Ah, video games, a favorite pastime for many people. When it comes down to it, most video games are popular because of the fun gameplay and compelling plot. However, not every video game allows players to control what happens to other characters or the story.
Within the past year, this has changed. We are now seeing video games allowing players to control decisions a character makes, impacting both plot and character development. After thinking about this topic, I thought of some games that revolve around the player making choices for characters.
This genre of player choice games rose to prominence with indie company TellTale Games. The company is known for taking television shows and movies and turning them into video games (such as "The Walking Dead," "Game of Thrones," and "Jurassic Park"). The company also did a video game series for fables, titled “The Wolf Among Us.”
In these games, players would be able to choose what actions the character takes to handle situations. They can also choose what the main character says to other characters, affecting the way they react to you or altering the story of the game. Doing this tailors these games to the player.
Another game that has player choice and change as a key component is “Life Is Strange.” In this game, players take control of Max Caulfield, who discovers she has the power to rewind time. Throughout the episodic game series, she will interact with people, and players can choose what she says to others and choose what she does in major situations. If the player does not like the consequences of their actions, they can use Max’s ability to rewind time and make a new decision. This game is unique in that it allows players to play out scenarios to get a desired outcome.
The next game that plays heavily into player choice is critically acclaimed horror game “Until Dawn.” The game focuses on eight teenagers who on the anniversary of a close friend’s death, must try to stop and survive a killer literally until emergency services come at dawn.
In this game, you will play as each of the eight characters. Thanks to the game’s Butterfly Effect system, each decision you make will count as your actions can not only affect a character’s relationship with others, but can also get them killed. All eight characters can die, all eight can survive, or any number and any combination of characters can die. Because of the number of characters and how their death or survival reveals more information to players, the game encourages multiple play-throughs.
The most recent game to use player choice is “Quantum Break.” In this game, players take control of protagonist Jack Joyce and antagonist Paul Serene. Due to Paul creating a time machine to create time travel, its activation causes a fracture in time. This fracture will eventually bring time to a grinding halt. The experiment also grants the two characters time-based abilities, with Paul having the ability to see multiple futures. While Paul believes the fracture can’t be stopped, Joyce tries to stop it.
Player choice comes into play in the parts where you play as Paul Serene. These parts of the game are called “Junction Points,” where the player has Paul make a major decision on something based on the two possible futures. As I mentioned earlier, Paul can see into the future, allowing him to plot the best course of action. For example, when Paul has to deal with a library’s destruction (sorry, small spoiler), he can choose a hardline approach (killing any witness and keeping his company’s secrets safe but inciting more riot) or a PR approach (forcing a witness to lie and paint Joyce as a terrorist by having his company’s secrets exposed). The actions you make with Paul can affect who Joyce allies himself with and what he will learn about the “sitch in time” (referencing that old "Kim Possible" movie here).
Video games are becoming more focused on tailoring a story to the player’s decisions. In doing this, players are able to have more of a choice in what the character does and how it will affect other characters. Because of this, games make it easier for players to become more invested in the story and make connections to the characters they play.
