Poll: Giving a S#%T

[tooktook]

Ultimately, if you care about game world, its characters and what happens to them, the game is a success.
I'm not saying that everything else falls away, on the contrary, if you are truly caring then all the rest (graphics, physics, controls, music etc.)is doing its job.

The only thing that can kill my argument, even when you care, is immersion. No immersion and it doesn't matter how much you care about a game's characters, story etc., you'll hate it. Even then I could argue that if you are immersed you are caring and vice versa.

Is caring about game world, its characters and what happens to them the ultimate goal that developers should aim at? (i.e. Not gimmicks or technical stuff)

 

[42manZ]

I don't understand. Caring about what? Whether the game is good or not?
And why would immersion kill a game? Immersion is great.

 

[.J.a.T.]

If you really, really, really get into the game and start caring about the chars, it usually means that the game is really well made and epic. The RPG is not good if you don't care for the characters.

Final Fantasy series i.e. FFX made me cry in the end. I felt like a teenager girl. >.<

But in the other hand, all the violence games etc. don't really put weight on the chars. The character is just something to carry out your controller commands and shoot anything that moves. Booring. The gore is for the enjoyment.

In conclusion, you don't need depth for the chars unless the game is really story based. But yeah, immersion is always good.

[offtopic] Fable 2 is aiming for the "care for the chars and the chars care for you" thing. I expect it to be good. [/offtopic]

 

[Reaperman Wompa]

Yes considering how good games are that people care about (when they come out not nostalgia).
Look at fable and kotor, both were really able to draw the player in so the player ended up caring. These games are considered legendary so there's got to be something there.

 

[tooktook]

I don't understand. Caring about what? Whether the game is good or not?
And why would immersion kill a game? Immersion is great.

I corrected my original post. Sorry

 

[42manZ]

I don't understand. Caring about what? Whether the game is good or not?
And why would immersion kill a game? Immersion is great.

I corrected my original post. Sorry

Ah, now I understand.
Well, it all depends, if a game's story sucks do you ever care about the character? And if the story rocks do you always care about the character?

 

[Amnestic]

Final Fantasy series i.e. FFX made me cry in the end. I felt like a teenager girl. >.<

Don't tell anyone, but me too.

As for the main topic, caring about the characters is important to an extent. Generally it depends on the genre, I've found. RPGs rely on the story and the characters to get people to keep playing. If you hate the characters and the story, people would understand if you disliked the game. Generally FPSes are focused less on characters and attaching to them, instead moving you from encounter to encounter. There are exceptions. The Halflife specifically 2+episodes, has made a point of trying to develop empathy with the secondary characters. Whether it works or not is another matter, I suppose if the ending of Episode 2 affected you, then it did, if not, well, too bad

For fighting games and FPSes, I'm generally not fussed about the characters, getting attached to them, like Gaz in CoD4 is a bonus to me. I generally play those games for a bit of mindless fun, similar to why I play the Dynasty Warriors series. RPGs focus on characters. I won't play an RPG if I don't feel the characters are drawing me in.

I like to be immersed in games, though it's difficult with some titles. I don't feel a game is entirely broken through lack of immersion if it makes up for it in other areas. Similarly, an entirely immersive game *can* still suck for me. It all depends on the game and the setting, I can't really say more than that. =/ It's too subjective on a game-by-game basis for me to decide on one choice.

 

[howard_hughes]

I believe that caring about the lives of the other characters is an essential part of certain games. This is probably the only reason that I prefer MMO's over single player games, the people I play with are easier to relate to and worry about then any NPC ever will be except in certain cases.

 

[Danny Ocean]

Most game characters I don't care about, FPS and MMO ones for example, but mass effect really plucked my strings when it:

Spoiler: SPOILER!

Asked me to choose between Ashley and Kaiden.

 

[tooktook]

I believe that caring about the lives of the other characters is an essential part of certain games. This is probably the only reason that I prefer MMO's over single player games, the people I play with are easier to relate to and worry about then any NPC ever will be except in certain cases.

I see where you're coming from but I like a fully fledged, voice acted, special effects scripted scene. I'm a big propagator of GameRart.
Also:
Can any one recommend any games that really sucked you in despite any flaws?

Thirdly:
If a storyline is great and I lie up at night wondering whats going to happen to Braf Zeckklin as he takes on the minions of Gloratsfgsfgsgdfks. Then I dont care is there are problems with the rest. Would anyone agree?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Can any one recommend any games that really sucked you in despite any flaws?

Hidden and Dangerous 1. Jagged Alliance 2. Psychonauts. Final Fantasy 7. Peggle.

 

[DevilSaint44]

Prince of Persia :Sands of Time. When farah dies. -sniff- -sniff-

 

[Chiasm]

but When I play Gran Turismo I get all car guy obsessive about my cars. I mean literally, I WANT TO DEVELOP MY CAR, and anyone who has driven seriously knows that each car has it's own character, even within the same Make, model, and year. So to me, Adding that Bigger Turbo or that next higher Internal Upgrade Kit is a goal that pushes me later and later into the night.... That is immersion AND Caring

I have to agree with you there,I know nothing of cars and care little for them other then key turns car on, However sense I have started to play Forza 2 which I ended up for free finally with the system It is amazingly deep and addictive and find myself learning and caring about parts but also scary how at times it seems a car has more options per car then most RPG's do with skills and such.

On a side note I find myself more living and feeling a part of RTS and TBS Civ and MOO style games then I do with most RPG's as it gives you even more freedom of believing yourself as the leader of these people.

 

[Johnn Johnston]

but When I play Gran Turismo I get all car guy obsessive about my cars. I mean literally, I WANT TO DEVELOP MY CAR, and anyone who has driven seriously knows that each car has it's own character, even within the same Make, model, and year. So to me, Adding that Bigger Turbo or that next higher Internal Upgrade Kit is a goal that pushes me later and later into the night.... That is immersion AND Caring

I have to agree with you there,I know nothing of cars and care little for them other then key turns car on, However sense I have started to play Forza 2 which I ended up for free finally with the system It is amazingly deep and addictive and find myself learning and caring about parts but also scary how at times it seems a car has more options per car then most RPG's do with skills and such.

I always get sucked in whenever I play Forza 2. Making a VW Golf (or whatever one of the starting cars are) into an S-Class, adding my own custom paintjob and tuning it up made me actually want to keep it intact. Sure, the damage fixes itself (at a cost) at the end of each race, but I still winced every time I clipped a corner.

 

[INF1NIT3 D00M]

Halo 3 is my example. I love the mythos and behind the scenes mystery (i.e. mystery bungie.net forum threads, the terminals) and some of the characters (w00t! it's soldier #3!) but matchmaking is what ruins it for me.

Also, when I play RTSs I get attached to little infantry units and give them names and backstories before they die. For some reason, watching generic, square-ish soldiers die in star wars: EAW means more to me than a whole star destroyer. P.S. I read the star wars: rogue squadron books (I know, Im a nerd) and now when I play as rebels in EAW the rogue squadron unit means so much more...

Anyways, thats the kind of caring that I envoke, not the game. as far as the game's concerned, if it can get me to take the time to name my units and care for them, I'll get immersed.

 

[rossatdi]

I've only cared about characters a few times:

1) The crew of the Atlantis in Unreal 2, and the emotional kick-in-the-balls fate that happens to them. [To think betrayed by the commander you're on the ground sweating for! The dastard!]

2) Alyx and Eli Vance (and Dog) from the continuing saga that is Half Life 2. During the final moments of of HL2: Ep2 I wanted to get into the screen, grab Gordon's crowbar and save the day.

3) Most the Arm units from Total Annihilation.

It certainly helps with the immersion when you care about (or at least enjoy) seeing things die.

I very rarely care about the world or plot but I do have the correctly orchestrated pangs of messiah-complex when I see all the suffering people of HL2 and know that I'm the one who has to save the day.