Can games make you emotional?

[Jarre]

scouring through many games pages etc. i came upon this article on eurogamer.net.

Respondents to a survey on emotion in videogames have voted Square-Enix's Final Fantasy titles as the most emotionally rich games ever made, citing the death of Aeries in Final Fantasy VII as the series' most tearjerking moment.

Analysts from Bowen Research conducted an online survey of 535 gamers and found that more than two thirds of those questioned felt that games already surpassed - or would soon equal - music, movies and books in terms of emotional impact delivered.

More than 75 per cent of gamers ranked role playing games as being emotionally powerful, with the figure hovering around the 50 per cent mark for action, adventure and first person shooter titles. 39 per cent said fighting games had the power to move them, with one respondent noting that they can "help solve rage issues."
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Perhaps surprisingly, MMOs scored only 32 per cent, followed by racers, RTS and puzzle titles. Flying games were ranked last.

When asked which games had most powerful emotional impact respondents mentioned the Final Fantasy series a total of 104 times, followed by Resident Evil and Halo with 27 and 15 mentions respectively. Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid were referred to 11 times.

"I will never forget the feeling of love between Squall and Riona in Final Fantasy VIII, nor the broken-heartedness of Yuna at the end of Final Fantasy X," said one respondent.

But it was Aeries' death that really moved those questioned - "Friends still talk about their surprise, shock and denial when they reached that point in the game," said one gamer, while a father of two young sons wrote: "For months, we couldn't even listen to the musical theme... Without one of the boys bursting into tears."

I must admit I had a lump in my throat when aeries died after the first disk and the other games with their tradgedy and love have always made the FF series a kind of "soap opera" of emotions.

Did you cry or get emotional in FFVII or any otehr FF game, go on admit it!!

It is yet another Poll the FF series tops showing how much it had reached people over the years.

[DakAttack]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

The Final Fantasy series is still great for portraying/inciting emotion, and I've always believed it to be better than most books and movies.

Don't be fooled by any of the Final Fantasy haters, I don't think we have any here, but they were all just as shook up when Aeries died!

[shihaden]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

yes that happen to me in ff8 x and x-2 ''but just a little bit''

[Draco Dagon]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

The Final Fantasy series is still great for portraying/inciting emotion, and I've always believed it to be better than most books and movies.
Don't be fooled by any of the Final Fantasy haters, I don't think we have any here, but they were all just as shook up when Aeries died!

Yeah... though I never cared for FFVII by much, it was an interesting play of plots when it happened for me.

I got emotional at first when I played FFVIII, so I put it down for a few months and sold my first copy to Gamestop, and bought a brand new copy later. Kinda the same with FFX too.

[Jei]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

I got totally emotional playing Suikoden 2... I cried playing that game

[Mog]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

Emotional? I'm trying to think of a moment, but Aeris dying wasn't one of them.

[Jarre]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

Emotional? I'm trying to think of a moment, but Aeris dying wasn't one of them.

A heart of stone mog

[Mog]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

Ah! I know one. I got pretty choke up in Skies of Arcadia when my hometown was destroyed by the Valuan Empire. I was more pissed off than anything that they stole away the men who lived there.

[ikkleste]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

I quite enjoy getting teary eyed at books, films and games.

Thinking back the end of ten was deffinately sob worthy.
Eight had it's moments. As did nine (aww @ Vivi, dunno if it's tear worthy but it was emotional)
By the time i played seven i'd seen a lot of the story out of order when friends had played it.

Silent hill had me chilled and jumpy at times, and i've certainly got tense playing FPS many times.

I still wouldn't say in general though that story telling in games was at a level equal to a book or film yet though.

[supersimian]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

I was a little pissed to find out that I was lvling cait Sith just for him to betray the others in FF7, when I got him back I refrained from using that character anymore for the rest of the game, Red 9 took his place. Getting Yuffie was my favorite moment in the game, even though it was early on.

FF8 made me unhappy in the end as to beat both the Ultima and end game boss thats all you need are Hero drinks and you win. Thats all I had to do was let my gunner take a hit into the red, pop a hero drink and then fire off massive amounts of my saved up AP ammo and the boss is dead after a few rounds.

FF9 was a little sad in the Vivi character development to me. After beating Ozma, which took several tries for me, I was very happy.

I was slightly saddened in the end of FFX where the main guy just disapears as he is only dream matter or something like that. I was also saddened that the last boss went down in only one move for each of its stages in the battle, waaaay tooo weeeek. Even the Ultima weapon was way to easy in that one.

Thats about all the times that final fantasy had me feeling any emotional feelings while playing the game besides the most predominant emotion which they all evoke in heavy doses, the feeling of awe.

[Raydeus]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

If there's a game that can move people's feelings that's a Final Fantasy game for sure.

The first time I actually yelled at the screen out of desperation (I never, ever do that) was many many years ago, when Palom and Porom turned into stone to stop those stupid walls.

I'll never forget that moment.

Other than that FF games have always been the most moving games.

-------

Edited.

[Feba]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

I tend not to get very sad/happy with any media, but videogames do give me a certain high when I do something painfully hard and win.


Like Biolizard. YES, BIOFUCKINGLIZARD, WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING SEGA? THAT THING ISN'T A BOSS FIGHT, IT'S A FUCKING DEATH MACHINE. AND THEN WHEN YOU HAVE TO FINISH IT OFF IT'S SO MUCH FREAKIN EASIER, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? I HAD NIGHTMARES ABOUT THIS DAMN THING! But anyway, it's also happened in FFXI a few times, mainly after beating promyvions. When it happens, I feel really light, and I make a lot of noise. Stay away from me when it happens.

[Chveya]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

Each time I've played FFX, I cry. It's the long cutscene near the end that gets me. I think it's basically when Yuna says 'goodbye' and remembers all the times they had together.

I feel dumb because even though I've seen it before, I still get teary.

[sevenpointflaw]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

FFVII was my intro to FF games. I wouldn't say that I was teary eyed at Aris' death, but I was definitly stunned. I've always clung to the heroines and more the healers/white mages of the FF series. When she died I just stared at the game for a while unsure of what to do next. I was severely disappointed when I never got her back, too.

Three years later I got the game again for PC, and couldn't remember where she died; I was thinking it was at least half way through the game. So when it happened so close to the begining I was stunned again.

Thats really the only game I can think that moved me in any way shape or form beyoned excitement and/or frustration.

[Murphie]

Re: Can games make you emotional?

The ending of FFVIII kind of got to me, but for the most part, video games don't really get me all worked up. In FFXI I've had some emotional moments, but those generally relate to the players and friends I interact with as opposed to the story (but there are some story points that have gotten to me).

Movies and TV Shows totally get me choked up tho.