Narrative focus and themes in video games

[Dwarfishh]

Recently I've been thinking of the focus and themes of video games regarding narrative and perspective, the Mass Effect trilogy in particular, so there may be spoilers for those games ahead.

In retrospect, I found it really interesting how the focus of each game changes, the first game being about your character, and what sort of hero (or anti-hero) they will be. The second game changed the focus to that of your crew, and the bonds between them, while the Mass Effect 3 is about the whole galaxy, and seeing the effects of your choices and actions from the previous games, or lack thereof, come into play.

From a storytelling standpoint, this makes a lot of sense, focus on the protagonist at a tales beginning is hardly anything new. However, the way in which the lines which separate these themes are blurred can serve a greater purpose. Consider the way that you were reminded of decisions you made near the start of the first game, when you may still be discovering who your Shepard is. This serves a purpose beyond showing you that the game is paying attention to your deeds, even if it may not have been intended by the developer. This causes you to consider your actions and reactions more carefully. Personally, when I played through the first Mass Effect, I went pure renegade, punching reporters and committing acts of genocide; I was an asshole.

It wasn't until I played through the second game that I started rethinking my actions, as people had become noticeably hostile towards my character. This shift in thinking occurred, in part, to the change in focus from me to my squad. No longer was it funny when I punched a reporter, I was a bad role model. The 'no second chances' approach I had previously taken wasn't badass, it was brutish. I found myself wanting to help these character, and do what was best for them, leading me down a paragon path in the second game, and felt all the more rewarded when my team finished the game unscathed. (well, mostly)

The third game brought new challenges regarding morality and motivations, particularly that of the 'war assets' system. there was now a numerical value assigned to the forces backing me, and I felt that they would likely play a big part in the war to come (Spoilers, they didn't). This meant that now I wasn't guided just by morality and how I wanted to shape the story; I wanted results. This posed a dilemma often attempted by games, but one that rarely has much weight behind it, do I do what's 'right' and help the people I agreed to, or sell them out for more forces at my back. This question pops up several times during the final act of this trilogy, and it's never an easy decision. This is compounded by the conflicting interests of the various allies you have made over the course of your journey, forcing you to choose your favourite. Do I want the help of a dying race of peerless warriors, or that of a larger, more technologically advanced species? Do I want to help my girlfriend reclaim her home planet, or the most powerful fleet in the galaxy? These are the moments from Mass Effect that linger in my memory, and not the ending that received such a backlash from the community.

This simple numerical representation of a larger alliance of beings at my back completely changed the perspective and focus of the game, and yet my motivations for pursuing these war assets is rooted firmly in my experiences with the second game. I was still fighting for my team, even though some of them may have parted ways with me, or even have fallen along the way. This realisation made these tough call nearly impossible, leading me to prioritize members of my crew, and question whether there happiness was worth risking the whole galaxy.

These small changes in perspective had a far larger impact on my experience than even I realised at the time, and I'm still trying to figure parts of it out, three years down the road. However, hindsight is 20/20, as the saying goes, and nothing can recapture the initial experience of those games, due to now knowing the lack of weight certain decisions and mechanics carry. That said, I can now greater appreciate the games intricacies and attempts at making me feel attached to this world and it's characters as a result, so I guess there's a silver lining to this cloud.

Wow, that was rather long wasn't it...

Anyways, I just wondered if anyone else has thought about this in much depth, and with regard to what games, and what conclusions you had drawn therein

Edited May 28, 2015 by Dwarven Darkness