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Jan 21st, 2017 at 11:05:39 - Life is Strange (PC) |
It was odd when the game forced me to do something I considered immoral. For example, when Juliet locked Dana in her room for sexting with her boyfriend, the game was telling me to find evidence in Victoria’s room. I assumed the truth would come out regardless, and didn’t understand why Max should go snooping through other people’s stuff to find evidence for something rather trivial (in my opinion). Not only that, but the game had seemed like it was rewarding me for investigating. I received more information, and if I chose correctly in certain situations, it felt good. Morally, I would not think it okay to snoop through everything in Victoria’s room. I would have gone directly to what I believed would hold evidence. However, since it had felt like the game was rewarding exploration, I checked every corner of Victoria’s room, and it felt like a serious invasion of privacy. I can’t entirely blame the game, but like Sicart’s analysis of World of Warcraft, if the game is encouraging unethical behavior, then it should be partly the game’s responsibility for that behavior as well.
I also felt guilty leaving Warren. He defended Max, yet I left him there with Nathan. Of course, the security officer had shown up soon after, but Max didn’t know that when she jumped in the car. It was almost frustrating. Here was a game that focused so heavily on my choices, yet there were some I was unable to make or forced into, not because of other’s actions, but my player character. I had to learn that Max and I were different people, which means we would make ethical decisions differently. I could do what I could to make the choices I wanted, but I couldn’t control her completely. This is further exampled by some of her thoughts, such as talking poorly of other characters like Victoria, even though I believe you can’t fight hatred with hatred. It almost felt like Max and I were sometimes fighting, and it reminded me of Freud’s Id, Superego, and Ego. Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to be Max, but just an inner part of her, hopefully helping her make the most ethical choice.
In addition, Chloe’s anger toward Max felt almost unfair, but not because Max didn’t deserve it, but almost that it felt like my own fault. I think despite being different from Max, the player character is supposed to feel at least a little responsible for her. This, for me, included what she had done in the past. I knew I would have contacted Chloe, but since Max didn’t, it felt like she was yelling at me. I found myself being defensive with Max, but after analyzing, realized this was again because I felt blamed for an action I could not control.
Life is Strange is different in that way. You’re not supposed to feel entirely in control of Max’s choices. You’re more along for the ride, guiding where necessary, yet, when she hurts someone you feel personally responsible. It’s a “Why am I doing this?” as opposed to a “What the hell, Max, you shouldn’t be doing this!” and the inability to separate sometimes is interesting and new.
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Jan 20th, 2017 at 17:32:50 - Life is Strange (PC) |
When confronted with the choice to report Nathan or Hide the Truth, my ethical reasoning went like this “Using a gun to kill innocent people is wrong”, and “Lying to an authority figure is wrong”, but at the same time I wondered if I would be safe to report him. Who was to say whether I would be believed? Not to mention, if information had gotten to Nathan that I tattled on him, would I be safe? I started to worry over Max’s safety, and the morality of it all. Max could die simply for telling the truth if the truth wasn’t believed. However, I was more concerned for the fate of my classmates, and Chloe. It was likely he could kill her if he saw her again, so I ended up reporting Nathan.
I also found myself spending way too much time talking to everyone, rewinding where I could so everyone would like me. However, while I was happy that no one was calling me dumb or a poser, it all felt incredibly fake. I wasn’t gaining their approval because I knew about art, skateboarding, or drones, but because I cheated so that people would like me. The more I thought on this, the more I realized that it was more than just regurgitating information. Max was listening to them. She was listening to their interests and remembering them, and while no research was done beforehand, I felt like this was a better alternative. It made me wonder about my position as an ethical player compared to Max. These people on campus had no emotional ties to me, so being nice might have come from a desire to get their assistance in the future. I doubt I would have been cruel, but I don’t think I would have spent my time if I didn’t think these interactions would help me later. I then thought about Max’s perspective. Was she rewinding time and gaining their approval for personal gains, or because she genuinely wanted to be kind? To see her classmates happy? I’m still not sure.
Lastly, I had the choice to comfort or make fun of Victoria. This is where I felt like the mechanics had a chance to mess up the narrative. I chose to be nice to Victoria, since I felt like it was wrong to continuously abuse her, especially when I was the one who caused paint to fall on her. Yet, that seemed so off to me. I dropped paint on her, then pretended to be concerned for her well-being, ignoring that it was myself who did that to her. The game forced me to ruin her outfit, yet allowed me to be kind afterwards, which felt oddly conniving.
Overall, I felt like it was important to recognize the player and player character differences in this segment. My reasons for doing something was likely different than Max’s, which makes me wonder if the same two choices can both be ethical if made for the wrong reasons.
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Jan 19th, 2017 at 17:35:33 - Life is Strange (PC) |
I’ve heard a lot of spoilers for Life is Strange. Kate can die, your teacher is a murderer, and the ending where you choose either Arcadia or Chloe. I thought that despite knowing these things, I would not use a walkthrough. I wanted to save Kate for myself, to feel like I did something myself. I also wanted to observe my behavior toward the teacher, despite knowing the awful deeds he’s done. Would it affect how I answer to him, or does my respect for authority somehow trump it, especially if Max has no reason to suspect him? Will I be kinder to Chloe, even during her more…frustrating moments, because I know the ultimate decision? I was determined to focus on my behavior when I know what could happen, and compare it to how I might act not knowing these things. What does information change about my morals?
Right off the bat, I felt an odd connection to Max. Maybe it was the brown hair and freckles, something I myself possess but see little of in most media. She seemed small and fragile in the storm, and I wanted her safe. Was it because of my personal likeness to her?
I also noticed myself picking up on clues of Mr. Jefferson. His “goth” style and his line that he could put any of us in a dark room. It’s frustrating to find myself realizing I might have considered him charming, otherwise. I think it was important they made Mr. Jefferson stereotypically “good-looking.” He’s a young teacher, with a seemingly strong belief in us. I feel like the dark room line should have set me off, but I’m ashamed to admit that I might have been blinded by an aesthetic, rather than the content of the person.
My perceptions of Kate changed, too. Within Max’s notebook, she talks about Kate’s abstinence campaign and how religious she is. Instantly, I began making excuses to my judgmental self. “She just cares” I pointed out, “She’s not like those OTHER religious people.” But…who was the “other” my head was so quick to think about? The journal said nothing about Kate treating anyone poorly, and that’s especially not what Christianity is about. I felt bad that my assumption is “Christians are bad” simply because of what I’ve seen in the media. If I didn’t know Kate could die, I wonder if my conscious would have stopped the part of me that equates religious with wrongdoing.
In addition to this, when the game was telling me I had to get to the bathroom to save Chloe, I almost completely forgot to check on Kate. I only remembered to do so because I remembered Kate’s fate, and wanted to make sure I kept her alive. On my first playthrough, I wouldn’t have thought Kate should receive my time over Chloe who could die any second, but with what I knew I understood that both lives are at stake.
Overall, I found myself making different choices due to my previous knowledge. It honestly made me wonder, if I know all the information for every situation in my life, would I be able to make the most morally correct one? And since I likely will never know every bit of information, what can I do to ensure I know as much as possible, and not let initial bias influence my decisions.
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Chimes has been with GameLog for 7 years, 10 months, and 2 days |
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