How I Fell in Love with a Video Game Character by Eric Piotrowski

Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for the games Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins, and Heavy Rain.



Okay, so I've never actually fallen in love with a character from a video game. But I have felt a certain connection with some video game characters (especially Non-Player Characters, or NPCs); you probably have, too. As games develop, we'll have more of these friendships — and they'll become more meaningful. The possibility for genuine human connection with virtual beings is becoming more and more powerful as time goes on. The amazing thing is: It has almost nothing to do with technology.

I'll admit right up front that what follows is kinda long. There's lots of words here, and I won't be offended if some people take an attitude of TLDR. But these are important philosophical concepts, and I want to see the conversation move beyond the stale, boring black-and-white argument of "yes it is"/"no it isn't".

Paying my respects for the Red Dead

One of the best things about Rockstar's games is the amount of detail they put into things that you may never notice. After doing a sidequest that led me to the graveyard, I thought I'd take a look at the graves and to my suprise the folks at Rockstar pay their respects to the dead in a manner that may amuse.