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Choices in Games

I recently finished Assassin’s Creed which is an extremely good game in my opinion. During gameplay I was paying quite a lot of attention to the story line and how it all fits together. It got me thinking about the reasons behind what you were doing in the game and how this applies to morals/choices. The main example of this is when the leader of the Assassins talks about the crusaders wanting peace but going about it the wrong way. Although you can’t choose what you do in Assassin’s Creed as far as killing your targets or not, I remembered BioShock and the choice you have to make with either curing or harvesting the children, this was also seen slightly in Splinter Cell: Double Agent where one choice lost you reputation with one side.The next logical step for game development is having choices which effect the outcome and game play. Like BioShock’s choices you can have a nice ending but the game is a little harder or a horrible ending but the game is made easier by harvesting.

For me making these choices makes for a more interesting compared to the standard linear single players that are currently around. Ok there’s nothing wrong with blasting through a level where the route is obvious but personally I tend not to play those games for a long time after I complete them and at the current prices of games it’s becoming expensive as I tend to complete a game quite quickly.

In the end the more we have to do/think about in a game I find is more entertaining it is and if were forced make a choice then peoples experiences of the game well be different. This also could solve the age old statement that we learn nothing of real life from games.

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Pete

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5 responses to “Choices in Games”

  1. Dave avatar
    Dave

    Well said, I really enjoyed Bioshock and the harvest/don’t harvest conundrums it brought to the table.

    Looking back a year later however, the choice meant the difference between two very short endings and a slightly different character growth rate. It was a case of all puff no huff.

    Still I think the characterisation and excellent script made up for the lack of impact this had on the game itself, but when you think about it, you go through the same stages and reach the exact same end point whichever way you spin it.

    In-game choices should have a massive, earth-shaping effect on the game world, I’m not talking destruction of nations or anything apocalyptic like that, but something a bit more pivotal.

    I think the moral choices in GTA IV prove more influential. Hang out with Little Jacob a lot,and you gain the ability to request firearms, don’t and you wont get calls from him any more and you’ll lose a friend and backup in later missions. This is a better application of the risk/reward factor these choices create.

    All of this said, I agree with everything you’ve said 100% by the way, it’s just hindsight a year after a game’s release can be a bit of a bugger 🙁

    Roll on ‘shock 2! 😀

  2. Laura avatar
    Laura

    I’m currently playing Assassins Creed and although it’s great fun to just play a bad guy who completes set tasks, after playing Mass Effect for AGES in the weeks before I really want the choices back, though I’d probably just kill most of the targets anyway. 🙂

  3. Michael avatar
    Michael

    Yeah, I do like having a choice in a game – it gives more depth if you think you’re having an impact. With your example of Splinter Cell, there are multiple endings depending on how “good” you are – save Hisham and Lambert and stop the bomb on the ship and you get the best ending. Don’t and you, well, don’t!

    However, that must somehow carry over to the next instalment… I doubt that Ubisoft would make a game based on the whims of players from the outset in this way. I doubt they could. There is, therefore, a “true” ending to SC:DA and choice ultimately means nothing. That was a theme of BioShock

    Someone once pointed out that, in Mass Effect, if you had full choice you could have the chance to side with Saren. Intriguing, no?

  4. City avatar
    City

    I cant get into Assassins Creed, I got so frustrated with the training level and with the first few missions I havent touched it for a couple of weeks now.

    I did love the choice element in Bioshock, Ive played it through as ‘evil’ and i loved it, when i got back to it ill go through as ‘good’..

    I also liked that about Overlord, you could be good or evil or inbetween and the endings were all effected by what you chose to do.. I went for evil there too.. :/

    I remember the first game with a choice element that really got me, was Black & White, especially the Battle of the Gods add-on. Its just fantastic being able to have more control over linear games

  5. Pete avatar
    Pete

    As far as Assassins creed I know I’m playing it a bit late but it only recently came out on PC.
    The game is good but the problem with it is over all it’s the same objectives over and over.

    Black & White was a brilliant game, I have looked into the style of games that have choices and it seems that its mainly the action/shooter games that seems to miss out from the choice making. This does leave for sequels however you could just have an expansion pack.

    I suppose I’m just looking for an action game with choice instead of linearity.

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