Journal article
“Is It Too Much to Ask That We’re Allowed to Win the Game?”: Character Attachment and Agency in the Mass Effect 3 Ending Controversy
Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, Vol.37(3), pp.146-158
2017
Abstract
The interaction between the concepts of character attachment, agency, and choice in a video game narrative was investigated using BioWare's Mass Effect trilogy. Posts on a BioWare forum discussing the depiction of their player characters in the ending sequences of Mass Effect 3, the final game in the trilogy, were downloaded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Players demonstrated emotional attachment for the characters and narrative and expected to see the consequences of their choices play out, as in the previous games. Furthermore, players conflated winning the game with achieving a narratively satisfactory ending for the game world and its characters indicating emotional consequences for players that developers should consider when designing games with a high degree of player choice and agency. However, for some players character attachment is incongruous as they described Shepard as "acting out of character," which needs further research.
Details
- Title
- “Is It Too Much to Ask That We’re Allowed to Win the Game?”: Character Attachment and Agency in the Mass Effect 3 Ending Controversy
- Authors
- Jacqueline Burgess (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and LawChristian M Jones (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
- Publication details
- Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, Vol.37(3), pp.146-158
- Publisher
- Sage Publications Inc.
- DOI
- 10.1177/0270467618819685
- ISSN
- 0270-4676
- Organisation Unit
- School of Law and Society; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; Engage Research Lab; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Business and Creative Industries; USC Business School - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99450793702621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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