One thing that is probably an essay in itself is how the whole “Great Man” theory of history has had an impact upon video games (I mean, has there ever been a single-player RPG that didn’t have this as its foundational assumption?) but it’s interesting to see how some games tweak this theory here or there.
Drox Operative is a game where you play the role of a mercenary captain in the middle of a war… as opposed to one of the leaders of one of the races hoping to win it. So, yeah, it’s still pretty much going to assume that the fate of the galaxy is in your hands. That said, I think that Masters of Orion from the perspective of an operative (as the guy in this gameshark interview compares the game to) sounds pretty sweet.
That’s one I’m looking forward to.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/02/23/wot-i-think-crusader-kings-ii/
From another forum, (from occasional commenter here dhex) a link to a review of a game, which, per the review, seems to outright eschew the centrality of your character/faction to the story.
Reading about it, it sounds like a MMORPG… but it’s single player??? My goodness, that sounds lovely.
Personally I’m tiring of the “You’re the center of the universe!” in gaming. I’m almost bummed about that seeming to be the form for the main stories in The Old Republic. It’s a huge universe. If I want to be the star I’ll play a single player game. In an MMO I want to be part of the universe, not one of a million “Great Men”.
Even in single player games I’d kind of like to see more a “Behind the scenes” story, one where you do not save the world, but your actions set up the Hero to do just that and you get satisfaction knowing that without you he would have failed.
I wouldn’t say I’m tiring of it as much as I’d like other options from time to time to time.
Imagine, if you will, “SIDEKICK: THE GAME”.
I see this game having an opening trailer where you’re the fearless and trusty sidekick helping out the intrepid adventurer protagonist. We see a scene where he’s jumping out the window of a zeppelin or similar and you’re holding onto his leg yelling “AAAAAAHHHHHH” and the camera zooms in on your open screaming mouth and we pull back to see that this is a story the protagonist is telling to a fawning princess or something and you’re standing back behind him nodding… and the first level is “what really happened”. Of course, you’re the one who made whatever it is that happened happen. You make sure that everybody’s safe, the guns are loaded, and tucked in at night. You don’t have “the look”, sadly, so your “hero” gets all the glory… but we know in whose hands the fate of the world *REALLY* rests.
You know what? I’d like to play that game.
They could have a dynamic where you get extra points for making the hero look extra good.
(Then again, it sounds like it could also turn into one giant escort quest… which sounds downright awful…)