Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 4.13
The death of Aeris,
from
Final Fantasy VII
A good many games set the danger at hyperbolic levels with extreme claims such
as “The fate of the universe rests in your hands!” This kind of hyperbole appeals to
young people, who often feel powerless and have fantasies about being powerful.
To adults, it just sounds a bit silly. At the end of
Casablanca
, Rick said, “The prob-
lems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world,” but
he was wrong. The whole movie, a movie still popular over a half century after its
first release, is about the problems of those three little people. For the duration of
the film, these problems hold us entranced. It isn't necessary for the fate of the
world to be at stake; it is the fates of Rick, Ilsa, and Victor that tug at our hearts.
DESIGN RULE
Avoid Implausible Extremes
Don't make your game about the fate of the world if you are serious about producing
emotional resonance with your audience; the fate of the world is too big to grasp. Make
your game about the fate of people instead.
THE LIMITATIONS OF FUN
Weaver's Law: The qualit y of an entertainment is inversely proportional to the awareness
of time engaged in it.
—C
HRIS
W
EAVER
,
FOUNDER OF
B
ETHESDA
S
OFTWORKS
Most people think that the purpose of playing games is to have fun, but
fun
is a
rather limiting term. It tends to suggest excitement and pleasure, either a physical
pleasure such as riding a roller coaster, a social pleasure such as joking around with
friends, or an intellectual pleasure such as playing cards or a board game. The prob-
lem with striving for fun is that it tends to limit the emotional range of games.
Suspense, excitement, exhilaration, surprise, and various forms of pleasure fall within
the definition of fun, but not pity, jealousy, anger, sorrow, guilt, outrage, or despair.
You might think that nobody in their right mind would want to explore these emo -
tions, but other forms of entertainment—books, movies, television—do it all the
