What would be the gameplay and narrative implications of trying to integrate some of the dramatic aspects of a superhero like Batman or Spiderman along with the heroic elements that are typically depicted? First off, let me just say that I'm using this as a thought experiment. I'm not working on this, just wondering what design would be necessary for this sort of game to work. Secondly, I'd like to use as a framework the more sober, dramatic (even dark) depictions of movie superheroes that seem to have been gaining in popularity in recent years. These characters have a dramatic dimension-- they face moral dilemmas, have problems without easy solutions and face constraints which can't be easily solved despite (or even because) of the unusual powers they have. Examples of this would be the alcoholic curmudgeon Hancock, Peter Parker who despite super powers has to balance his life, the Pete Stark of Iron Man who has to become responsible and the Bruce Wayne of Batman Begins who's really seeking freedom from demons of his past. So if that preamble hasn't scared you off, here's what I'm wondering about: Roughly, how would you design a game so that the player experiences both dramatic and heroic challenges? It's a tough question give that you must be a doer rather than a passive observer, as with a film. So you have to give the player meaningful decisions. The only thing that I can see working are decisions that are so tightly integrated into the game world that you don't really know where the dramatic ends and heroic begins. They can't be compartmentalized, say into modes of gameplay like some dating sim and a fighting mode. The player has to see them as one. Batman's choice of saving Rachel or Harvy Dent in Batman Begins would be a perfect example, in that the goals of one (in this case, the dramatic) needing to drive the other (heroic). And how would you balance these two elements, life drama and heroic action, so that one (likely the heroic) doesn't dominate the other? Would success in one empower the other? What if you instead tried to exhibit some sort of tension, with success at one element clashing with the other so that the player feels the need for balance and hard choices? An example might be Peter Parker's dilemma: Being good at being Spiderman means he begins to lose touch with Mary Jane. This could be interesting because it implies a game with layered goals. Being great at the super hero stuff means Peter Parker loses friends and family, and that sets the player up for a narrative pyrrhic victory, while the inverse causes the graying or even loss of the world, a more overt failure. This could be a good way of guiding the narrative and even preventing one aspect of gameplay from dominating the other. Thoughts? Other important considerations, like the market and how it would hinder development of either the heroic or dramatic?

Interesting question.

This will be quick. I will elaborate later.

For point 1: Make it so not only the heroes become the bad guy. But the hero can be hated by both (other) heroes and villians. For instance, you save a woman from a burning building but in saving her you accidentally knock down a fire escape killing someone below. Or when stopping a bank robbery, you end up taking the other hero's glory or even fighting with him.

For point 2: I think having the people surrounding him react a certain way would be interesting. For instance, if the hero does great heroic deeds then the populace looks up to him and admire him. So they pull over when he comes by, gives him useful tips, even help him prevent some crimes. On the flip side of that, his contacts (friends, informants) become more distant, certain items are inaccessible, the elites become more watchful. If the hero is more dramatic, then his contacts are very helpful, his access widens. The public on the other hand are weary of him because he's unpredictable and therefore can at times impede his activities.

Well maybe to oversimplify a bit you could create a character that has 3 major concerns; 1) stopping harm done to people, 2) public perception, and 3) personal life.

I think the goal would be to let the player create a heroe like the Punisher or like Spiderman and experiment with the world that reacts around the actions of the hero.

You can create templates or scenarios that make it so the player has to balance the 3 conditions. Spiderman for example would lose powers if #3 goes down too much. The punisher meanwhile may not have a personal life because it was destroyed. So if he re-establishes a personal life he may lose his edge. Or you can have a character that has fallen from grace and has to redeam themselves.

This can be balanced in a lot of different ways. The player may have to choose to spend their free time working out or spending time with friends and family.