deerstalker
I am a little behind on the times, but I have spent the last month working my way through Marvel’s Midnight Suns. The initial release was plagued with performance issues, but that has since settled and even optimized for the Steam Deck. So when it was on sale, I picked up the combination tactical strategy and card based roleplay game, and I can genuinely say I enjoyed the game. Out of the 100 in-game days I spent, the vast majority was doing random side quests just to play with the different decks of different heroes. Occasionally, I participated in a weird Persona-esque social link system that featured several weird occurrences including throwing Magik a surprise birthday, participating in a book club with Blade so he could hook up with Captain Marvel, and solving the secret of the Salem Witch Trials. And throughout all of this narrative, at various points in time I was required to respond with certain answers designated as “Light” and “Dark” aka a morality system.
The Light/Dark morality system and its partner the binary karma meter is older than dirt. The concept of alignment has been around since at least the original Dungeons & Dragons, and even then, I think many of my contemporaries would point to Mass Effect as reigniting the popularity of the system. Now, here’s the thing. In Marvel’s Midnight Suns, the morality system has absolutely no impact on the narrative whatsoever. At best, it causes minor fluctuations in the arbitrary friendship meters in exchange for greater rewards for certain playstyles. At worst, it’s a completely superfluous system that adds absolutely nothing to the great narrative and only changes things on the most basic cosmetic level. For all of the pontificating, the meditations of harnessing dark magics, the absorbing of dark essence, greater goods, lesser evils, none of it mattered. The story played exactly the same and if I did a second playthrough…well honestly…I would probably skip every single cutscene and mash A as quickly as possible selecting, but I would do so with the dark aligned options just to try the different cards and watch as my gruffer Hunter proceeds to do everything relatively the same with a little bit more snark. It’s not even the illusion of choice, it’s the illusion of choice of choice.
Part of this stems from the mechanical ties that a morality system has. There are clear benefits for always selecting the option aligned to you, and there is very little reason to deviate. Whether it’s any of the Star Wars games, Infamous: Second Son, Mass Effect, or even going back to the original Paladin in Dungeons & Dragons, it doesn’t make sense to be morally gray. Paladins in D&D are probably the most egregious example as actively straying away from the Lawful Good (or whatever alignment your variant Paladin is) would strip them of their powers entirely. But outside of that, most of the systems incentivize consistency which makes to a degree, but it also makes for a much more linear gaming experience.
And while I’m not one to sing any praise to Mass Effect: Andromeda, a game best described as “okay” and “not quite the worthy successor to the pedigree of the franchise it bears,” one of the nicer changes in pace was that the dialog options did not have clear cut decisions. There was no clear flag or signposts. The decisions had impact, and it actually felt like your Ryder was a more complex person than just the upstanding Paragon Shepherd or the brooding Renegade Shepherd.
This binary format also impacts non-RPGs if we take a look at visual novels and visual novel-esque games like the original Telltale games although in a slightly different way. When designing a game with multiple branching, intersecting paths, all of those paths have to be defined…lest you end up with a Bandersnatch. But one of the things that designers have noticed is that there were several occasions where the overwhelming majority of the player-base opted to take the less moral option.
What the Walking Dead games ended up with splits that idea even more when it comes to morally grey zombie apocalypses; however, here are some fun statistics from the first Batman:
- 70% of players gave Falcone pain medication to ease his suffering.
- 92.8% continued to fund Harvey’s campaign despite Harvey having to abandoned ties
- 68% assured that Alfred wasn’t at fault for the sins of Thomas Wayne
And it gets to a point where an equal development time has to be devoted to a path that the vast majority of the players won’t ever experience because of this faux level of critical thinking. And at least the Telltale games are designed with this plethora of choices in mind, and even though key events will always play out in similar ways, there is enough differentiation in the smaller choices that I don’t have much qualms.
But too often, the light/dark morality system is shoehorned into games as an afterthought, a superficial layering that detracts more than it adds. And there are games that have successfully implemented these systems (Dishonored, Red Death Redemption), but if Midnight Suns is any indication, the system and the novelty are worn out. It’s gotten to the point where this trend has impacted how I approach teaching new players about Dungeons & Dragons. I ask them not to view alignment as dogma for the character but as a baseline for the actions. It certainly helps that the typical player always manages to make the buck wildest decision in the name of whatever their current motivation is, and I haven’t had a Paladin PC in ages. However, the point stands that the arbitrary 3×3 grid summarizing morality is not useful.
If incorporated into the design, morality system can add a layer of complexity (Undertale being one of the more modern prime examples and deconstructions), but if we are going to go down that route, I urge designers to branch out from the well-trodden paths. Griftlands relationship centric system serves as a great example of making individual choices matter within context as the different NPCs you interact with have different factions, and it creates a tangled web of choices. Furthermore, newer TTRPGs such as Tales of Xadia and Avatar: The Last Airbender offer individualized scales that the player opts into as part of character creation. Morality systems are clearly crucial in society, but in games, I think we can shift focus just a little bit.
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The post It’s Time to Abandon Morality Systems…in Games appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
I am a little behind on the times, but I have spent the last month working my way through Marvel’s Midnight Suns. The initial release was plagued with performance issues, but that has since settled and even optimized for the Steam Deck. So when it was on sale, I picked up the combination tactical strategy and card based roleplay game, and I can genuinely say I enjoyed the game. Out of the 100 in-game days I spent, the vast majority was doing random side quests just to play with the different decks of different heroes. Occasionally, I participated in a weird Persona-esque social link system that featured several weird occurrences including throwing Magik a surprise birthday, participating in a book club with Blade so he could hook up with Captain Marvel, and solving the secret of the Salem Witch Trials. And throughout all of this narrative, at various points in time I was required to respond with certain answers designated as “Light” and “Dark” aka a morality system.
The Light/Dark morality system and its partner the binary karma meter is older than dirt. The concept of alignment has been around since at least the original Dungeons & Dragons, and even then, I think many of my contemporaries would point to Mass Effect as reigniting the popularity of the system. Now, here’s the thing. In Marvel’s Midnight Suns, the morality system has absolutely no impact on the narrative whatsoever. At best, it causes minor fluctuations in the arbitrary friendship meters in exchange for greater rewards for certain playstyles. At worst, it’s a completely superfluous system that adds absolutely nothing to the great narrative and only changes things on the most basic cosmetic level. For all of the pontificating, the meditations of harnessing dark magics, the absorbing of dark essence, greater goods, lesser evils, none of it mattered. The story played exactly the same and if I did a second playthrough…well honestly…I would probably skip every single cutscene and mash A as quickly as possible selecting, but I would do so with the dark aligned options just to try the different cards and watch as my gruffer Hunter proceeds to do everything relatively the same with a little bit more snark. It’s not even the illusion of choice, it’s the illusion of choice of choice.
Part of this stems from the mechanical ties that a morality system has. There are clear benefits for always selecting the option aligned to you, and there is very little reason to deviate. Whether it’s any of the Star Wars games, Infamous: Second Son, Mass Effect, or even going back to the original Paladin in Dungeons & Dragons, it doesn’t make sense to be morally gray. Paladins in D&D are probably the most egregious example as actively straying away from the Lawful Good (or whatever alignment your variant Paladin is) would strip them of their powers entirely. But outside of that, most of the systems incentivize consistency which makes to a degree, but it also makes for a much more linear gaming experience.
And while I’m not one to sing any praise to Mass Effect: Andromeda, a game best described as “okay” and “not quite the worthy successor to the pedigree of the franchise it bears,” one of the nicer changes in pace was that the dialog options did not have clear cut decisions. There was no clear flag or signposts. The decisions had impact, and it actually felt like your Ryder was a more complex person than just the upstanding Paragon Shepherd or the brooding Renegade Shepherd.
This binary format also impacts non-RPGs if we take a look at visual novels and visual novel-esque games like the original Telltale games although in a slightly different way. When designing a game with multiple branching, intersecting paths, all of those paths have to be defined…lest you end up with a Bandersnatch. But one of the things that designers have noticed is that there were several occasions where the overwhelming majority of the player-base opted to take the less moral option.
What the Walking Dead games ended up with splits that idea even more when it comes to morally grey zombie apocalypses; however, here are some fun statistics from the first Batman:
- 70% of players gave Falcone pain medication to ease his suffering.
- 92.8% continued to fund Harvey’s campaign despite Harvey having to abandoned ties
- 68% assured that Alfred wasn’t at fault for the sins of Thomas Wayne
And it gets to a point where an equal development time has to be devoted to a path that the vast majority of the players won’t ever experience because of this faux level of critical thinking. And at least the Telltale games are designed with this plethora of choices in mind, and even though key events will always play out in similar ways, there is enough differentiation in the smaller choices that I don’t have much qualms.
But too often, the light/dark morality system is shoehorned into games as an afterthought, a superficial layering that detracts more than it adds. And there are games that have successfully implemented these systems (Dishonored, Red Death Redemption), but if Midnight Suns is any indication, the system and the novelty are worn out. It’s gotten to the point where this trend has impacted how I approach teaching new players about Dungeons & Dragons. I ask them not to view alignment as dogma for the character but as a baseline for the actions. It certainly helps that the typical player always manages to make the buck wildest decision in the name of whatever their current motivation is, and I haven’t had a Paladin PC in ages. However, the point stands that the arbitrary 3×3 grid summarizing morality is not useful.
If incorporated into the design, morality system can add a layer of complexity (Undertale being one of the more modern prime examples and deconstructions), but if we are going to go down that route, I urge designers to branch out from the well-trodden paths. Griftlands relationship centric system serves as a great example of making individual choices matter within context as the different NPCs you interact with have different factions, and it creates a tangled web of choices. Furthermore, newer TTRPGs such as Tales of Xadia and Avatar: The Last Airbender offer individualized scales that the player opts into as part of character creation. Morality systems are clearly crucial in society, but in games, I think we can shift focus just a little bit.
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The post It’s Time to Abandon Morality Systems…in Games appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
The daughter of former NBA champion Dennis Rodman, Trinity Rodman, is a renowned soccer player who has already broken several records in two short years in the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League). Recently she became the youngest player in NWSL history to reach 10 goals and 10 assists.
According to CBS Sports, when the Washington Spirit beat the San Diego Wave 3-1, over the weekend, not only did that victory keep the team undefeated, but it also saw Trinity Rodman make league history after she scored a goal and added an assist.
With 13 goals and 10 assists, Rodman became the NWSL first player to record at least 10 goals and 10 assists in the regular season before turning 21.
10+10 – With a goal and an assist today, @WashSpirit‘s Trinity Rodman (13 goals, 10 assists) is the first player in @NWSL history to record at least 10 goals and 10 assists in regular season play before turning 21 years old. Complete. pic.twitter.com/z4yFbGiIxU
— OptaJack
(@OptaJack) May 6, 2023
The athleticism inherited from her famous, yet controversial father has carried her to the record books.
Trinity Rodman was drafted second in the 2021 NWSL College Draft. When she made her professional debut with the Washington Spirit, she immediately placed her name in the record books by becoming the youngest American goalscorer in league history, minutes after entering the game.
When she was drafted, Trinity Rodman was one of the six Black women selected in the first round of the NWSL draft that year. She helped the Spirit win the championship in her rookie season.
Less than a year later, according to ESPN, Trinity Rodman extended the initial deal she signed as a rookie through the 2024 season with an option for 2025. When she inked that contract she became the highest-paid athlete in the history of the NWSL.
Dennis Rodman, of course, was a five-time NBA champion and one of the best rebounders of all-time.
College campuses have been under pressure to meet student’s mental-health needs, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Counseling centers and clinicians who work with students are now seeing a significant increase in anxiety, depression, and behavioral disorders. There are also less-visible problems like stress, attention deficit, and more that have an impact on academic performance. It’s crucial that leadership on college campuses understands these challenges and knows how to intervene.
According to the National Education Association, nearly 100,000 students across 133 campuses participated in a survey that showed 44 percent of students reported symptoms of depression; 37 percent experienced anxiety; 15 percent considered suicide. The rates of depression and anxiety among Black students have been increasing at an overwhelming rate. When mental illness goes untreated, academic performance is hindered, as well as the student’s social and emotional well-being.
Students are very much feeling disconnected from a lot of things — from classes, from their friends, and from families. That could have a huge impact upon other areas of their lives. Sometimes, however, it’s not as easy to detect what’s clearly a crisis.
I have taught in higher education for 15 years, with the last 10 of those years fully online. The average age of my students is 35 years old, and the majority are current and prior-service military. Some of my students will soon be separating and have tremendous stress about what they are going to do next.
There are a separate set of challenges associated with students attending online classes. They feel isolated and have no interaction with their classmates, other than Zoom. In fully remote learning environments, many students can face challenges with limited internet or technology access. Loss of a loved one, homelessness, financial hardships, racial discrimination, or moving back in with aging parents all contribute to the steep rise we’re seeing in poor mental health.
A study from the National Institutes of Health found that approximately 34 percent of Black students reported feeling “so depressed in the last year it was difficult to function.” Black students attending HBCUs have also been dealing with the additional stress of bomb threats at their universities and suddenly not having access to abortion services in the wake of Roe v. Wade — Black women are disproportionately affected by this.
Eighty-six HBCUs are in states that have already restricted access to abortion, and many more are in the process of challenging reproductive rights, a factor that completely adds to the stress and anxiety Black students are already experiencing.
The pandemic has certainly increased the mental strain on a generation of college students already reporting record levels of psychological challenges. Black students need mental health services — both talk therapy and sometimes medication — now more than ever, but with the increase in students seeking counseling, some universities are having trouble meeting their needs.
Racial disparities exist on college campuses, despite increasing rates of college admissions and enrollment among Black and Brown students. On campus, students are more likely to encounter people of color in service jobs than in faculty or leadership positions. I receive emails from Black students all the time letting me know they are excited to have a Black professor. I don’t take that lightly, and it reinforces the fact that representation matters. That connection alone sometimes makes all the difference between a student pushing through my class or giving up.
The truth is, the coronavirus crisis highlights the fragility of a system that even before the pandemic was not doing enough to meet students’ needs. Here in California, college campuses have responded by moving therapy appointments online and using state grants to add services.
The question is: What can colleges and universities do to better support Black and Brown students?
I believe a first step is creating an environment in which they can feel supported and included. This begins with recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and staff. More important is the need to hire culturally competent mental health providers from diverse cultural backgrounds. It is possible to invest in initiatives that improve equity and inclusion on campus, even though they are in jeopardy in some states. When programs like this exist, they support social support and feeling a sense of belonging, as well as cultural pride. This is also important within the distance learning space.
As a faculty member, I am privy to many firsthand accounts of my Black students’ struggles to thrive in a predominantly white environment. I also hear the stories of challenges at home and how they are trying to cope. In certain situations, school is the only outlet they have. Those who are struggling with multiple burdens associated with being a Black student must be protected by their campuses and offered proper resources and help.
The process of students’ healing from mental-health challenges requires significant internal commitment and external support. Black and Brown college students are brilliant, talented, and creative, and they dream as big as other students. Pursuing higher education should not cause them to suffer in silence.