Chapter 9 Representing Interpersonal Relationships in Videogame Terms
In: Culture at Play: How Video Games Influence and Replicate Our WorldSearch for other papers by Sarah Faber in
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Abstract
The complex nature of human relationships opens up a number of practical and theoretical questions about how meaningful relationships can be implemented in videogames. This paper develops the theory that a game developer’s options can be mapped onto a spectrum, with ‘film-likeness’ at one end of the spectrum and ‘life-likeness’ at the other. Film-likeness is understood as the portrayal of relationships that are strictly scripted and uninfluenced by the player, while “life-likeness”, is understood as the portrayal of relationships that simulate an approximation of the infinite factors of choice and chance found in non-simulated, real-world relationships. A number of mixed approaches fall between these two ends of the spectrum. Regardless of the chosen approach, the technical limitations of videogames always result in a reduction of the chaos and infinite variability we see in real relationships. This may, however, be a medium-specific asset, rather than a problem.