Have you ever wondered if your life could have been different had you taken a different route, or made an alternative decision? Perhaps you took the safe road rather than a risk and have always regretted it. Let me introduce you to a concept called Eternal Return. This theory deals with the fact that we never have the chance to go back to a particular moment and try a different path. This directly ties in with the idea of destiny, and those that believe in destiny will tell you that it is irrelevant which decision you make because ultimately you wind up at the same place.
In contrast to that are people who believe in free will and Butterfly Effect. This is when one minor alteration in a decision will set you on a complete different path. My own views are torn between these two concepts as I have often wondered where would I be if I had made a different decision , but because I don’t possess any way to exploit Eternal Return I will never find out.
Why am I asking this and what is the relevance to gaming? Well I have noticed that a few games over the last few years have multiple endings coupled with multiple story lines. This had me thinking whether developers purposely put these aspects in a game in order for us to experience Eternal Return on some level, or perhaps I am looking too deeply into it and they just want to offer as much as possible.
Heavy Rain is the best example I can think of as each decision made changes to the next section and ultimately the ending was slightly different. Some people played it through numerous times to see how things played out, giving them a fantastic ability to utilise Eternal Return, whereas other people were happy with the one playthrough knowing that was ‘their’ story.
My question is whether these aspects make you enjoy a game more? Do you prefer a game that has multiple story lines and endings, or would you prefer to play a game with a single storyline knowing that if you pick a specific direction you will end up in the same position no matter what?
An interesting concept in my ever growing desire to know why we play games, which are for me an absolute means of escapism coupled with other aspects. Of course everyone is different and I would love to hear your views.
(Please note that Eternal Return and Butterfly Effect are more complex theories than outlined here, but I would prefer not to hurt your head so early in the day)
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I prefer to play games that take me on a roller coaster adventure. I want some one to tell me a story not ask me to Choose Your Own Adventure. Even MMOs like WoW have a set story line and you engage in quests that advance the story. You actions don’t affect the outcome of the story unless you die.
It depends on my mood but I think most people will agree that giving gamers choices is more often a good idea than a bad one. Sometimes I just want to play a mindless, linear, check-your-brain-at-the-door game but choices do make gaming more colourful and textured. It’s also fun to experience the consequences of one’s actions and decisions without eternal repercussions.
I think a large part of a good narrative gets lost when you give too much choice. It’s great to play your own story with unique ups and downs but look at it like this: With choice you always lose out on something (a character, a power, etc) but with linearity everyone experiences the same things, with the same outcome.
If a writer needs to branch of his narrative some of the impact gets lost, but if he writes one, that will be the optimum one.
All interesting points, quick question though… do you have similar views in the way you live your life? Do you prefer the idea that no matter what you decide you will always arrive at the same point, or do you think every decisions influences the path you take?
In gaming terms though, I like the idea of multiple storylines/endings, means everyone can have a unique experience (to a point of course). I was wondering though, if you were to play a game completely oblivious to the fact that it has multiple endings/storylines, do you think you would play through differently, as opposed to playing the same game knowing there are alternates?
I agree with what Echo has to say. I’ve always been somone that believes in the linear route. Had Resident Evil not followed a linear path you would not have crapped yourself when the dogs jumped through the windows or you would never have experienced Drake’s near-death experience on a the train. I’m sure there are many small events in GTA I’ve never experienced – though the developers did take the time to add it into the game. Linear FTW I say.
Jarred, it’s pretty safe to say that I live my life far more carefully than the reckless abandon I apply to games. The luxury of replay and correcting one’s mistakes is a strong appeal behind video game choices.
As for how the debate of free will versus predetermination applies to real life; well, I’m undecided. The nature of time and causality is still a mystery to us. I personally would like to think that time does not follow a set course and that every day our actions (and a bit of random chance) influence the way events unfold.
Interesting topic. I feel that if a game as different branches that gives it a wide spectrum of choices and events that you can choose with a ending that is unique to your style then, well, I feel cheated.
Like I paid full price for half a game? Remember those choose your adventure books at the city library? I always went back and read all the pages i skipped because in the end after one read through it felt like I only read half a book. This is just me though. With games, I don’t like replaying a game even if the ending will be different. So I just feel like i missed out on certain things that the game had to offer. But that would be with short games though. A game like ME where there are a few different routes (which granted don’t change much in the great scheme of things) I don’t have that feeling of missing out on certain aspects of the game. That might be because ME takes 20 + hours to finish and also because the choices you make don’t really have much of an effect on the storyline.