Dr. Noh’s Tier for Tears

Posted by on Thursday, January 26, 2012 · 8 Comments 

Steven Spielberg said “I think the real indicator,” [about video games as an art form], “will be when somebody confesses that they cried at Level 17.”

I have never been moved to tears by playing a video game.

I’m neither proud or ashamed of the fact because I feel that inevitably I will, but as far as what I have played, I have never been emotionally affected by a video game to cry. Don’t get me wrong, I have definitely experienced a wide range of emotions while playing video games: anger, frustration, sadness, regret, and happiness are among the most common. I think for me, the answer lies within what has moved me to tears: film and television

Films that have made me cry: Up, Toy Story 3, Cinema Paradiso, and The Wizard of OZ. TV shows that have made me cry: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Glee, The Office, and Lost.

The commonality between all of these is that they are all narrative stories effective at evoking empathy towards their protagonists. The stories in video games have not moved me to the point of tears because I have not felt the sort of emotional attachment to characters as I have in films and television…or commercials.

Has a video game made you cry? What else makes you cry?

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Andrew-Allen/7605503 Andrew Allen

    Knights of the Old Republic. When Darth Malick is torturing Bastila, and I’m powerless to save her. Oh man. That was heavy. 

    • http://www.facebook.com/joe.noh Joe Noh

       Were there tears!?

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Andrew-Allen/7605503 Andrew Allen

        Like you would not believe. 

  • Eric Robbins

    The finale of MGS 3 is one of the most emotionally involved moments in video games.  To take a character seen largely as a villain (Big Boss) and force you to go through an experience in his shoes was brilliant.  The tragedy he endures through Snake Eater is so well crafted, and this is from a series that brought us GW and whatever the fuck Vamp was.

    • http://www.facebook.com/joe.noh Joe Noh

       Yes, but did you cry!?

  • http://www.facebook.com/dustin.hall1 Dustin Hall

    Maybe we’d be more involved if we only had 1 life in the game, so death and failure felt more significant. You die once as Solid Snake, you can never play as him again…

    “Man, I remember back when I played that guy, he was so cool. I held a little funeral for him when I failed mission 4.”

  • http://www.facebook.com/dustin.hall1 Dustin Hall

    What I picked up from this is that since I did not cry during any of Spielberg’s movies, they are not art.