. It has music from console and pc rpgs. When you listen try to imagine how it would fit into a game.

If a game has a lot of potential that I see, then a lot of the game really draws me in.

I cringed in Half-life when I was running for the generator and the huge beast was right behind me. (Even though I used the corners to best advantage, hearing him pause and then run again, and hear his footsteps drawing closer and closer sent shivers up my spine)

Anything that gives me something cool to tell the others as we talk about the games we play (when I have a group to talk about it with, that is)

[edited by - Waverider on August 26, 2002 4:42:22 PM]

For me it''s when a character makes the ultimate sacrifice. so that everybody else can survive or simply to kill the bad guy.
e.g. Maxi''s ending in Soul Calibur just made me want to cry. Come to think of it, Tenchu''s(on the PSX) ending made me want to cry as well and then there''s where Galuf dies in FF5 on the snes....

Scare-wise I think System Shock 2 takes the biscuit, when you''ve got a gun that will probably break next time you fire it, it''s pitch black and you can hear a robotic voice in the distance going "Can I help you sir?", you know it''s change your trouser time

- DarkIce

Hrm, alot in BGII made me emotional, the story, the affairs with viconia, the false friendships...

Strong moments in the story can definitely be emotional. But characters do it more for me. IMO love, family and friendship among characters bring very strong emotions to games.

While I''m constantly finding myself struck by the emotions of the playable characters and how they feel about each other, I can never even remotely get a feel for the hate for the game''s antagonist. Sometimes I''ll feel sorry for the villain, but I''ll never hate them. For some reason, that''s never developped enough in games I''ve played.

Also, when it comes to emotions, music can make or break a scene. Even somewhat poorly written scenes can be salvaged if the music is good enough.

Quality voice acting can help a lot too. While Final Fantasy X''s voice acting was generally bleh, there were a few scenes where the voices were actually well done and the scenes were very emotional. If the proper voice acting were kept up in a game, it could be a much more immersive experience for the player. Of course, poor voice acting can completely ruin a scene - like in Devil May Cry on PS2; a few scenes try to be emotional but just end up laughable thanks to terrible voices.

Of course, the adrenaline rush factor Waverider mentioned is really cool too. And it''s easier to achieve for the developer because it doesn''t require any writing or anything, just well designed levels and an attentive player.

-Auron

a good game should play like a movie (though unlike a movie the players have some kind of control over how it all turns out), and have good story lines like the matrix,12 monkeys , momento, or lord of the rings.

The most emotional games I''ve encountered are MMORPGs like Everquest, AO, AC, DaoC, UO, ... etc. To get anywhere in these games you need to spend a decent amount of time building up your character. By "decent" I mean like 20 days played. How many other games have you played like 500 hours? Most EQ players I know have around 40 to 80 days played with their character, some have over 220 days played. Anyone investing that much time in their character become very attached to them, and consequently quite emotional about it. Because MMORPGs are highly social games, you need to make lots of friends and you become attached to them, just like you would to real life friends. It become like a virtual social life. When people commit suicide or have their babies die from neglect because of a game, I''d say that game is pretty addictive.

Discounting MMORPGs, I remember playing Return to Castle Wolfenstein very late at night with the lights off, and some parts (like when the coffins start shaking and things explode out and attack you) were pretty freaky to me.

I can remember getting mad at the computer oponents in the orignal Civilizations, to the point I would wage personal vendettas of annhilation against them, just because I was so pissed.

Man, on the Civilizations comment: I can get SO mad at annoying enemy races when they make some annoying comment to me. In Imperium Galactica, I TRY to be nice to the mean ol aliens, but NOOO... they just say ''how dare you suggest we ally with such inferiors!!''
Man - I wipe their pathetic species out of the galaxy... Even when they start apologizing and paying tribute...

Anyways, if you can have hard-hitting speeches and emotional characters (including voices), your game can be very emotional - and i mean all emotions. Spend a lot of time writing the exact wording of the speeches - and make it realistic. If this isn''t your high point, find someone to help - it can make a huge difference. And find someone to help with your music. Like an above user said, this can make or break the scene and the game. Stay away from techno. Use classical and orchestral, vocal, etc.

Oh, and when some character goes around and you actually see him kill people and those people laying in pools of blood... THAT gets some emotions... Of course, I may stop playing the game right there, too... Anyone play Max Payne lately?


-geo-