"VENGEANCE and the role we play in COMMITTING violent acts is a SURPRISINGLY DIFFICULT topic to discuss, and the ways in which you do so has to count. This is how is is done wrong." Bryson Saunders-beckles, grade 11
Stories about the cycle of vengeance and violence may not be refreshing (considering that there are so many of them that exist) but they can still be well-done anyway. When properly constructed, we understand if not sympathize with these violent, morally ambiguous individuals and see how their actions affect everyone around them. The thing is, that kind of narrative works best when the narrative isn’t about you. And when I say you, I mean you specifically. In movies, we learn the lesson through the protagonist, and wonder why they did those things, learn them, and see how their way is wrong. You are not the character being made to act, and you’re not responsible. The show makes the character feel guilty, not the backseat drivers. This is about video games, and the way they usually fail to do the same. To be more specific though, this is a very specific type of game where the character's actions are relayed onto you to a certain level, either because you want to cause those actions, or because the character is such a blank slate that you basically are them.
The first part, and the easiest to understand, is when it makes you shoulder the responsibility, and for this, I turn to The Last of Us Part 2. I played this game, and I did not like it. The gameplay was great in portions, but it was the story that made me upset. Within the story, our protagonist Ellie wants vengeance because of a cycle of violence caused by events that happened a long time ago. The game leads you to engage in violence against Abby’s associates, then you learn their backstories, and then you feel bad about it later and learn that vengeance is wrong. The problem is that all of the characters exist for this reason, and most of them die by the end of the game or have their lives ruined with no real payoff.
I didn’t feel a thing even halfway through the game. They existed so I could feel bad and watch them die, so why should I care? The things that make character deaths meaningful is that they don't need to die. That the other ones will be left to mourn their loss and be left with the impact. That it happened sparingly, so your fanbase didn’t end up like me. Setting is also a big part of that. If 95% percent of the characters not only die, but are also killing each other and killing innocents in a minor war, AND the tone of the story is bleak to the point of being excessive with very little comedy throughout, why should you care?
For contrast, I’m turning to The Umbrella Academy for an example of a good revenge story. The Umbrella Academy was a pretty great show that Netflix released back in 2019 about a family of super-powered siblings that have come back together after events surrounding their abusive father. It’s a really good show in general, and unless The Last of Us 2, it doesn’t take itself so seriously. The Umbrella Academy is actually fun, yet deep and emotional, as opposed to The Last of Us Part 2, which just feels joyless and miserable. Even the first Last of Us game was lighter in tone, and I love that game.
What I said before about responsibility on your shoulder is about video games and their violence. Video games with anti-violence messages tend to blame the player for the death and destruction that was caused, and wag their finger as they tell you that playing the game is wrong. They place a responsibility on your shoulders to do the right thing, but mechanically, you´re not given an option to do so. You have to play through the story as it's intended so the game can make you feel bad about something you were made to do. They usually don't give you a choice to be peaceful within the game itself, and in the case of The Last of Us Part 2, it's extremely noticeable .
Imagine spending several hundred thousand to millions of dollars on a game, spending years having bugs ironed out and fine tuned, hiring a team of animators and beat testers, putting the game out and appealing to your shareholders. Taking the time to convince your investors that they should put money into this game. then shaming players for the game you made and committing violent acts that you either encourage or incentivise players to do, and tell them not to play the game and implying or stating that the player is a bad person for enjoying the game and fictional violence, isn't that all the same necessary.
It feels condescending, like they don’t understand what makes the games appealing is in part that the games aren’t real. It also doesn’t help with the double standard in real life where violent movies and TV aren’t put under nearly the same level of scrutiny as video games because even if both forms of media distance you to a degree, video games do so decidedly less. Combined with stereotypes about video games and the people who play them, it becomes glaringly obvious. This is where I’m going to leave things off now. There isn’t much else to say.
My Sources
My own perspective based on the fact that I played The Last of Us Part 2 and unpacked it to the best of my ability
Though not about The Last of Us Part 2, this article brings all of my feelings about this issue full circle This article is about the video game violence issue, and the author does an amazing job at conveying what I’m trying to say. Written in May 15, 2018 by The Doperfish for a website called TheDoperfishBlog. "The Many Pretentious Failings of Spec Ops: The Line.
Article in Support of The Last of Us Part 2 This article provides a more positive perspective on the game that I honestly think you should check out. Written in June 23, 2020 by Mitchell Lineham for Medium.
The first part, and the easiest to understand, is when it makes you shoulder the responsibility, and for this, I turn to The Last of Us Part 2. I played this game, and I did not like it. The gameplay was great in portions, but it was the story that made me upset. Within the story, our protagonist Ellie wants vengeance because of a cycle of violence caused by events that happened a long time ago. The game leads you to engage in violence against Abby’s associates, then you learn their backstories, and then you feel bad about it later and learn that vengeance is wrong. The problem is that all of the characters exist for this reason, and most of them die by the end of the game or have their lives ruined with no real payoff.
I didn’t feel a thing even halfway through the game. They existed so I could feel bad and watch them die, so why should I care? The things that make character deaths meaningful is that they don't need to die. That the other ones will be left to mourn their loss and be left with the impact. That it happened sparingly, so your fanbase didn’t end up like me. Setting is also a big part of that. If 95% percent of the characters not only die, but are also killing each other and killing innocents in a minor war, AND the tone of the story is bleak to the point of being excessive with very little comedy throughout, why should you care?
For contrast, I’m turning to The Umbrella Academy for an example of a good revenge story. The Umbrella Academy was a pretty great show that Netflix released back in 2019 about a family of super-powered siblings that have come back together after events surrounding their abusive father. It’s a really good show in general, and unless The Last of Us 2, it doesn’t take itself so seriously. The Umbrella Academy is actually fun, yet deep and emotional, as opposed to The Last of Us Part 2, which just feels joyless and miserable. Even the first Last of Us game was lighter in tone, and I love that game.
What I said before about responsibility on your shoulder is about video games and their violence. Video games with anti-violence messages tend to blame the player for the death and destruction that was caused, and wag their finger as they tell you that playing the game is wrong. They place a responsibility on your shoulders to do the right thing, but mechanically, you´re not given an option to do so. You have to play through the story as it's intended so the game can make you feel bad about something you were made to do. They usually don't give you a choice to be peaceful within the game itself, and in the case of The Last of Us Part 2, it's extremely noticeable .
Imagine spending several hundred thousand to millions of dollars on a game, spending years having bugs ironed out and fine tuned, hiring a team of animators and beat testers, putting the game out and appealing to your shareholders. Taking the time to convince your investors that they should put money into this game. then shaming players for the game you made and committing violent acts that you either encourage or incentivise players to do, and tell them not to play the game and implying or stating that the player is a bad person for enjoying the game and fictional violence, isn't that all the same necessary.
It feels condescending, like they don’t understand what makes the games appealing is in part that the games aren’t real. It also doesn’t help with the double standard in real life where violent movies and TV aren’t put under nearly the same level of scrutiny as video games because even if both forms of media distance you to a degree, video games do so decidedly less. Combined with stereotypes about video games and the people who play them, it becomes glaringly obvious. This is where I’m going to leave things off now. There isn’t much else to say.
My Sources
My own perspective based on the fact that I played The Last of Us Part 2 and unpacked it to the best of my ability
Though not about The Last of Us Part 2, this article brings all of my feelings about this issue full circle This article is about the video game violence issue, and the author does an amazing job at conveying what I’m trying to say. Written in May 15, 2018 by The Doperfish for a website called TheDoperfishBlog. "The Many Pretentious Failings of Spec Ops: The Line.
Article in Support of The Last of Us Part 2 This article provides a more positive perspective on the game that I honestly think you should check out. Written in June 23, 2020 by Mitchell Lineham for Medium.
