New video game offers thrills, critical thinking skills

Equinox Staff
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[singlepic id=31 w=320 h=240 float=right]Matt Miracle

Equinox Staff

 

Swords clashing, arrows soaring, and fireballs exploding are all things to be expected in BioWare’s new hit sequel, “Dragon Age 2.” And lots of blood and gore of course, though the squeamish can opt to turn that setting off if they want.

But what’s new in this fantasy role-playing game that makes it so different from its predecessor, “Dragon Age: Origins?”

Sure, there are some obvious points I could mention; the combat mechanics have been drastically revamped and the graphics have improved a tiny bit, but that’s not what I want to spend most of this review talking about.

That said, “Dragon Age 2” does an absolutely phenomenal job exploring some complicated philosophical issues, delving into diversity and dealing with the idea of choices and their consequences.

“Wait, did this guy just talk about philosophical issues in a video game?” Damn straight I did. But before I get into that, let me briefly describe the narrative of “Dragon Age 2” without spoiling too much of the game’s plot.

So, in the world of “Dragon Age,” there’s a chance you can be born a mage. If that happens, you’re supposed to be sent to a special placed called “The Circle,” guarded by people called templars, to be trained professionally, otherwise you may get possessed by a demon and be a huge risk to society. Suffice to say, a large majority of mages consider The Circle a prison and don’t get along with their templars bodyguards, who feel all they’re doing is taking the steps necessary to protect society from a greater evil.

 

“‘Wait did this guy just start talking about philosophical issues in a video game?’ Damn straight I did.”
-Matt Miracle

 

Neither side in particular is portrayed as evil and in fact; they both make good points.

Throughout the game, the player sees countless mages get possessed and kill people, but you can also see the templar brutality.

Since this is an RPG, you have to make your own choices as to what you want to do in regards to all of this.

For me, it wasn’t until I heard a templar say, “Even if only one in 100 mages were to get possessed, we would still be doing a service to society,” when it clicked for me. Let’s forget the fact that we’re talking about mages, demons, and templars here.

What if we were talking about Muslims and terrorists? What if The Circle was Guantanamo Bay? I don’t really know if that’s the statement the game was making and, hell, maybe if you played it yourself you’d come to a different conclusion. Starting to see where the philosophy comes in?

Now let’s take a look at the diversity. Like any fantasy, in “Dragon Age 2” there are elves, dwarves, and a few other races as well. However, since I have a word limit, I’ll just be focusing on the elves.

In “Dragon Age 2,” elves are viewed as second-class citizens (humans being first) and often referred to as “knife-ears” by the more racist individuals in the game.

They’re split into two factions: the tribal elves who live in the forests and strive to maintain their culture, and the city elves who are desperately trying to integrate themselves into society by living in cramped inner-city ghettos and taking up jobs as servants or even worse, prostitutes.

Now the obvious parallel to draw here is with the African American people before the Civil Rights Movement, which is rather deep for a video game–and that’s just one of the races.

Anyway, if you haven’t been able to catch on by now, I loved every second of “Dragon Age 2.”

By far, it was one of the best games I have ever played and I genuinely wish I could waste another forty hours of my life away on it.

I’m sure a lot of people might criticize this review because I didn’t spend a whole lot of time talking about mechanics, interface, sound, and the usual bits, but “Dragon Age 2” is a game that is truly defined by its narrative and ability to get the player to think critically about tough subjects and make difficult decisions without knowing the consequences.

How many games can one truly say that about? I mean, sure, I enjoy my “Call of Duty” as much as the next guy, but it’s a cheap and mindless thrill that really only serves to show the gaming industry they don’t need to take any risks when it comes to game development.

Come on guys, they’ve been making the same game over again for six years; it’s getting old.

What the gaming industry truly needs are more games like “Dragon Age 2” to show that video games can be just as much of an art as film and music.

 

Matt Miracle can be contacted at mmiracle@keeneequinox.com

Equinox Staff

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