«Does life begin or end at marriage?: Love, ethics design and directed freedom in Catherine»

Abstract

The concern for ethics is one of the most important trends in contemporary game design, with works like the Mass Effect trilogy (Bioware, 2007-2012), This War of Mine (11 Bit Studios, 2014), Democracy (Positech Games, 2005) or The Walking Dead series (Telltale Games, 2012-14). Although the most visible form of ethics design are moral decisions, ethics in video games are a bigger area, one that encompasses elements such as the reward system or ludonarrative coherence. Understanding the design of game ethics also helps us develop a better understanding of other major questions about video games such as the ways in which they can tell stories, the extent and form of freedom the player has in the process of play or how involved she is in the creation of meaning.

In this paper we provide an overview and a theoretical model of these issues and apply it to the case study of Catherine (Atlus, 2011), a Japanese game that combines various ethics design strategies in a text that avoids the traditional dichotomy between good and evil. This game addresses the player directly to make her give her views on love and lifestyles from two perspectives: as the protagonist, Vincent, and as herself.