Tuesday, September 21, 2010

What is virtual life without death?

For me death is something I had never really though about before in while I was playing videogames. I think that it is just such a part big part of every game that I have never really separated it in my mind from the other parts of the game. Death is just a part of the game like defeating enemies or collecting coins and happens almost as often as anything else you would do in the game.

In the article by Klastrup about death in the World of Warcraft she talks about how death is a necessary part of the game design made by the developers. Death is very necessary in gaming because it is the real challenge of the game. Yeah defeating the boss and saving the world is important but preventing your character from death is relatable for players because it is our basic instinct as humans to not want to die. Developers put in these “death penalties” to make sure that players play the game fairly and to get them to play in a specific style (in groups or parties) in order to advance in the game.

In my opinion death is video games is really all about just teaching the player how to play the game. Successfully continuing in a game is really trial and error. By allowing the player to die that shows them that how they were playing was incorrect and makes them look at the situation differently and forces them to choose a different strategy. By having this happen it teaches the player the right strategies against enemies in the games and allows them to be able to enjoy the game to it’s fullest. Klastrup mentions how the stories of players deaths in the game are used as teaching tools to show new players or to remind players that specific actions will lead to the death of not only themselves but to their partners.

The article focuses mainly on death in mmorpg’s but I would like to know more about people’s feelings about death in non-multiplayer games. Do you find death to be just an annoyance?  Is death something that you think is necessary in videogames? Is death beneficial or enjoyable in anyway?

5 comments:

  1. I find that death can be very annoying and it is not usually enjoyable. I could see death as a force to finish the game or level.

    -Vircell

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  2. Death would be very annoying if the game is really hard, and seems like almost impossible to overcome, but i think game would be more pleasurable if we think of death as challengeable obstacles, so we would feel rewarding from overcoming those things.

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  3. Yes, I very much agree that death is quite annoying if the game is really hard. I remember playing Persona 3 (Turn-based RPG) and fighting the final boss for nearly 1 1/2 hours. The boss cast a spell that killed me instantly. Given one more turn, I could of beat the game... (I got him the next time around :) )

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  4. As the reading suggests, some players intentionally commited suicide while playing World of Warcraft to get a blue (rare) item. If death can reward players with some kind of item, death can be looked as beneficial or enjoyable.
    But most of the time, death is annoying and can't be considered as enjoyable. However, I don't really get annoyed when I die because it's just a game.

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  5. I am positive that almost everyone, including myself, finds death the most annoying part of the games. However, it is an essential factor in video games. Death is annoying because it forces players to start the level from the beginning once again, but it motivates players to stay on focus and to play as careful as possible. Thus, death is beneficial in some ways, but is never enjoyable.

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