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Luisa Salvador Dias Mass Effect: A Tragedy for our Age by Luisa Salvador Dias A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Modern Languages & Cultural Studies Digital Humanities University of Alberta © Luisa Salvador Dias, 2020 Abstract Videogames have a problem with narrative. It is an ironic fact that this age’s “most persuasive medium” (Bogost, 2007) would find it so difficult to tell stories, yet this is a long-standing issue that has been pointed out by critics and players alike. I came to suspect that this perceived problem with stories was not intrinsic to games, but rather the result of a combination of factors: first, a false dichotomy regarding the importance of mechanics and narrative that has been prevalent in both academia and industry, and second, the use of Joseph Campbell’s narrative theory, which despite its other merits, is unsuited to videogames. These issues led to a lack of integration between games and mechanics, which is particularly problematic for Choice-Oriented Single-Player RPGs (COSP-RPG), since they rely on rich storytelling and exciting challenges. This thesis argues that there could be a mutually beneficial association between COSP-RPGs and the Tragic literary genre, using the Mass Effect (Bioware, 2007-2012) trilogy as a case study of how such combination produces an experience that is personal, intuitive, and that exemplifies a continuous exchange between work of art and individual. It does so across four chapters, where I both build a careful exploration of the Tragic throughout the ages, reviewing its structural aspects to create a new model to understand it based on gestalt theory, and an analysis of medium-specific features of videogames that tie-in with the Tragic genre. In creating such a study, this thesis integrates a growing discourse that approximates videogames and theatre, as well as open up the possibility to explore past literary theoretical currents with a new goal in mind, building a reflection on the permanence of certain structures across time, culture, and medium. ii Acknowledgements Writing this thesis was a long and challenging process that I could not have completed without the aid of several people. First, I would like to thank my supervisor Astrid Ensslin for helping me refine my ideas and develop as a researcher. Under her guidance I had the opportunity to engage with currents of thought I would not have otherwise, and think about my topic beyond its original formulations. I am also grateful for the work of my first reader Sean Gouglas, whose revisions led me into improving my writing style, making my arguments clearer and more effective. As much of this thesis is the result of an interest for Classical forms I have developed during my undergrad, I feel obliged to thank the Rio de Janeiro State University for offering me an excellent education at no cost, something I believe should be a universal right. Finally, I would like to extend my deepest and most genuine thanks to my mother, Denise Salvador whose unconditional love and care was a comfort throughout this project, and to my partner Gregory Whistance-Smith, who in the course of this thesis was my editor, support system, and never ending source of joy. Thank you for reminding me to be kind to myself in the moments when that was much harder than writing, I could not have done it without you. iii Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................iii Table of Contents .....................................................................................................................iv Introduction – Mass Effect, the Tragic, and Videogames’ Problem with Narrative ............. 1 Chapter 1 – RPGS and Narrative ............................................................................................. 8 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 8 1.1 The Narrative Problem ...................................................................................................... 9 1.1.1 Ludology vs. Narratology ............................................................................................ 9 1.1.2 Games and Rules .....................................................................................................12 1.2 Role Playing Games (RPGs) ...........................................................................................14 1.3 RPG and Videogames .....................................................................................................17 1.4 The Hero’s Journey .........................................................................................................21 1.5 Where Game and the Tragic Meet ...................................................................................22 Chapter 2 –The Tragic ............................................................................................................25 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................25 2.1 The Tragic as Genre ........................................................................................................26 2.2 The Tragic in Historical Perspective .................................................................................28 2.2.1 Origin in Greece ........................................................................................................28 2.2.2 Shakespearean Tragic ..............................................................................................30 2.2.3 Modernity and Tragedy .............................................................................................32 2.2.4 Post-Modernity and Tragedy .....................................................................................34 2.2.5 The Tragic in Other Contemporary Media .................................................................37 2.3 Theories of the Tragic Structure ......................................................................................38 2.4 Tragic and Videogames ...................................................................................................41 2.5 Why not the Epic? ...........................................................................................................42 2.6 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................45 Chapter 3 – Tragic 2.0: A Gestalt Approach ..........................................................................46 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................46 3.1 How Tragedies Work .......................................................................................................47 3.1.1 Plato and Moralism ...................................................................................................47 3.1.2 Theories of the Tragic ...............................................................................................48 3.1.2 What is Gestalt? ........................................................................................................53 3.2 The Six Features .............................................................................................................54 3.2.1 Closed Universe ........................................................................................................54 iv 3.2.2 Innovation of Methods ...............................................................................................56 3.2.3 Tensions about the Future ........................................................................................60 3.2.4 Catalyst Hero ............................................................................................................61 3.2.5 Cultural Impact ..........................................................................................................63 3.2.6 Popular Appeal .........................................................................................................63 3.3 The Essence of Tragedy ..................................................................................................64 3.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................65 Chapter 4 – Mass Effect, A Case Study .................................................................................66 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................66 4.1 Why Mass Effect? ............................................................................................................66 4.2 How to Study Mass Effect ................................................................................................68 4.2.1 First-Person and Third-Person Interaction .................................................................69 4.2.2 Save Files and Replayability .....................................................................................70 4.2.3 Artificial Intelligence (AI) ............................................................................................71 4.2.4 Character Customization
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