[SELF-CONCEPT]
As the story of the game progresses the characters' relatively stable set of opinions they hold of themselves, or self-concept, begins to change as they start questioning their actions and their sanity wanes. In the beginning, Delta Force is confident, composed and ready to face any situation. As the story progresses, Delta Force becomes bruised, broken, and absolutely sick of each other. The first pivotal blow is to their feelings that they hold of themselves or self-esteem, when the characters inherently do a bad thing. This also attacks the gamer as the game makes him/her feel bad for controlling the characters through the action. In this moment of the game, the player is asked to use white phosphorous in order to defeat the enemy. Simple, right? Unfortunately, it ends up going terribly awry when the player "accidentally" ends up killing a large group of innocent bystanders. The image of a mother holding her child particularly stands out as disturbing.
Up to this point, the game has consisted mostly of gun-toting Americans killing hostile foreigners without any questioning of morality. In this sense, the game follows the standard formula found in army shooters where the player is not supposed to question the consequences of their actions. However, this point marks the downward spiral the player will inevitably face should they choose to continue playing. As a gamer, I was found trying to justify my in-game actions with statements such as "well, this is a video game, you're supposed to kill the bad guys" or "if only I'd have known." The game attacked my self-esteem and self-concept in order to establish the tone that would be consistent throughout the rest of the game. Leaving me with a feeling of guilt, dismay, and general self-loathing.
In this regard, the game does a wonderful job of projecting the player onto the character. Our self-concepts are comprised of "many" selves, meaning we assume multiple personalities for different situations. Who I am in a video game largely differs from who I am in reality. (i.e. I'm not a violent psychopath and kleptomaniac.) However, the game was able to synchronize the character's emotions with what the player is feeling in that moment to make the event seem more real. We tend to judge our own transgressions less harshly than we judge others'. Notice how the characters try to justify their reasoning in the video.
Below is a video of how the events transpired. (WARNING: This video contains violence, mature language, and disturbing content. Viewer discretion is advised.)
In this regard, the game does a wonderful job of projecting the player onto the character. Our self-concepts are comprised of "many" selves, meaning we assume multiple personalities for different situations. Who I am in a video game largely differs from who I am in reality. (i.e. I'm not a violent psychopath and kleptomaniac.) However, the game was able to synchronize the character's emotions with what the player is feeling in that moment to make the event seem more real. We tend to judge our own transgressions less harshly than we judge others'. Notice how the characters try to justify their reasoning in the video.
Below is a video of how the events transpired. (WARNING: This video contains violence, mature language, and disturbing content. Viewer discretion is advised.)