One of the characters the player controls is the father, Ethan Mars. Mars is forced to complete five trials to piece together the location of his son, Shaun, who has been kidnapped by the Origami Killer. The player makes life or death decisions within these trials and therefore decisions are made with a deeper consideration of the consequences, rather than a player choosing an action at random. This deeper consideration of actions is enhanced by immersion, which is created through the eye-level camera angle\u00a0(Schiesel, Murderer\u2019s Young Prey; A Father\u2019s Torment, 2010). By including the gamer in a position where they act as co-author to the narrative, all decisions made are given added emphasis. Through decision making\u00a0Heavy Rain<\/em>\u00a0becomes an emotive game, causing the player to feel guilt and distress.<\/p>\n One of the most traumatic trials Mars must\u00a0complete is \u2018The Lizard\u2019,\u00a0where he chops off his pinky finger with one of five tools: pliers, saw, butchers knife, hatchet, or scissors. This trial is also presented within a time-frame. As a result of the added time pressure, the decisions made have an increased sense of urgency and meaning (Heron and Belford, It\u2019s Only a Game, 2014). After completing this trial the player feels guilty because they can see the direct connection between their decisions and Mars\u2019 pain. The player\u2019s sense of guilt would not have been achieved if there was no connection between them and Mars.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The final trial, \u2018The Rat\u2019, involves Mars drinking poison which would kill him but provide the final clue to Shaun\u2019s location. At this stage of the game there is such a strong connection between the gamer and Mars, they are almost one person. The player feels a sense of distress as they must sacrifice \u2018themselves\u2019 to complete the objective of the game (later it is revealed that the poison was not fatal). If there was no decision making in\u00a0Heavy Rain<\/em>\u00a0there would be no personal connection between Mars and the player and so this decision would not be as distressing.<\/p>\n The decisions made in Heavy Rain\u00a0<\/em>evokes senses of guilt and distress throughout the narrative. These emotions are evoked due to the decisions the player must make when determining Mars\u2019 actions. By having a direct link between a character and the player, Cage\u2019s game involves a gamer on a more personal level. The emotions that Mars feel, the player feels too, making\u00a0Heavy\u00a0<\/em>Rain\u00a0<\/em>an intensely emotive video game.<\/p>\n Drowning in Emotions: Heavy Rain Decision based video games were created when gamers called out for more of a challenge. One of the most revolutionary of these games is Heavy Rain, released in 2010 and written by David Cage. Cage … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/digital-lit2017\/files\/2017\/10\/arguememnt-300x169.jpg\")
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