What if we could have a child?

[KenThomas]

Unfortunately the site went down when I was doing my original post and I didn't copy before hitting post, then I had to leave for work. I'll do my best to re-create what I had earlier today.

 

Many of us as gamers are older now. Last I heard the average age is around 30. When I played Planescape Torment for example I'd already been gaming for years. I'm now a married father with 3 children. I think there is a place for it in todays games.

 

I had a few thoughts on this. I think it would be great if you were able to produce a child with your romance option. There has always been a part of me that has said "these player characters are exceptional. Humanity would be better off if they were to reproduce".

 

Almost all games with romance options treat the situation as though you were in college. You get attracted to someone because of surface characteristics, you have sex with them and you never get any closer so that it doesn't get difficult to see them in combat or you can handle having them die or leave the party. I personally have a real appetite these days for some kind of monogamous romance option. I'd love to see deeper interactions and consequences. There's also a part of me that's made vaguely uncomfortable by the whole bachelor lifestyle that's part of these games. I get the argument about people wanting to play out their fantasies, but I don't find being promiscuous appealing and I know I'm not alone in that.

 

An idea I had is that in the games sequel, if you had a child in the first game, they are now not only older, but also refect the morality of your character. If your character in the first game was good/neutral/evil then the child is going to reflect a lot of your values when you encounter them in the game and the choices they make in their lives. That said every child is born with their own personality and it'd also be good to see them do things you don't expect or agree with, then perhaps later on do something that is exactly what you'd do when you least expect them to because of your influence.

 

I'm sure other aspects would add to the game as well. Perhaps you get into an argument with your spouse when you try to remove them from the party at the player's house about wanting them to stay home and stay safe when maybe they want to be with you and fight at your side. Maybe if you don't handle it well they feel abandoned and eventually leave you. Maybe they're happier if you let them come with you but they might actually die as part of the storyline if you make the wrong choices. Maybe they're pregnant at the time.

 

These thoughts are horrifying and they're powerful. It's also realistic and human. These are some concepts that I think can be explored with a mature game. I also don't think they have to be a developers nightmare. Three possible outcomes instead of infinite ones for the major choices. The child or spouse playing a role in future gameplay without making the game about them. Perhaps they show up or don't show up at a key moment(s) in the storyline. Perhaps they have dialogue written for when you visit them but otherwise isn't a factor.

 

I don't know the details, but I do think there is a place for the theme. I'm tired of game companies taking the safe path and never exploring any of these avenues. These thoughts have obviously been from a male perspective. I'm sure that some of our female gamers will have ideas of their own about the concept.

[ShadowScythe]

Why not just adopt a pet (I say this assuming having an actual kid is unfeasible for whatever reason).

 

You'll get a far more rewarding experience than anything a game can give you.

[Xantomas]

Sounds creepy to me, the "regular" romances in these games are bad enough already. Leave that stuff to the epilogue or prologue in the sequel.

[Kraidy117]

No thank you, I still have nightmares with the inventory baby

 

Romances between characters and PC and characters is ifne, but stuff like marriage and kids should be left to the epilogue.

Edited September 17, 2012 by Kraidy117

[licketysplit]

Not interested.

[rk47]

Sounds like Record of Agarest War.

With a limited edition boob pad.

A console only experience.

 

We need this.

We really do.

[JWestfall]

you were able to produce a child with your romance option.

...

if you had a child in the first game, they are now not only older, but also refect the morality of your character.

...

Perhaps you get into an argument with your spouse

...

 

I dunno, this all seems creepily familiar to real life problems.

 

I'd rather be solving fantasy problems, not Sims problems.

[Gorth]

Would a child of a "mixed marriage" elf and dwarf be considered a half-elf or a half-dwarf?

 

I think it adds a lot of complications to the game without adding much. It makes sense in some strategy games (like the Paradox games or some old KOEI games) where dynasties are important. In a crpg it would most likely require you to give up adventuring, settle down, build a cottage and do honest work for a living.

[dknight99]

The problem I have would be how the mother would actually be pregnant for 9 months and will be no good to the group unless she's an NPC at home and the character really should be there and not out adventuring in the world. Baldur's Gate 2 did try this by making a pregnant Aerie and it was interesting even though she probably would have had a number of miscarriage with the amount of damage she had taken. The thing we should consider is does it add to the story? If the storyline has escorting a pregnant woman from point A to B, I don't see why not and instead of having your own child we can have the character adopt the child instead.

[Badmojo]

How about this to be a possible ending to the main character if they choose to go with the romance ending? Of course this all depends on your choices, they type of personality the characters have and what they talked about. If the romance optioned said she wanted children and to live on a farm (just an example!), then the ending give a rundown of all the things the character has done, what affect your actions have had on the people, and finally showing an art picture of a farm, a woman teaching sword/magic to her children, looking up too the screen smiling, there is an outline of a shadow in in front a human form which is obviously supposed to represent the player character and your looking through your player characters eyes.

 

I don't know, that could be an end goal for people who choose that. I don't know about actually having a kid, although I think becoming friends with kid characters, and offering to adopt them at the end of the game (replace the kids in the scenerio above with the adopted kids) would work maybe.

[rk47]

She can still aid the party within first 2-3 months of pregnancy.

Perhaps in mid or later stages, she'll start feeling nauseous and vomits at random during combat.

That's when the group decides to have a campfire discussion about it.

do you take the root extract to cure the problem and remove the baby or persists and keep her well protected, risking her pregnancy, or let her go settle down somewhere peaceful.

 

If she takes too many blows - this generates stress to the baby and makes it retarded.

 

Y/N?

[NoxNoctum]

Sounds creepy to me, the "regular" romances in these games are bad enough already. Leave that stuff to the epilogue or prologue in the sequel.

 

+1

Edited September 17, 2012 by NoxNoctum

[Kraidy117]

The problem I have would be how the mother would actually be pregnant for 9 months and will be no good to the group unless she's an NPC at home and the character really should be there and not out adventuring in the world. Baldur's Gate 2 did try this by making a pregnant Aerie and it was interesting even though she probably would have had a number of miscarriage with the amount of damage she had taken. The thing we should consider is does it add to the story? If the storyline has escorting a pregnant woman from point A to B, I don't see why not and instead of having your own child we can have the character adopt the child instead.

I'm pretty sure no one wants to have a inventory baby again XD

[rk47]

Oh we had that in NWN1 Shadows of Undretide I think.

It was just an item, but really. Non interactive.

[LadyCrimson]

An idea I had is that in the games sequel, if you had a child in the first game, they are now not only older, but also refect the morality of your character. If your character in the first game was good/neutral/evil then the child is going to reflect a lot of your values when you encounter them in the game and the choices they make in their lives.

 

Hm. Well, I'm not personally interested in having my own children within a game purely for the sake of emotional drama alone. Even in a game I'd be a lousy parent, never going home to see the spouse and child because I'm having too much fun traveling, looting, and saving the world. Thus for me I'd find the option rather pointless. However, it could be an intriguing idea if something like having a child (or something else) had some kind of high consequence continuity across sequels.

 

Episode1: romance, child produced.

Episode2: choices you made previously = a young adult child who could be an actual party traveling companion

Episode3: choices you made could mean your adult child has become an antagonist or leader of the game world (and so on)

 

But! ... I think it's something that's likely far too complex and far too much work. So....while it has potential possibilities, I think that type/level of continuity is best left to long book series rather than games.

[dknight99]

The problem I have would be how the mother would actually be pregnant for 9 months and will be no good to the group unless she's an NPC at home and the character really should be there and not out adventuring in the world. Baldur's Gate 2 did try this by making a pregnant Aerie and it was interesting even though she probably would have had a number of miscarriage with the amount of damage she had taken. The thing we should consider is does it add to the story? If the storyline has escorting a pregnant woman from point A to B, I don't see why not and instead of having your own child we can have the character adopt the child instead.

I'm pretty sure no one wants to have a inventory baby again XD

 

Heh, yeah I remember the baby in the inventory was pretty creepy in BG2 expansion. You can't even put that thing on the floor! I just think it would interesting if the game portrayed pregnant women in game since I can't recall there ever being one in an RPG.

[Monte Carlo]

This is the single worst suggestion I have read so far. No.

[Aram]

The game should take forty years to complete. Over the course of the game you fall in love, get married, have children, watch the children grow up, and then play with your grandkids. At the 40 year mark the game automatically deletes itself and all progress and puts up a message that says now go back to your life where you are 70 years old and you have none of these things. Thanks for playing.

[KenThomas]

You do realize I'm not talking about turning the game into The Sims right? They'd be npc's like any other and I don't even think a child would factor into the first game at all other than possibly having your love interest pregnant at later stages of the game. In a possible sequel the child would then be an NPC. It's simply storyline and narrative, not micromanagement and diapers. Geez

 

I really didn't think it was that bad of an idea for a game, having to make a choice about whether or not to protect your love interest or the possibility that you've produced a child. I think it would make for interesting dialogue options. I understand though that you guys read this and probably think "eww introduce mundane family life? No way". That wasn't what I was proposing at all. I think my communication of the idea was a lot worse than the idea itself. I also suspect a few people didn't bother to read the post, they just looked at the title and then responded with their knee jerk reaction. ie mr "adopt a pet" who, if he'd read the post, would've seen I've got 3 kids irl so this isn't about filling some kind of void in my personal life.

Edited September 17, 2012 by KenThomas

[salty]

No. Go play Fable.

[metiman]

Did this post interrupt your latest Sims marathon?

[Holy Cheese]

You mean like Aerie from BG2 popping out a baby and staying in your inventory? No thanks.

[Monte Carlo]

Wow, I've played BG2 literally dozens of times and I *never* knew that. Seriously.

 

I always gib the whiny POS when she's disguised as an ogre.

[Suen]

A kid, mmh...

Will I be ablt to kill it with fire? Or abort it? Or sacrifice him to a fake dark god? Or drain his soul to feed mine?

If the answer is no, I'm not interested.

[Gurkog]

Who says that the player character will not be a kid?