Friday 13 October, 2006

I FINALLY played through the GTA: San Andreas for a third time...what a terrible assignment this was! All kidding aside, I didn't really observe anything new during this stint of gaming. I did feel as though the game was ramping up the diffficulty as a sort of parting gift. Everywhere I turned there were rival gang members chasing me and cops looking to arrest me. One issue of character interaction I noticed was that all of the action is centered around me. I never saw members from my gang shooting at rivals without my orders. If I took a stroll through rival territory and they happened to shoot at me, the cops would stand idly by. But, the second I retaliated police cruisers, helicopters, SWAT trucks and the national guard were out to catch me. This raises the issue of believable characters for interaction. Walking around San Andreas is like being a celebrity. Everyone in sight has something to say to me. They all watch me, hingin their next decision on what I do. The characters exist as meaningless figures, poised to take action as soon as a specific event is triggered. What ensues is not interaction, but domination of the space, wherein the player decides what events will happen. I look forward to absolution of this problem, so the next time a virtual person decides to shoot at me, the police pursue the man with the gun.

Maybe you could, in the case of this particular game, read into the "celebrity factor" as an interpretation of the idea that young african-americans from disadvantaged background see the world as being "out to get them"? (the point being that in this game, it's actually true! You're always the target! Cops only chase you! Etc.)

I think you raise a very interesting point there. How do you design a game that's compelling yet doesn't require that you be the center of attention?