Video games and emotions: the case of Life is Strange: True Colors

There's been a lot of talk recently about "emotional education," but very rarely in reference to video games. Yet, the relationship between video games and emotions dates back to Pong, and over time has evolved in many ways. However, these media still face resistance when considered a good source of such education for the general public. Let's try to offer some suggestions.

Video Games and Emotions: Beyond the Sociology of the Medium

Every scholar of sociology—and especially of the media—knows that every communication tool carries an emotional charge/potential. As Arlie Russell Hochshild emphasizes, emotions have a marked social basis. The media, as complex social constructs and presences, convey and generate cultural processes, and particularly emotional culture. But how? Let's proceed in order.

Sociology of Emotions and Media

In the field of media studies, emotions are often considered in Manichean terms, as consequences of an individual scholar's interpretation of and of the medium. Many questions would seem to be the province of psychology alone, yet fortunately, a sociological direction exists. It involves understanding how the media construct and convey emotions and how they are expressed . This would involve following two paths: observing the types of narratives conveyed through the media and/or studying the types of media consumption and experiences that users have with them.

To give some examples, consider cinema and television. Both are primarily places dedicated to entertainment, "closed" in some ways, but with some differences. While at the cinema, a film is meant to be experienced in the dark, in silence, sitting down and watching what's happening on a screen, with television you can usually channel-surf and choose the type of entertainment you want.

In both cases, our attention is, so to speak, passive ( McLuhan described this transition as hot and cold media). We simply experience this narrative as an audience, but things change with our emotions. We can introduce elements of empathy into the proposed narrative and make the narrative our own. With video games, the situation is different because a very important factor comes into play: the active intervention of the user, who from spectator becomes spectator-actor.

Video games and emotions: a youth pedagogical process

Given that emotions are not absolute states—and therefore not merely physiological processes whose secret is held by the body—but rather relationships (Cerulo, 2018) filtered through diverse cultural repertoires, talking about emotions and the world of youth is not simple. Due to the perennial transitional phase of self-development characteristic of youth, emotions become a variable mirroring a specific system of meaning that is difficult to interpret. In other words, young people are not the same; they experience their contemporary world in completely different ways depending on their cultural origins/belongings, but they have one thing in common: the precariousness of their experiences and the fluidity of their values.

In this condition, a type of socialization—emotional socialization—occurs, according to Eva Illouz (2007), and is strongly influenced by capitalism. Emotions are treated like commodities (she even coined the term EMODITY ), which is why those who fail to emotionally adapt to situations (especially those imposed by the market) become what Peggy Thoits defines as "emotional deviants." Growth, self-care, which also implies emotional growth, would seem to give way to a valorization of the depersonalizing systems evoked by Simmel in The Metropolis and the Life of the Spirit.

How can we remedy this situation? As mentioned, a parallel path to follow in this contemporary world with an immaterial scenario (Ferraro; Montagnano, 2000) where the real and the potential (virtus, virtual) coexist and at times overlap, is to find practical video game situations that can create opportunities not only for narrative identification but also for active emotional intervention (whether via pad/joystick/mouse/touch screen). The relationship between video games and emotions, therefore, would seem not only very strong, but also desirable to cultivate in the future.

The example of Life is strange: true colors

The video game that most inspires reflection is Life is Strange: True Colors . The only product of Deck Nine Games and published by Square Enix, unlike the other Don't Nod games, it is a third-person graphic adventure. The player controls Alex Chen, the protagonist of this new story, a young Asian-American who, after a deeply troubled life, has the opportunity to build a new future.

After years apart, she can finally meet her brother Gabe, with whom she has always shared a visceral bond, albeit one clouded by the shadows of the past. However, Gabe dies shortly after their meeting, in tragic and terribly mysterious circumstances. Thus, Alex begins her adventure, attempting to solve this mystery.

Video Games and Emotions: Alex Chen's Empathic Power

Life is Strange is a series that incorporates sci-fi elements into a teen drama (specifically, characters with powers) who must come to terms with their abilities and the world around them. In particular, Alex, the protagonist, has the ability to sense the emotions of others , absorb them, and relive them firsthand. She sees other people's emotions as if they were colored auras. Each color corresponds to a different type of emotion, and their hue varies depending on the intensity with which it manifests.

This power is a double-edged sword: the negative emotions of others can cause her significant problems, both physical and mental. Alex must therefore face the challenge of learning to control her power to help others and resolve the situations she encounters, but it's not easy. In some cases, she even manages to relive specific moments and discover the truth behind the game's events, but each choice—as a result of these "discoveries"—will have consequences on the narrative and on her relationships with the other characters.

Emotional socio-pedagogy through avatars

This video game is an excellent example of how emotions can be used as a learning experience. Through the use of the agentive avatar (Alex), we can control his choices as well as his movements. He isn't simply our alter ego, but a digital subject with his own identity (with a past and present under construction). Although we always deal with pre-defined choices, and therefore criticisms can be directed at an "illusion of freedom," this isn't the case... if we approach the discussion from a socio-pedagogical perspective.

The controlled situation, so dear to modern pedagogy, is undergoing a significant evolution. There's no teacher/significant other controlling the situation and not intervening so as not to limit the learner, in the Montessori manner. Instead, the controller is also the learner. We act as educator and learner through the galvanizing experience of the video game. The video game, contrary to what one might think, is a tool and an opportunity, not a teacher : in a certain sense, it establishes the kind of socialization that can occur among peers, without any sense of restraint, but with the capacity and opportunity for peer reflection... this time with the video game itself.

The colors of emotions

The use of colors is no accident . Many studies, especially in psychology and childhood education, focus on structuring games and workshops with colors. Life is strange: true colors ' approach in this regard can be defined as meta-narrative. Literally, it plays with emotions as if it were a role-playing game, but above all, it encodes the thoughts linked to these emotions in the form of images. Let's be clear. In addition to this aforementioned gameplay element, Alex, when she empathizes with the NPC on duty to the point of experiencing the same sensations herself, allows her to see actual environmental changes. This is a spectacular rendering of sensations useful for gameplay. For example, empathizing with a very scared NPC who embodies this feeling like a monster emerging from a ravine, will make the monster appear full screen.

Visualization has an important educational function . Imagining what another person feels is one thing, but immersing oneself in an imagined reality through the creation of that emotion is another. If Alex experiences the emotions of others through her power by immersing herself in their perceived realities, we consequently do the same... through her. Alex, therefore, is not simply a tool but—being a character with a history— a peer with whom we compare ourselves.

Video Games and Emotions: Training Your Emotions

We know that Life is Strange is aimed at a young audience, however, the maturity of the player, with their experiences, their gaming needs, and their research, makes it a product suitable for all ages. In other words, this video game, just like rereading a book, lends itself to potential replayability: the choices Alex makes at a given moment in our lives may be different two months or two years later.

In particular, it can change our relationship with emotions. The desire for altruism at all costs can be counterproductive, just as withdrawal can be an unwanted symptom of detachment. Understanding how to achieve emotional balance based on the situation is crucial, and Life Is Strange: True Colors can, if allowed, help you develop it.

References

• Cerulo M., Sociology of Emotions Authors, Theories, Conceptsi, Bologna, Il Mulino 2018;
• Ferraro A., Montagnano G., The Immaterial Scene. Electronic Languages ​​and Virtual Worlds, Genoa, Costa & Nolan, 2000; 
• Illouz E., Cold Intimacies: The Making of Emotional Capitalism, Hoboken (USA), John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2007;
• Le Breton D., Anthropology of Emotions, Rome, Armando Editore, 2023;
• https://lifeisstrange.square-enix-games.com/it/games/life-is-strange-true-colors/