The Most Compelling Relationship in Video Games.

From the early nineties, video game creators made an alteration that would change the game industry for the next quarter of a century. Games began as very elaborate puzzles, and the only objective a player had was to complete the game (or to not complete it when your parents said “After this level you need to play outside”). In this time of video game revolution it was the writers that won as games started to include more elaborate storylines. Some, which could even be described as reminiscent of a soap opera (I’m looking at you Final Fantasy).

These great arching storylines, twisting plots and epic dialogue could not be achieved without building one very important factor: character relationships.

When a characters relationship is being created, sometimes it is what we gamers as an audience don’t know that makes a relationship interesting, such as the relationship between Yuri and Makarov in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. We know that both of them worked together as ultranationalists and that despite the atrocities that they committed, Yuri was under the ultranationalists’ grip and was constantly reminded of the reasons for why they did what they had done (If Oprah was around she would have shut that controlling relationship down). So what exactly caused Yuri to defect to the FSB, almost resulting in his death? It is not made obvious and it is this lack of knowledge, this need to know more that makes their relationship interesting.

"The Company Paintballing Weekend."

Another interesting aspect to a relationship is when two different species or even intelligences interact. For example, Master Chief and Cortana from the Halo series or EDI and Joker from the Mass Effect franchise. Both are examples of a love story between an organic character and an artificial intelligence. However, they could not be further apart. Where Cortana and Master Chief’s story is one of unrequited love, Joker and EDI have one of a successful relationship, though both cover the philosophical question, if something is a computer simulation, is it capable of emotion? What is emotion anyway? Although saying that I’m pretty sure my computer has a tantrum every now and then: “But I don’t want to connect to the internet.”

“You are in my room and while you are in my room you will follow my rules! Is that clear?”

“I wish mum was here!”

“Well Mum’s gone to the shops at the moment so I’m the best you’ve got!”

“I hate you!”

“You don’t mean that”

“I do!”

*Blue screen of death*

“What have I done?!”

I think maybe I went too far with that one.

Now I’m a fan of a lot of franchises, and one that has become a favourite is Batman, and the relationship that I find most compelling in any video game is between our very own Dark Knight and Mr. Freeze. I know, a lot of people would say I missed a trick if I didn’t rate Joker and Batman as a more interesting relationship. Yes they have their twists and turns and maybe they have the most interesting storyline of all the Batman villains, but I’m going to stick my neck out, put my cards on the table and take the plunge here. The reason I find their relationship so interesting is their motives. Batman wants to keep Gotham City safe and Mr. Freeze just wants to save the life of his wife, both are noble deeds, yet it is the fact that when one person is trying to save the majority and the other the minority you will inevitably find conflict. The relationship is demonstrated well during the Arkham City campaign. Batman saves Freeze from death at the hands of the Penguin (which I find rather funny when I think about it), he asks him to save his life in return and synthesise a cure for the disease he has been infected with. Freeze refuses saying that his wife has been taken by the joker and that as long as she is in danger he will not do anything for Batman. They then begin their scuffle.

"I knew I should have hidden in the cupboard."

I believe that the other reason a relationship like this is so interesting to me is that it is so true to life. Few of us would say that we are inherently evil, everything we do is justified by our own motives and reasons, reasons we see as being good. Yes games would be very boring if every character relationship was realistic, that’s the whole reason we play games, to get away from reality for a little bit. The main point I am trying to make is that you can create the most epic, expensively produced, twisting storyline the world has ever seen. However, unless your audience can relate to the characters that you’ve created, it will all be for nought. Any comments you have about this article are greatly appreciated and I encourage you to leave them here.

I’ll see you at the end of a long story arc that will probably span at least three games.