This is a very personal matter.

Ryan Troock
Jul 27, 2017 · 3 min read

I love being in the world of Breath of the Wild. Riding my horse across the plains, following a little river just to see where it goes. I am especially fond of the villages. As the music would start to play as I set foot into a new village my mind was filled with questions: what kind of place was this, what do the inhabitants do, What do they eat? Or rather, what do they choose to eat?

While exploring the rooftops in Gerudo Town I happened across Calyban. I tried talking to her. She told me to buzz off before tossing a melon rind into a nearby canal. This was one of several moments where it felt as though the interaction were designed for the novelty of it, rather than as the starting point for further content. I was surprised to find so many instances where Link had nothing to do. As @BooDooPerson put it:

In Tarrey Town I came across a mother named Ruli. Her daughter had lost her appetite. Strike up a conversation with Ruli and she mentions that she will talk to her husband about it at night. A hint to come back later and offer a helping hand?

I returned that night and was immediately asked to leave — this is a private matter. These folks neither needed, nor wanted, my help.

I was fascinated by these moments and spaces created for these characters to simply exist in, without it being about Link. I was being shown these character’s problems and being told “don’t worry yourself”.

About this, I was wrong.

Each of these situations was an opportunity for a side quest. All that was required was some snooping:

Just follow the melon rinds down the canal to discover that Calyban’s littering is causing problems for others, or sit outside of Ruli’s window during the private conversation with her husband to listen in on a clue.

Had I discovered this earlier, I am confident that I would have wandered around Hyrule poking and prodding my way into people’s personal lives in an attempt to solve their every problem, no matter how small.

But I had already come to a decision: these people did not need my help. These were the kind of problems that everybody deals with on their own.

I am not here to solve the problems of people who aren’t asking for my help, who aren’t even speaking to me. The best way for me to help all these people is to help end the threat that is impeding so furiously on their daily lives — Calamity Ganon.

I wasn’t skipping these quests because they were boring, but because it felt wrong to eavesdrop, to force my way into folk’s personal lives.

By unintentionally asking me to ignore entire parts of its world, Breath of the Wild pushed me to consider my choices not as part of a game, but in the role of a character. At a time when so many games are providing me with lists of quests, and seemingly endless worlds to wander around in, it reminded me that I don’t have to do everything. I can choose just how much I engage with a game, and will likely enjoy it more by limiting my own behaviours.


Notes:

  • This Podcast from Inkle Studio has a good conversation about Roleplaying in Narrative Games.
  • This piece on Negative Space within Videogames by amr al-aaser is an excellent read on a related topic.

Ryan Troock

Written by

A person who does things, infrequently.

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