One topic that was brought up in class, but skimmed over was the subject of empathy which Ian Bogost highlights in How to Do Thing With Videogames. Bogost states that videogames usually place us in roles that let us fulfill power fantasies by taking on powerful roles. However, he then states that this is not always the case. Every once in while a game will place the player in role of weakness. He gives examples of games such as Darfur is Dying and E.T. Both are games where the character is on who is helpless during the sequence and thus the player can experience empathy for them. Whether going to fetch water or running from FBI agents Bogost purports that a vantage point of weakness is what allows one to empathize with the games character or subject matter. I would venture to stretch this claim further.
At times a role of weakness is not necessary to cause the player to empathize with the character or subject matter. For example, when you play Madden there’s a mode known as Superstar mode. In Superstar mode you start as a rookie at the combine who is looking to play in the National Football League. You get drafted and work your way through an NFL career. The more work you put into training, practices, and working out the better your character becomes in the game. By requiring that players put in hours of practice and training in order to become elite NFL stars the makers of Madden make it possible for a player to empathize with the player in the actual NFL and the hard work it takes them to do well at what they do. So in causing a player to spend a similar amount of time investing in the end product the makers of Madden generate empathy from those who play the game. This is another that videogames cause us to walk in the shoes of others.