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PaperclipPerfector  10mo ago (text post)   2739 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for June 16, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Since this is videogames week in this thread:

Has any game’s story (ie not player-generated interaction or content) ever emotionally affected you in a major way?

I’ll second…well, several of these. Everything Fruck said about Mother 3 held true when I played it. It’s brilliantly composed and written. I’ll add Cave Story for similar if less dramatic feelings.

Disco Elysium made me laugh so much, but it also made me feel this sense of…it’s hard to describe. Investment in this train-wreck character and his personal journey. A sort of aching empathy I associate with certain books. It’s vivid.

There are, of course, games that evoke through atmosphere rather than story. Breath of the Wild conveys this peaceful emptiness, even though its story is bland at best. My favorite for this effect might be Starsector. Its story is well-drawn but not what I’d call emotional. But when you’re out in the void, scrounging dead colonies for lost tech, the environment just draws you into the premise. It’s somewhere between tense and chilling, and I think that counts.

There are, of course, games that evoke through atmosphere rather than story. Breath of the Wild conveys this peaceful emptiness, even though its story is bland at best. My favorite for this effect might be Starsector. Its story is well-drawn but not what I’d call emotional. But when you’re out in the void, scrounging dead colonies for lost tech, the environment just draws you into the premise. It’s somewhere between tense and chilling, and I think that counts.

Weird. Starsector always felt especially hands-off and unemotional to me, like a game that specifically does not want you to get invested. Not sure why though.

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