From determining the hows and whys of romance, to dialogue options, animations, and awkward smexing, bringing a romantic relationship to digital life can be incredibly challenging. While developers like BioWare make it look easy, the complexity behind the scenes helps the romance feel seamless. Yet the process is never quite right.
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I enjoy romance in games as much as the next gamer. But in the vast majority of games, whether it's an RPG or a dating simulator, many of the actions the gamer must perform are the same: flirt with the partner of your choice, agree with their dialogue options that reflect their personality, buy them gifts, commit to the relationship. It's sardonically straight forward what you need to do, though the path you take to reach these milestones can change from game to game. The power is in the player's hands, not the NPC's. Your goal is to figure out what the NPC likes and choose the right conversation options to get them to like you back. In most games, the NPC can't back out of a relationship. They can't say no if you've selected the right dialogue. They can't argue with you if you cheat on them - you may see a conversation occur afterwards but more often than not it'll be a choice wheel where you can select if you want to stay together with the NPC or break it off. Again the decision is left to the player, not the NPC.
While it sounds all doom and gloom, it's not meant to be sinister. Romance is never easy. The reality behind producing romance in games is even more complicated than what we experience on a daily basis. Some of the limitations to options and how NPC's interact with your player character are purely technological. AI's haven't advanced to the point that we can acutely replicate human emotions. NPC's are not autonomous. We'll get there. And it will be one heck of a revolution in gaming.
And games like Dream Daddy and Mass Effect: Andromeda allow the player to have multiple romantic relationships with consequences. You still hold the majority of the power as the player, but the NPC's have a say in what happens next. Start a relationship with Vetra, but if you flirt with other people, she could refuse to speak with you until the situation is addressed.
One could also argue that the structure of these games allows us to fulfill our hero fantasies. The woman/man gets the person they have been lusting after. It's not meant to be a deep philosophical conversation about what romance really is. Those are fine too. It's not reality.
Would it be nice to see more dynamic romantic content in video games? Absolutely. But there's no harm in playing the games like dating sims that allow us to fantasize about digital relationships. We can acknowledge that games are not perfect and the actions repetitive, but it is a step forward in exploring new possibilities.
While it sounds all doom and gloom, it's not meant to be sinister. Romance is never easy. The reality behind producing romance in games is even more complicated than what we experience on a daily basis. Some of the limitations to options and how NPC's interact with your player character are purely technological. AI's haven't advanced to the point that we can acutely replicate human emotions. NPC's are not autonomous. We'll get there. And it will be one heck of a revolution in gaming.
And games like Dream Daddy and Mass Effect: Andromeda allow the player to have multiple romantic relationships with consequences. You still hold the majority of the power as the player, but the NPC's have a say in what happens next. Start a relationship with Vetra, but if you flirt with other people, she could refuse to speak with you until the situation is addressed.
One could also argue that the structure of these games allows us to fulfill our hero fantasies. The woman/man gets the person they have been lusting after. It's not meant to be a deep philosophical conversation about what romance really is. Those are fine too. It's not reality.
Would it be nice to see more dynamic romantic content in video games? Absolutely. But there's no harm in playing the games like dating sims that allow us to fantasize about digital relationships. We can acknowledge that games are not perfect and the actions repetitive, but it is a step forward in exploring new possibilities.
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