R P G A M E R . C O M   -   E D I T O R I A L S

Death of a Fantasy

!

!

Jason Schreier
STAFF REVIEWER

As I'm sure anyone who would read the Editorials section of RPGamer already knows by now, Aeris dies. She is brutally stabbed through the chest by the hands of antagonist Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII. Watching her death was painful and came as a complete shock to most people, eliciting grief and tears from gamers all around the world; for some, it was almost as if a friend or family member had been murdered, as if something had been ripped away from their lives. But hold on a minute... isn't this just a video game? Isn't Aeris a fabrication, a completely fictional character that was just made up for the purpose of this RPG? Why would anyone cry over Aeris's death when she wasn't really alive in the first place?

We mourn over a real person's death because we will miss their presence--we will no longer get to see their actions, dialogue, or mannerisms. What makes that any different than the death of a character in an RPG? Players cry because they're going to miss Aeris and the things she says and does. Of course, a video game character is not going to talk to us or react to us or think at all; it is simply a series of programmed responses and choices. However, if a fictional character is created well, they appear life-like to the point where it is almost creepy how much we can relate to them. We feel Cloud's pain as he watches Aeris's body fall to the ground, and we lament because we, too, are going to miss seeing what she says and does.

Of course, we have to recognize that there are key differences between fact and fiction, or else run the risk of being taken to a mental clinic. Characters in an RPG don't know you exist, and you can't form relationships with them, since they can't react to anything except what is in the context of their world. Fictional characters can also be brought back at any time at the discretion of human beings in charge, unlike real people (for now). However, there is no reason not to get attached to characters in any form of media, be it TV, movies, or video games. Deep fake characters can be just as enjoyable to experience as real human beings, and we miss them when they're gone--no matter what some people might say, there is no shame in crying over the death of Aeris or any other fictional character.