Anonymous
7/7/2025, 7:26:15 PM No.714791524
We don't actually consume video games, they’re collaborative emotional frameworks that depend on a fragile contract of trust between player and designer. Drawing on Sartre’s idea of radical freedom, the player isn’t simply role-playing, they’re becoming responsible for emotionally weighted actions. Self-determination theory helps explain why games like Baldur’s Gate 3 resonate: choices carry authentic consequences, character relationships evolve organically, and autonomy is deeply respected. Conversely, Stellar Blade presents high emotional stakes through cinematic immersion and sensory intensity, yet its more linear structure can risk reducing emotional agency if the player’s input feels disconnected from narrative outcomes. When mechanics, dialogue, music, and pacing align, players internalize emotion as action—they feel responsible. But when narrative logic collapses or input feels meaningless, trust breaks. Cognitive dissonance sets in; players disengage, question the narrative’s sincerity, and shift from participant to critic. Successful games provoke reflection, not just on the story, but on the self. Broken ones remind us we’re just pushing buttons. What was the last game that truly earned your emotional trust—and what happened when that trust was broken?
Replies:
