The Baron
March 6th, 2008 Beth
For some reason this game does not work on any of the computers I tried on campus. I played the game some at home, but only for a while. I did get far enough, however, to realize the very disturbing content of the game.
Which is why I liked it. I think it was really impressive and brave for the creator of the game to put the player in this kind of position. Sure, there are some games in which the main player character is the “bad guy,” or is at least not a traditional figure of authority, but none which posits you in the position of and individual so morally backwards and universally reprehensible. It forces you to become something completely contrary to your own moral character. After I finish playing more of it tonight, I probably won’t ever touch it again, because it makes me so sick, but I do appreciate it a lot more than any other interactive fiction because of its ability to make a statement.
Videogames are a form of art, aren’t they? At the very least they require a significant amount of creative effort. The best art is the kind that evokes a very strong reaction, even if it is a negative reaction. (At least that’s what all the art-types say.) The Baron certainly succeeds in that regard. This game mostly made me uncomfortable and unnerved me, but I generally enjoy other kinds of games that require the player to behave in morally questionable ways (Manhunt, for example). The best part of shooting games is ruthlessly murdering innocent bystanders. I can’t be the only one who gets a wicked sense of satisfaction out of that kind of thing, can I? Given a choice in videogames, I will always choose to play the villain.
Entry Filed under: Game Log
1 Comment
1. Professor Sample | May 5th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
"Given a choice in videogames, I will always choose to play the villain" — I agree with you…villains are almost always more interesting than heroes. This goes at least as far back as Milton’s Paradise Lost, where the devil is the most entertaining character….