The Mass Effect of Mass Effect

Storytelling has long since been a part of the video game industry, but it baffles me just how intense the plotlines for video games are becoming.

Mind you, I for one have been an advocate for storytelling in games for a good many years anyway. A lot of people are more concerned with graphical prowess than actual substance within a game, but personally I’ve always preferred a dramatic relay to help push me forward. Though there certainly is such a thing as too much exposition (Square Enix’s last twenty titles), stories can be anywhere from a simple plotline serving as structure with sole intention of moving the game forward (Mario, Zelda) to a dramatic narrative where the gameplay is little more than the afterthought (Heavy Rain, anyone?).

Spoilers for Mass Effect are to follow.

The point I’m getting at however is the fact that video game plotlines have grown to have such an impact on the player that the player can actually feel conflicted over a character’s death. Of course we’ve all mourned the loss of Aerith (some are crying about as much as Cloud still is, and it’s a little embarrassing). But in Mass Effect, most characters are not required to die. However, I just finished my first playthrough of it, and I did it without once looking online to see what choices affect what. What ended up happening to me was that I lost two of my six party members, as in permanently lost them. They died.

The first person was killed by a different party member after having acted out of line and jeopardized the mission. The second was a much crueler scenario. There’s a point in the game where two of my party members are off doing separate things, both taking heavy fire, and I can only save one of them. This isn’t one of those Batman choices where the odds are against you, but with the proper aim and timing you can save them both. This is real, one of these people die. So I was faced with a difficult decision. Do I run off to save my romantic interest who volunteered for this suicide mission? Or do I save my friend and comrade who’s fought with me through the hard times? Regardless of their backgrounds and personalities, they were both members of team, and they both felt very much alive. The choice wasn’t easy, but I assure you, I did feel guilty afterward.

The storytelling is so well written in this game, and the relationships you build with these characters feels pretty authentic. Every conversation has multiple outcomes, so they don’t feel artificial. After losing my first team member, I felt responsible, as if I could have spared him if only I’d said the right thing (which turned out to be true. Turns out he can live with the right vocal input). And as for the second loss, even though I had no way of saving both of them, I still felt guilty for having to choose one life over another. It’s like being made to choose between a stranger and a friend. You’re obviously going to WANT to say your friend, but then you realize that isn’t exactly fair. It’s not the stranger’s fault he doesn’t know you. Plus who’s to say he doesn’t have his own family and friends? And what if he was in the same boat? Would he just throw you away because he doesn’t know you?

The game puts you in some cruel situations, and there are multiple points where you must choose to kill or spare an individual. But no previous moment actually made me feel as if I’d really lost a comrade. Although I know she was nothing more than polygons filled with scripted data, the loss felt more real than any canon character death I’ve ever experienced prior to Mass Effect. It just goes to show you have impactful interactive storytelling has become, and it makes you wonder how far they’re planning to push it.