I was in a bridal shop with my future wife while she made a payment on her dress when a sign caught my eye. It read, “Smile When You Talk. You Sound Happier.” At the time, I just thought of it as a sign that management put up to remind employees that in addition to wedding dresses, they are also selling happiness. However, the saying is something that kind of stuck with me. Do you really sound happier if you smile while you talk? You would surely at least look happier. Then, after putting some time in with a few different games, this saying seemed to hold new meaning. If my character looks happy, will I be happier when I play?
The thought first occurred to me when playing A Boy and His Blob for the Wii. I stumbled upon the ability to give Blob a hug while playing, and it had a very interesting effect. For some reason, doing this made me feel good. I liked being able to give affection to my companion that was traveling by my side in the game. It was my way of saying, “Good job buddy.” In that moment of my character having a happy moment, I too was able to have a happy moment.
So, I started thinking of whether or not this happens in other games. Another game that I have been playing recently sprang to mind. Little Big Planet allows the player to give a facial expression to their on-screen character. They can either make him be happy, sad, angry, or scared, and all to varying degrees. It’s odd, but after completing a rather tough portion of platforming, I would find myself putting a smile on the face of my character. Or, if I had died time and time again, it wasn’t uncommon for me to put on the angry face. The weird thing about it was that the face on the character was pretty much the face I was making. I was able to have a shared emotion with my character.
The thing that I find most interesting about this is the fact that such a simple mechanic can make you feel closer to your character. Because I could make the character feel what I was feeling emotionally, and then express that through a facial animation, I felt like I was that character and vice versa. It may seem far-fetched, but try it sometime. If you think I’m talking crazy, let’s look at the flip side.
Have you ever walked towards the camera in Grand Theft Auto? What face was your character making? Chances are it was some pissed off blank stare as havoc was being unleashed behind him. Why? You, as the player, are having fun running around blowing up cars and killing civilians, so why isn’t your character? Do you not share the same interests? Does he find what you are forcing him to do to be mundane and senseless? Does he not agree with all of this violence? Maybe you don’t have as much in common with him as you thought. This example can be found in many other games. How often does Marcus Fenix crack a smile? Hardly ever since he’s too busy murdering alien scum. So, how are you supposed to enjoy yourself if your character can’t even find something to be happy about?
Now, obviously the difference in these games is the fact that the player can’t control the facial expression of the character. But why not? It seems like it would be a simple mechanic to implement in games. Imagine those same scenes from Grand Theft Auto, this time with a slight smirk on your face. Or as Marcus Fenix, you give yourself a brief look of anxiety as you get ready to enter a room full of Locust. Small touches like this would make you feel a little bit closer to your character because you know in that moment, they are thinking what you are thinking and feeling what you are feeling.
To be completely honest, I don’t know if people would use player-controlled facial expressions if they were in every game. Maybe I just use them in Little Big Planet because it’s different and I find it fun. But I think it would be an interesting experiment. If it would close the gap in player-character relations then why not give it a shot? Until then, we’ll all just have to smile while we game because it makes us game happier.