10 Things Every Video Game Needs To Learn From The Witcher 3
7. How To Implement Player Choice
As video games continue to get bigger and more ambitious, the idea of allowing the player the freedom to make choices that impact the story has become more common, particularly in RPGs. Oftentimes, player choice is measured with some form of black and white morality system, as seen in games like Mass Effect and Infamous. The problem with these systems, is that the way they reward and punish players for their decisions can end up pushing them down certain paths. You either have to be all good or all bad to 'unlock' certain chunks of the game, lest you risk missing out on more powerful abilities. The Witcher 3, along with its predecessors, also features player choice, but doesn't measure it in any way that comes together until the very end. This simple omission makes decisions more nuanced and morally grey, which is not only more realistic but more rewarding. You cant make decisions based on what you expect to get in return, instead making them based on what you feel is right at the moment. Not only is this more intriguing and thought-provoking, but makes the narrative diverges more subtle. At the end of The Witcher 3, youre not sure which choices you made along the way informed the ending you got. The way The Witcher 3 incorporates player choice into the story is superior to similarly styled games, and everything with a 'moral choice' going forward, would do well to do the same.
