Summary
Identitycan often be a very complicated subject, one that is particularly relevant to gaming. When players assume the role of another person, and perform actions as them, it’s only natural that something like identity would come up. Many video games haven’t shied away from this, and deal with notions of control, perception, and responsibility in their narratives.
The idea of identity covers a lot of different topics, including behavior, free-will, morality, and purpose. Many games thatoffer multiple endingsor branching narratives that explore the concept of identity and control, while others that allow players to choose how they navigate a world will hold a mirror to the player’s choices and actions. Either way, the medium is uniquely positioned to really delve into those topics and bring the player in direct contact with who they think they are and what that means with respect to the world. While it’s a difficult subject to consider, there are plenty ofgames that explore identitybrilliantly.
Indie gameUndertalemade waves in the gaming industry thanks to its unique, RPG-innovating mechanics and heartfelt story. A staple element of most RPGs is having players defeat various enemies in order to level up their character’s traits. Unbeknownst to most though,Undertaleallows players to complete the entire game withoutever killing a single monster. The game emphasizes the way players treat everyone in the world, and gives them plenty of ways to be a good person.
Towards the end of the game, if the player looks in the mirror, it will say “Despite everything, it’s still you.” This quote is famous among gamers for perfectly encapsulating the hero’s journey, as they go through various trials and difficulties but ultimately don’t lose who they are. Text like this will change if players choose a darker route, adding an unsettling element to the character’s identity as they progress.
Omorifollows a young boy named Sunny, and takes place across two different realms, namely the real world and Headspace. Headspace is a fantastical realm with quirky characters and imaginative locations, where Sunny’s alter-ego Omori lives. The game explores how Sunny co-exists with Omori, and uses a separate identity to cope with his trauma and disassociation.
There’s a lot of color contrast in the game, notably whenever Omori, who is black and white, is surrounded by his colorful friends.
Omori represents a lot of different things for Sunny, and even though Omori is not a happy person, he nonetheless gets to live in the fun and carefree world of Headspace. Both Sunny and Omori have an incredibly difficult time seeing themselves the way others do, and the game explores howmental health elements like depressionand anxiety can warp a person’s sense of self.
Papers, Pleasequite literally explores ideas of identity through its gameplay. The entire concept of the game is to analyze identification based on constantly changing criteria and decide whether to let a person into the fictional country of Arstotzka or not.
Although this is the core of the game, the actual mechanicsecho the themes and narrativesofPapers, Please. Players will be faced with different scenarios where their actions will directly impact themselves and others, giving them a chance to take control of their life in an otherwise very strict country. While players are literally checking identification, the game asks them to consider how there’s often more to a person than their papers.
What Remains of Edith Finchisan award-winning gamethat follows the titular character as she explores her family home. The game reveals different information about the members of Edith’s family, of which she is the only one who is still alive, through various visions. The game explores how perspective can influence how a person interprets things, and the truthfulness of each vision is very much called in question.
Themes surrounding identity are littered throughout the game, particularly as every room and vision is so personal to a member of Edith’s family. The items in each family member’s room inform the player about who they were, which further explores how physical things can be reflective of a person’s inner self. It’s a difficult game to explain without experiencing it first hand, butWhat Remains of Edith Finchis deeply affecting, and will likely leave players with a lot to think about.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carteris another narrative-driven game that follows paranormal investigator Paul Prospero, who visits Red Creek Valley after receiving a letter from a young boy named Ethan Carter. Upon arriving in the town, Prospero discovers that Ethan is missing and must go on a quest to discover what happened to the boy.
A lot takes place during the course of the game, but at the end,the big twistis that Prospero is actually a figment of Ethan’s imagination that he summoned to escape the horror of his life. Prospero tells Ethan that a better story waits for them in another life, raising whether it really matters what is and isn’t real if it still has a profound impact on a person. Even though Prospero isn’t real, the comfort he provides Ethan is monumental, and his closing statement suggests that there’s a chance he might exist in another place - a place where he could actually look after Ethan. The game certainly tips towards the more existential ideas of identity, but the narrative also explores morality, how individuals are warped by fear, and how a single person can adjust their reality with the power of their mind.
1To The Moon
How Memories Make Us
To the Moonis ahighly-emotional gamethat follows two employees of a company that adjusts and creates a person’s memories. Legally, they can only perform this act for people who don’t have long to live to make their last moments as happy as possible. They encounter a man named Johnny Wyles whose wish is to go to the moon. While in Johnny’s mind, the two come across different events from his life, as well as a mysterious gap in his memory, that makes their job a lot harder than usual.
To the Moonexplores identity in a few different ways, but it all revolves around the idea of memory. Humans become who they are thanks to their experiences and interactions, andTo the Moonconsiders how a person’s identity can be undone if their memories are changed. It also questions how morally correct it is to literally invent a memory for somebody and rewrite their entire life, even if it’s only for a short time before their death. It also raises how single moments in a person’s life can severely impact who they become and what path they take, which shows how precarious somebody’s sense of self can be.
One thing the game makes clear is that identity is messy, and incredibly difficult to control. While Johnny Wyles might die a happier man, he may also die believing in a life he didn’t live - and how fair is that for anyone?
