Game Reflection Paper - Red Dead Redemption 2IntroductionRed Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) is a Western-themed action-adventure game in an open-world environment. Published by Rockstar Games, it is a prequel of its 2010 release, Red Dead Redemption. The game is probably one of the most anticipated video games this season because of its astonishing graphics, realistic worldbuilding, and engaging narratives. The game is set in 1899, and follows Arthur Morgan, an outlaw and a member of a gang that works on various jobs to secure the group's freedom. Since the game’s release (Oct 26, 2018), it has gained acclaim from all media on its design. Most reviews of the game are positive and many comment on how different the game feels than other open-world games on the market. What makes the game so different? Structure of the Game: Linear, Open-world or Open-ended?
The structure of RDR2 is unique as it sits in between traditional linear adventure games and open-ended simulation-type games. Like several other new games released this year (Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Spider-Man etc.) RDR2 has an open-world environment, but an overarching linear storyline. The game has a clear structure, broken into chapters. Each chapter takes the gang’s camp to a new location. There is a clearly a main storyline and side quests, making it similar to traditional, linear action-adventure games. However, the game has a vast map, a variety of activities and freedom of choice available to players. This structure provides goals within goals (Salen & Zimmerman, 2003, chap 24). In this structure, the player can enjoy all aspects of the game, from moment-to-moment core mechanics (e.g. gunfighting, hunting) to short-term accomplishments (e.g. successfully finishing a bounty hunt) to the final outcome of the game. The game also gives autonomy to the players. Each choice the player makes can potentially affect the Non-Player Characters’ (NPCs’)reactions to the player, providing the player agency. However, the game does not provide true transformation since it does not provide a distinctive different outcome with each play (Mateas & Stern, 2004)—ultimately, you will follow the story as written, even if the activities you complete along the way might differ. The game is not an open-ended simulation like SimCity. A true open-ended simulation would offer multiple trajectories of experiences, multiple trajectories into the space, multiple modes of interaction within the space, and multiple trajectories outward (Squire, 2008). Often, it also allows the player to design their own game scenarios. Though players can create their own conflict (by shooting people down the street or initiating a fist-fight) to create different paths and trajectories (taking certain side-missions, decide on when to do what), it doesn’t offer a vast distinctive outcome of the game. “As a rule of thumb, if a game has many spots where a player can say to another, ‘remember where you did x,’ then the game is a role-playing game, not a sandbox game” (Squire, 2008). Since the main storyline is the same for everybody, I can definitely discuss certain jobs with friends who play the same game. The game is not an open-ended game because the the narrative of the game is heavily guided. Another quality of the open-ended game is that the game is usually not focused on the player identity, but rather “more about inhabiting a world from a general perspective, which the player can play out in whatever manner suits his or her taste” (Squire, 2008). RDR2 sits in the middle for this definition. The player has been given a character identity–the life of Arthur Morgan. You can not change your identity, and players are emotionally invested in the character. However, the player also inhabits a rich world where they can do what they want. The game even provides a mechanic to measure how “honorable” or “dishonorable” your particular version of Arthur Morgan is. The game is a simulated-environment. The game simulates a very realistic image of the Wild West at a specific historical period. From architecture, clothing, to the movement of the horses, the game uses realistic imagery to enhance its embodiment of the West. The game also provides a realistic ecosystem of the world (wildlife, weather, NPCs) for players to interact with.
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