Brothers: A Cycle Of Play

Mass Effect 3 (2012)

Death in Mass Effect 3 (2012) is used for gameplay and the narrative. It is not trivialized because the player builds relationships with the characters of their choice and are linked both romantically, and through combat. “The Commander has the option to pursue sexual romantic involvement with a human squad member either male or female or any gender” (Romance 2017). Thus, the player has the chance to feel for the partner and this makes the player more invested in the play. Just as importantly is the link through combat that further develops emotional attachment and when death is imminent, emotions are felt as if it is really happening to someone you care for. Death is represented through feelings that stem from relationships built.

Brothers: a Tale of Two Sons (2013)

Death is tied to the theme and narrative of the story. There is no permadeath present and this is the most important difference in these two games. Permadeath is a “cycle of play” (King 2015) that is to say that the player has an active role in death and this is important because it makes the player feel the actual permanency of death (King 2015). There is more risk involved and with this comes investment in the game itself beyond just playing a game. Emotional attachment combined with the role of permadeath gives real meaning to the experience of death. Brothers: a Tale of Two Sons (2013) does not incorporate permadeath and there is less of an impact of death for the