Feelings & Games

[Shaewaroz]

To me it's rather strange that while playing a particular game I often experience feelings that are completely unique and only characteristic to that particular game. By feelings I don't mean emotions like sadness, joy or euphoria, but far more complex and nuanced combinations of sensory responses that make up the unique feeling that you can often remember when you pick up the game years later.

I believe these feelings have a lot to do with the audiovisual design of the game, but also things like user interface and the way user input is handled in the game play a crucial part in the generation of "the feeling".

I will now give an example of a game that generate a unique and strong feeling in me and try to describe the elements this feeling consists of.


The System Shock 2 Feeling

The feeling of being tense, afraid, conflicted, excited and fascinated, all at the same time. The feeling of being alone in a claustrophobic space with inhuman monsters. The feeling of being hunted. The feeling of being unprepared, yet having to survive somehow.

All these element come to gather to create the System Shock 2 feeling. I believe the most important element alongside audiovisual design for creating this feeling is the lack of resources, which SS2 does perfectly. I always feel like I have to hold back and be very careful with my weapons and consumables. I feel tense all the time.

Another important element for the SS2 feeling are the audio logs, especially the ones featuring The Many. The arguments made by The Many make a lot of sense to me, but at the same time they are utterly horrifying to me. I always feel conflicted about killing The Hybrids, since I'm not sure whether I should oppose them or embrace the wondrous joys of the flesh they promise.

Here's an example of the ways The Many try to convince you to stop resisting them:





Do you have a game that evokes a unique feeling in you?

 

[Beowulf]

I have a sneaky feeling that one of the next games mentioned in this thread will be Thief.

 

[Ezeekiel]

I'd call that atmosphere.

For me:
-The beginning of Planescape Torment (the mortuary, specifically the upper level you start in). This led me to believe that the entire game would be so morbid, but sadly that wasn't the case.
-Diablo 1 (and only the first. The second had a bit of this in the first act but not past that imo)
-Starcraft due to the OST especially (Blizzard had great ost dudes back then)
-Fallout 1 (2 to a much lesser degree). Esp. going through old bunkers and such.
-Stalker series
-Terror From The Deep (original ufo defense wasn't on this level in terms of atmosphere. The underwater missions plus horror soundtrack were a match made in heaven)
-Thief 1 and 2 of course
-Arcanum again due to the OST especially.
-old city builders about rome, egypt etc
-old RTS games like Dark Reign, AOE 1 and 2, CNC 1 and 2, Emperor: Battle for Dune (if playing Harkonnen only, of course)
-some old console titles like Zelda: A Link To The Past and Secret of Mana... 2? Seiken Densetsu 3 was the jap title I think. Lots of others too but I forget which ones now, it's been too long...
-Age of Wonders 1
-Bloodborne at times, Souls games during some Boss fights but overall I think they don't really pull it off nearly as well as older titles.
-Disciples 2
-The first F.E.A.R. sometimes had a strange effect on me where it felt like I was almost in a trance during that seemingly never-ending running gun battle through the office and industrial areas. Then came the ghost crap and I got annoyed again, sigh.
-Jedi Knight sometimes (due to the crazy verticality confusing my young mind a bit "should I really go down there???)
-Factorio sometimes (before you figure it out too well)
-Jagged Alliance 2 to a degree
-M&B sometimes (in big cav. vs cav. battles I find myself swaying along with my in-game knight on his horse as we narrowly avoid a lance to the face or land a tricky horsebow shot. And riding between my cavalry into battle down a slope into the enemy forces gets me all hyped up)
-Chaos Gate at times did this pretty well
-Albion esp. on the first continent
-Schleichfahrt/Archimedean Dynasty
-SS2 of course.

There's a whole bunch of others, but I can't be bothered listing them all. Not all of these are similarly atmospheric and the kind of atmosphere can differ quite a bit from game to game of course, but you get the idea.

 

[Shaewaroz]

I'd call that atmosphere.

It's certainly a large part of what we're talking about. Perhaps you're right. The game controls also contribute to the atmosphere. The atmosphere is recognizable even after years when you return to the game. When I remember the game, I return to this atmosphere and it brings back the feelings associated with this atmosphere.

For me:
-The beginning of Planescape Torment (the mortuary, specifically the upper level you start in). This led me to believe that the entire game would be so morbid, but sadly that wasn't the case.
-Diablo 1 (and only the first. The second had a bit of this in the first act but not past that imo)
-Terror From The Deep (original ufo defense wasn't on this level in terms of atmosphere. The underwater missions plus horror soundtrack were a match made in heaven)
-Thief 1 and 2 of course
-Secret of Mana... 2? Seiken Densetsu 3
-Age of Wonders 1
-Disciples 2

There's a whole bunch of others, but I can't be bothered listing them all. Not all of these are similarly atmospheric and the kind of atmosphere can differ quite a bit from game to game of course, but you get the idea.

These ones in particular I agree with. Each of them has a very unique feeling associated with them. Torror From The Deep has many of the same elements of danger, of being constantly on the edge, that create the SS2 feeling. With Age of Wonders 1 the feelings comes largely from the OST, but also from the way units behave, the battle maps etc.

Another really big one for me, the game that actually inspired me to start this thread, is Wizardry 8. I didn't play Wiz8 until I was already in University, so the feeling doesn't have the strong nostalgic undertones many other games have for me. The sound design is largely responsible, especially the Sir-Tech voice actors. However, the feeling also comes largely from the way the game handles exploration and how the story is been told. I always feel like I see and understand only a fraction of what is really going on, but I want to keep exploring to uncover the truth. The way myth and fable is mixed with factual information in the story, very similarly to something like King of Dragon Pass.

 

[Jacob]

I was about to mention Thief

 

[Shaewaroz]

Looking Glass did some truly atmospheric games, yes.

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

feelings are for girls

DIDN'T KNOW THERE WERE SO MANY GIRLS ON THE DEX

HAHAHA

 

[taxalot]

Posting in a Shaewaroz thread.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Cyberarmy]

Most games before 2000s, after that they started to become soulless husks.

 

[kintake]

feelings are for girls

DIDN'T KNOW THERE WERE SO MANY GIRLS ON THE DEX

HAHAHA

You wanna have me you best wash off first, big boy..
Also, be--be real gentle with me yeah? My daddy left me some scars, my heart's like a diamond; impossible to scratch now yet easily crushed.

 

[kintake]

Audio for sure plays a large role in lending to the feeling of a game. Every single audio cue in 'Heroes of Might and Magic 2/3' is bliss to me. The little merry dings when you pick up treasure, the short tunes that play when you enter huts or camps, the clippity clop of the horses hooves on the ground, the sound of enemies fading when they scatter before your army, spell effects and attack sounds of troops et al. Not to mention the amazing soundtrack itself, it all comes together like Emma Stone's buttchecks.

Edit:

Comfy as fuck

 

[Tehdagah]

feelings are for girls

DIDN'T KNOW THERE WERE SO MANY GIRLS ON THE DEX

HAHAHA

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Robotron 64, all other external impulses fade away into DODGE/KILL, best zoner EVAR

 

[mbv123]

STALKER SoC - Red Forest area.
Running through the entire gauntlet from the entrance to the bunker, every cover you use is irradiated so you can't just sit somewhere and take potshots, you actually have to move quickly and efficiently otherwise the fanatics will just overwhelm you and outflank you from all sides. Atmosphere is god tier too with seeing the radar in the distance giving out emissions every 5 seconds in an effort to stop you.
Tbh, SoC had so much cool areas that it's not even worth it to listen them all. They all have their unique things about them and none of them feel like filler.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

I'd like to propose an alternate theory to the OP's claim of feelings being related to games: Audio. Just audio.

Human beings are biologically hardwired to not only recognize auditory input with amazing clarity, but also associate feelings with it on a level far deeper and more subtle than with the other senses. Meaning, certain sounds will trigger certain emotions. Deeply.

It's one thing to see a loved one, but to hear them speak, to hear their voice... try comparing seeing a photo of a long-lost loved one, to actually hearing their voice, even if it's just a recording.

This is why 'popular music' of the past 50 years has been as successful as it was: Hearing a (good) song for the first time may make you feel great, but when it's played over and over you will mentally revisit that moment you first heard it. This is then further hammered in by plastering the music everywhere, in the vain hope that garbage-tier music will have relevance to you because you were doing something relevant at the time. Imagine someone losing their virginity to the chant of "Ooga-Chacka Ooga Ooga Ooga-Chacka", and they'll always revisit that moment in their heads whenever Blue Swede's "Hooked on a Feeling" comes on the radio... regardless of whether it's a pleasant memory or not.

This applies especially to video games. Some games in particular attribute certain sounds to certain events the game is mentally conditioning you to listen for. Who here can feel their heart race when they hear the Cyberdemon's stomps? Ever notice how you don't have to be playing Doom for this to happen? You can replace this with any game-related sound you want. And these audio-related emotions tie into the general emotional state people feel about a game. This is why sound design is so important for video games. This is why so many people brought up Thief: Because it has one of the best sound designs for a game EVER.

There's a perfectly valid way to test my theory: Have two groups of people play the same game. One with the sound on, the other without it. Then interview boths groups afterwards. I'll bet you money that the muted group won't have an emotional attachment to the game, positive or negative, anywhere close to that of the non-muted group.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Arx Fatalis, Gothic 1 & 2 and Dungeon Keeper are like putting on nice, warm slippers.

 

[Shaewaroz]

I'd like to propose an alternate theory to the OP's claim of feelings being related to games: Audio. Just audio.

Sound design is indeed perhaps the most important aspect that contributes to the atmosphere and the feeling associated with this atmosphere. However I don't think that's all there's to it. I used to play games on a 386 computer that only had PC Speaker. Some games, like an old DOS Ducktales game and Risk, I played entirely without sound. Yet these games also have a feeling associated with them. A board game can also have an associated feeling - Heroquest in particular comes to mind.

 

[kintake]

There's a perfectly valid way to test my theory: Have two groups of people play the same game. One with the sound on, the other without it. Then interview boths groups afterwards. I'll bet you money that the muted group won't have an emotional attachment to the game, positive or negative, anywhere close to that of the non-muted group.

By modern game design standards, I guess emotional attachment to a game also comes in the form of 'precious' trophy/achievement points. Something to show off and brag about? Or just a easy-fix tool to make sure you know you're always being validated? I'm not really sure, I just know I dont like it. It seems lazy by design, something inane to keep the player occupied and falsely invested in the game.
I played Ultima Online back in the day, and I remember how proud I was when I managed to GM my tamer (Not really hard, just time consuming) No popup with a clever little wordplay on it, informing me that what I'd just done was an ACHIEVEMENT. And still I felt happy with what I'd done, a great sense of accomplishment that I still remember to this day.

I think my point is I hate modern game design, as I feel it's all about big budget engines, railroaded experiences (Can't let anything visually go to waste, it cost a ton of money after all, press Y to view event) and constant validation of the precious little snowflake that is the player. He's the star of the show, so better pander to flakey's little needs by using smoke and mirrors and two-penny copper parlor spells, achievements handed out like pats on the back at the special olympics. No more 'feel' of games for me, I don't remember anything special about any game I've played the last 10 years, and I'm attributing it all to lazy game design that's wholly transparent to me. BUT it could also be that I just grew up.

Whatever is the case, I'll agree that audio plays a large part in creating an atmosphere for a game, and nothing really brings me back to my childhood like hearing this tune:

Spoiler

 

[Shaewaroz]

I've never bought the achievement craze. Do people really play a game motivated to collect all the achievements? I have never even paid any attention to them.

 

[kintake]

I've never bought the achievement craze. Do people really play a game motivated to collect all the achievements? I have never even paid any attention to them.

 

[GrainWetski]

I've never bought the achievement craze. Do people really play a game motivated to collect all the achievements? I have never even paid any attention to them.

I've heard gamejournos talk about buying trash games purely because it was easy to get achievements in them.

I wish I was joking.

 

[Multidirectional]

Yes I'm an atmosphere fag too. I will replay games just to re-experience that unique feeling. I've replayed Silent Hill 2 fuckload of times, as one example of many. I'm not much of a storyfag when it comes to games but atmosphere gets me.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Audio. Just audio.

All the "reflection-upon-end-of-epic-journey" parts of muh brain on fire, every time. Pavlov would be proud.

Spoiler

fuck pavlov

 

[Ash]

I've never bought the achievement craze. Do people really play a game motivated to collect all the achievements? I have never even paid any attention to them.

I've heard gamejournos talk about buying trash games purely because it was easy to get achievements in them.

I wish I was joking.

It's true. There are "Achievement hunters" out there by the thousands. These absolute idiots purchase games just for achievements, including bad ones. They also refuse to buy games that do not have achievements. If playing the lottery is a tax on the stupid, achievements sucking in certain types is a tax on the absolute retarded.

Achievements are way more bad than they are good. Just one more facet of decline in the modern industry.