How can you make a game sad?

Im writing a small book on game theory (about 50-70 pages in length), which is based arround ideas as to what makes games fun, entertaining, engrosing, epic, and such. But i've hit a bit of a snag figuring out what can truly make a game saddening. RPG's like ff7 rely on major characters deaths to make the player cry, but is that all? Can things outside of death make a game sad? And even if it is only death that can stur feelings on that level, what factors need to be their to make the player emotional enough were a character to die?

I have some ideas as to what combination of factors would need to be in place, but i'd really like it if I could get some input on this subject from some of you as well.

 

Tales of Phantasia had a lot of towns destroyed, and they emphasized the deaths of children, and other things.
Dammit, ill get back to you, I need to go somewhere and Im being griped at.

 

music, atmosphere (music's working in this part), humanisation of characters, links of any means, heh....what else?

 

Telling it that EA has the rights to it, that should shatter it's will to live, and therefore make it sad.

 

lets see
Rejection, death, loss, cruelty

I have thought about making my own game, and make a villain thats as black as they come. But now I have switched to a little shadow of grey. Anyhoo, to make people sad, the villain must be cruel, vicious, and likes to make people suffer and then kill them, or suddenly for no reason at all. Music and atmosphere are key elements as well.

 

Want sad?
Play Breath of Fire V.

What makes Breath of Fire V sad?
It's an overall sense of doom and gloom, atmosphere, music, dialogue, and empathy with the characters. Then, it's also the "bad things happen to good people" precept that makes it even sadder.
If a game is well written, you get to like the characters - and if they're well characterised, you get to feel them. The scenario direction, the colour scheme, the rhythm of the story, the mood and tone of the writing and the situations, that can make a game sad.

I can't really give more info without spoiling it, so you'll have to play it. PM me if you really want to miss the experience and I'll go into further detail.

 

the lack of non-mascline lead. That could be a novel. All those hot chicks in the game and the lead looks like one too. Just makes me upset.

 

Apocalyptic atmosphere or large-scale environmental destruction is often used, too (though more often as a backdrop).

 

wasnt "can a computer make you cry?" an EA slogan????

 

Watch the ending to klonoa. Just as you are happy from killing the very last boss it takes a hearwrenching twist (sniff)

If that dont make you cry you have a heart of stone.

 

Ah, Klonoa... that's, indeed... VERY "my heart hurts now" kind of sad. There's the (good) ending to Chrono Cross which is also sad as hell, and many moments in MGS and MGS2.

I'd say it's still about empathy, caring about the characters and having something of significance be sacrificed for the bigger good, or simply a very sad turn of events that affects a character that can be empathised through writing.

 

If I remeber right, King's quest: The Perils of Rosella had a scene where the king has a heart attack, and someone at E3 in 1987 started crying.

 

Disgaea's bad ending is quite sad...

 

I dare say that attachment is the most important element, although there are good and bad ways for attachment. For example, FFVII built up your knowledge about Aeris's backround over time, then when you think everything will be all right, she (SPOILERS) gets impaled in the back and left for dead. A bad example is something like Jade Empire, where you don't get that much of a attachment to your followers, and once one of them dies, you don't care.

There are also other examples. MGS3 had excellent emotion for the ending, due to the twist and knowledge of what is going to happen after MGS3. Even a attachment to a area or piece of land can be sad (Such as the *SPOILERS* fall of Hyrule in Zelda: The Wind Waker).

 

Oh yeah, I forgot about the very end of MGS3. That was sad, too.

Fire emblem was real sad too when Eliwood slayed the dragon...I don't feel like spoiling anything, you need to play it. Tis awesome, Fire Emblem.

 

it doesn't need to be full of kills and violence to be sad, take those online fps ,by exemple, where the kills can go up to 100 and further in only one match, but i doubt someone ever cried watching this.

 

BULLSHIT!!!
Cahaz, there are so many crybabies online it isnt even funny.

 

really lousy games makes me cry (atleast when I remember that I payed for the crap )

 

Don't limit what makes a game sad just to violent actions done upon main characters or children. There are many factors, but use as many common factors that you can find that most of your readers can relate too rather than talking about one thing only one of us here can connect with when reading through that part of your book.

I know there was one scene in Star Ocean 2 that made me sad but I forget which one it was.

What will most of your book talk about?