Children in Video Games: The Writer's Crutch
There's an imbalance of integrity in how we depict narratives and characters across
all media.
From the novels we consume to the films we digest, the freedom for character treatment
is bound not just to the author's intent, but the human morality that is the foundation
for a distributor's restrictions, and those limitations grow tighter the more the audience
is capable of feeling the depicted events.
So, with live action cinema the sensibilities of younger performers need to be accommodated
for, especially in more mature narratives resulting in a perpetual protective bubble
surrounding them that's slowly lessened over time allowing for deeper and more weighted
narratives.
Yet those restrictions grant more wiggle for novels than film in terms of the graphic detail
that can be displayed while simultaneously limiting the more visual aspects of cinema
where the viewer has little control over how they perceive a narrative's events while
alternatively granting the opportunity for viewers to feel more uncomfortable and make
the gravitas of the situation more apparent.
With children those lesser restrictions have allowed for their more creative and thoughtful
handling, both on an emotional and developmental level as they explore their transitions into
new emotions, dealing with their trauma, and less often forced early maturation.
The results having since allowed for some of the most fleshed out and personal character
stories that have since ingrained themselves as cinema classics and masterpieces.
The consequence of this more focused writing in character and relationship driven narratives
is pointing out the cheap commonality and stigmatization of children being exploited
narratively in the larger scope of writing in cinema as emotional baggage, plot devices,
and crutches for development in regards to the film's protagonists while adding false
attachments to said characters for the observer's sake despite them being underdeveloped and
unjustified in design and work.
So, it's a shame that come the portrayal of kids in video games those that make up
our perceived collective of amazing characters fail to meet the likes of Ofelia or Carlos
from Del Toro's movies, and sacrifice their depth at the cost of appeal while simultaneously
using their status as children to excuse plot contrivances and their lack of contribution
to the key narrative.
Card 1 - Chasing Maturity
Games are always interactive experiences, but as a visual medium like cinema they follow
similar logic in their framing when outside the player's control.
Allowing for manipulation in the extent to which we "feel" on-screen events by juxtaposing
cinema and interactions to make players liable for how narratives and gameplay unfold for
a more personal experience.
By doing so you're able to effectively manipulate player perception of stories to both make
them more ignorant to faults in writing, while adding immense weight to moments of conflict
and struggle that can make the simplest writing feel like the most grandeur of moments simply
due to having player control.
Some games, such as Ico and MGS3, use this blending of elements as the foundation of
their design to offer deeper experiences, yet as time progressed there was a noticeable
increase in cinematic game's presentation and the stories they tried to provide did
so under the guise of maturity while coming off more as a teen's novel.
But those philosophies came to a head with TellTale's The Walking Dead, but more importantly
The Last of Us where children were put at the forefront of the narrative.
It's kind of impossible to talk about modern game's storytelling without mentioning these
titles given their praise and the trends they set up for the following years, both narratively
and mechanically.
Nevertheless, despite their generic zombie stories and characters this so-called game
design revolution largely came about by chance timing.
Back in the 70s and 80s the first true generation of individuals entrapped in gaming culture
from youth would find themselves the core demographic for developers in the 90s and
turn of the century and to pander to them developers slowly began to focus on increasingly
mature titles as that generation matured.
While that generation would manage to bring prominence to the industry, they'd be doing
so at a time where they came to make up the majority of the gaming press and as a result
would gain control over the narrative in game's media at a time when they'd be well past
their 20s and having children.
The inevitable consequence is the so-called parenting or daddy simulator having a greater
sense of relatability to consumers based on its prospect of interacting with children
as they grow to fend for themselves more readily as they in turn soften up the protagonist
and vice versa as they double up on their appeal with their fantasized worlds.
Possibly even finding appeal to younger players looking to having children later in life,
and more appeal to older players looking to recapture the long since past experience of
raising their own kids, finding a shallow connection with these youths based around
their labels rather than character's, well, character.
A bond that only appears deeper when control shifts between characters allowing the player
to better feel the fruits of their labor in raising said children.
The focus on paternal relationships isn't an inherently bad idea and it's been used
to great effect in stories like Leon the Professional as the cold assassin Leon takes on a fatherly
role towards the young and abused Mathilda after witnessing her dysfunctional family's
murder, but their relationship is symbiotic for their development as the childlike Leon
becomes more selfless and compassionate while Mathilda is forced into premature maturity;
becoming an assassin as well while also coping and sorting out her newfound emotions primarily
brought about by Leon's role as her teacher and first caring father figure, before the
finally film climaxes in Leon's death, leaving Mathilda to fulfill Leon's last wish of
settling down so she can lead a normal life, albeit as a more hardened, yet broken, individual.
And in other films like Pan's Labyrinth and the Devil's Backbone the children take
the leading role as their conflict surrounds matured men that they must protect other younger
individuals from that result in their own development, conflicts, and early maturation.
Those developments stop the characters from feeling like props and more like actual people,
but in games that relationship is often one-sided as the child is often used as a crutch for
the actual protagonist's development when they're not acting as a plot device, essentially
placing them in a protective bubble In fact, children are often exceptions from
the worlds of Mature rated titles.
Some populate them while being exempt from standard rules of play to prevent them from
harm, while others exist away from those worlds entirely, sometimes only appearing as props
meant to, as stated previously, act as the anchor for the protagonist's development,
deconstruction, and source of motivation.
As a result, they're often relegated to one-dimensional personalities and while they
might grow into a character that is more readily able to defend themselves, they don't develop
as people and are robbed of any character arcs that, in all reality, should be happening.
Children aren't fully developed persons, they're still growing and are often inexperienced,
meaning that in terms of their depth they're often left to grow into their identities rather
than the adults who've cemented themselves in those roles, but rather than address this
directly devs have found an alternative.
Card 2 - Mechanical Integrity
To counter this lack of development and intrigue studios began to exploit player interactions
with the game by creating puzzles and mechanics that were dependent on those secondary characters
to instill a sense of player dependence, sometimes even letting players control them to further
that connection and make the player feel more responsible for their fate.
But when set away from your control they're often turned into active non-elements, primarily
towards the player's sense of risk and danger as the tension is focused solely on their
own personal play.
By manipulating the story and mechanics across a possible 10+ hour venture developers can
minimize the risk of players developing and building resentment towards certain characters
and vice versa, but it's the former that often makes up the status of partners in such
instances, even if it comes at the cost of a player's immersion.
Though through such manipulation it robs the player of deeper experiences that would be
available by turning them into active assets.
By coherently melding narrative and mechanical design titles such as Brothers: Tale of Two
Sons and Resident Evil 4 as they were able to better convey their tension and get players
invested in their characters mechanically rather than narratively while granting users
majority control over their partners and consequences of their actions.
Brothers gave players control over both characters with both halves of a controller and accordingly
gave players two objects of focus in gameplay.
Ultimately conveying the surviving brother's growth come the end by having him use both
controller ends to narratively signify his brother's influence over him, but RE4 did
things a bit differently with Ashley, even if she wasn't a child.
It may not have been a character or emotionally driven titles like the ones we've mentioned
so far, but because Ashley had her own health bar Capcom had to make her someone players
needed to care for mechanically and the method they used was by having her be an actual asset
in gameplay despite being unable to fight.
To work around this Ashley doesn't climb down ladders, but rather Leon catches her
to speed up the process.
Because enemies target her, but she clings to Leon, it keeps the focus feeling as though
it's on the player and puts a bigger emphasis on precise aiming to protect not just yourself,
but Ashley as well as she is capable of taking player damage, even when not captured.
She can hide when commanded to, Let players use her as bait to alleviate enemy pressure,
as well as operating cranks in place of the player, she can even assist the player by
calling out when in danger or by mentioning key points of interest.
While other partner characters may do one or two of those elements, it's how much
care and detail that went into her design, not just narratively, but mechanically and
atmospherically, that make her an active element as she allowed developers to craft more variety
in level design, challenges, and the game's pacing, while also giving the player more
creative options in how they wanted to play, all without disrupting the game's flow.
Meaning losing Ashely didn't just have ramifications for the story, but the developers and player
as well, as it decreased the scope of the game's design, placing her value above that
of the partner characters that would come after her, as they'd be largely relegated
to being ignored by the game when it's convenient for the player and designer.
On repeat playthroughs you have the option to equip her in a suit of armor that makes
her invulnerable to enemies and damage in case you're just playing for fun.
It may not result in everyone liking her, but it does create a deeper sense of tension
and dread in the player, the ideal emotions for a horror shooter.
So, when other developers create characters and non-puzzles that impede gameplay rather
than enhance it, it comes off more as an inconvenience in gameplay made at the cost of immersing
the player in their story, a rarely good idea with minimal exceptions.
While such tactics may work for some, it's little more than a gamified version of Hollywood's
child exploitation because the value of children in games is focused on them acting as likeable
and relatable figures that can be easily marketed, rather than captivating the player mechanically
or building them up in the story as intriguing characters through their motivations, actions,
and depth, the actual elements that transform more images and personalities into the icons
that stick with use throughout the years, perhaps even causing viewers to reflect upon
themselves and how they perceive their world.
Card 3 - Child Development
The most common form of the ideal in crafting likeable characters is they fail to work on
anything more than a surface level because they fail to ask the question of "what the
cost of their character is."
They might be idealistic, anti-social, perhaps even overly emotional, but they never ask
why those traits are in place or explore them to grant them meaning, rather they're expected
and used as a shorthand for damaged and powerless characters without properly justifying it,
leaving them to wallow in their own misery.
Combined with the protective bubble that surrounds them it only becomes more difficult to work
with and result in titles such as The Last of Us, Persona 5, and even Life is Strange
only skirting the line of true trauma and conflict, frequently saving such subjects
for the sequels with mixed results.
They can't be damaged or suffer any real or lasting danger, and as a result the characters
fail to match their environments and at worst only suffer from implied trauma, only truly
being afflicted when death becomes necessity, making it harder to believe in the true perils
of a given situation when their mere existence and well being are the only things keeping
the story moving forward.
Accordingly, all trauma and damage begin to feel superficial and our characters fail to
change as a result, because they're never given a chance to cope with the events in
life they're often unable to control, sometimes even solving seemingly deep personal conflicts
in a matter of sentences.
And it's done so habitually with no weighted and introspective dialogue, making it feel
as though they're hitting a series of checklists as they instead opt for predictable and uninspired
conversations and actions.
The setup and cause of their trauma and tendencies may be laid out, but are rarely delved into
enough to flesh out the characters at hand.
In extreme cases the subject is merely touched upon before being brushed aside or made irrelevant
to the offending party, only being relevant to the player, turning what should be challenges
towards a character's psyche and principles, into senseless arguments and more commonly,
situations of physical conflict that leaves their character mentally unscathed.
Frequently turning what appear to be small developments and moments of trauma into little
more than wasted prospects as they revert back to the characters they were prior, nullifying
the consequences of those stories and turning their labels into their identity rather than
aspects of their person and development.
This meaning there's never a chance for them, or the player, to reflect and grow from,
possibly even losing the chance to solidify their descents into madness, leaving them
as flat personalities that consistently fail to meet their potential.
Should arbitrary revelations or shifts in character or tone occur without proper warrant
and the writing fail to acknowledge and explore this by having them grow into and earn those
shifts, all those changes can ever remain is arbitrary and wasted.
When a character, protagonist or not, is given the time to grow and develop, they're capable
of evolving into something greater.
With Emil acting as one of the few rare exceptions to how children are handled in games.
His status is not just an arbitrary decision, but it plays into his role as an unaging individual
cursed to turn others to stone on sight, thus stopping him from pursuing romantic relationships.
Only being worsened by melding with his sister, gaining him sight and power at the cost of
his humanity and only coping by finding a family in Weiss, Kaine, and Nier, even as
he learns the true nature of the Shades he's killing.
Eventually revealing his own self-loathing to his friends in the game's final dungeon
before exploiting the power given to him by the source of his trauma to save his friends
from danger, solidifying his growth and development into his power and character at the cost of
making himself a sacrifice through the only selfish act he makes throughout its duration.
So, when reflecting on how children are handled in games I can only think of their overabundant
misuse as props, and their stark contrast to the kids in film and television.
Ones shaped by their world and lives that made them transcend past their contemporaries.
The children of Pan's Labyrinth, Devil's Backbone, Nier, and Leon weren't just kids
for the sake of being kids.
They had a purpose and were people coping with their worlds and identities.
Exploring what it means to be a child, discovering new emotions, dealing with trauma, their families,
maturing at a young age, and ultimately leaving us as new individuals.
They were damaged, but all the more beautiful for it...
Ten years ago, the most popular genre was the shooter, not for its fun factor, but because
it was what the consensus of players deemed mature due to their realistic and bloody nature,
operating under false pretenses of maturity.
Today most mature games operate under the guise of being cinematic and deep emotional
stories with profound and nuanced characters, despite the poor writing and trappings that
consume them.
When video game stories are forever praised in using children as props instead of individuals
and continue to tackle their subjects of loss, trauma, and individuality with cold feet,
then it's no different than having never mentioned or touched upon such subjects in
the first place, and like the shooters and players from a decade back, we're all left
fools as we continue to be complicit with the false sense of maturity that we've all
set up for ourselves, and so long as it continues, all we'll be left with are the low standards
for writing that plague the industry as we know it.
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