In Red Dead Redemption I killed less NPCs than in any other sandbox/ open world game that I have ever played. In the ?Kill-tacular? world of gaming, why the change of heart? Aren't we supposed to kill people in video games? Why the hesitation?
There are several experiences is Red Dead Redemption (RDR) that ask you to make a decision about the other people within the context of the game. These experiences manifest themselves in the randomly generated scenarios within the world. For those of you who have not played, there are times when a man will chase down a woman, knock her to the ground, call her a whore and try to stab her. You can chose to be involved, or not. Furthermore, you can choose to shoot or lasso the attacker. If you do, you may still not save that NPC. If you fail to save the woman before she is stabbed, how do you treat the attacker? This is just one scenario. There are lynchings, active robberies, people being chased down by various wild animals, false cries for help, real cries for help, and many more. Each of these can be engaged or ignored, and if engaged, can result in failure. These experiences really ask you to make a choice.
These randomly generated scenarios, and how you interact with them, allow for that NPC to have some identity and motive outside of having a horse, gun or money that you want to take. That NPC doesn't want to get stabbed or eaten by a wolf, they want to keep the stuff that was stolen from them, they are individuals with their own goals and ambitions. This realization then brings every NPC to life.
RDR also gives me, the player, and my character a believable and connected place in the world. As Marston I have depth and inner conflict. On one hand I am a husband, a father, a man trying to change his ways; on the other hand I am a cold blooded killer, ex-gang member, social outcast, and filled with anger at being previously left for dead. This allows room to kill countless men during missions to seek an end to my goal, yet pass over those who are uninvolved.
Ultimately I was not only given a choice, but I was also asked to choose with the knowledge of who I am as a character and who the NPCs are. So what did you do? What other games are good examples of this?
There are several experiences is Red Dead Redemption (RDR) that ask you to make a decision about the other people within the context of the game. These experiences manifest themselves in the randomly generated scenarios within the world. For those of you who have not played, there are times when a man will chase down a woman, knock her to the ground, call her a whore and try to stab her. You can chose to be involved, or not. Furthermore, you can choose to shoot or lasso the attacker. If you do, you may still not save that NPC. If you fail to save the woman before she is stabbed, how do you treat the attacker? This is just one scenario. There are lynchings, active robberies, people being chased down by various wild animals, false cries for help, real cries for help, and many more. Each of these can be engaged or ignored, and if engaged, can result in failure. These experiences really ask you to make a choice.
These randomly generated scenarios, and how you interact with them, allow for that NPC to have some identity and motive outside of having a horse, gun or money that you want to take. That NPC doesn't want to get stabbed or eaten by a wolf, they want to keep the stuff that was stolen from them, they are individuals with their own goals and ambitions. This realization then brings every NPC to life.
RDR also gives me, the player, and my character a believable and connected place in the world. As Marston I have depth and inner conflict. On one hand I am a husband, a father, a man trying to change his ways; on the other hand I am a cold blooded killer, ex-gang member, social outcast, and filled with anger at being previously left for dead. This allows room to kill countless men during missions to seek an end to my goal, yet pass over those who are uninvolved.
Ultimately I was not only given a choice, but I was also asked to choose with the knowledge of who I am as a character and who the NPCs are. So what did you do? What other games are good examples of this?
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