Stella's death in DA worked so well because no one saw it coming and she had a thing going with the MC, surely killing off a potential lover wouldn't happen and then BAM headshot bitches. Dragon wins.
God, I remember how shocked I was when that scene happened!
But that shows the skill of this creator. It didn't feel needless and like it was just there for shock value. It had a purpose in the story, that was tragic but motivating.
In some genres, I don't mind intense, violent scenes, or character death. In these games, I usually hate them, but I think it's more about how they're written and presented, than anything else. After all, I'm playing these games, not just for a humor-filled jack-off, but because I like the stories and how serious some are. And that means I shouldn't see them as "porn" for a genre, but for what they are, with strong sexual elements.
Seeing them like that, obviously what happened to Stella upset me, but it had purpose.
Other games
Like Acting Lessons that include death, seem to do it wrong
Namely, I think DA worked to portray something you couldn't have prevented/someone you couldn't have saved, where as AL, despite otherwise great writing and a compelling and moving story, played out that scene as if it was unpreventable, or as if you couldn't have saved them both, forcing you to deal with one dying, when in all honesty, I don't think the game needed that twist, and I think someone could have saved both, or at least tried too....
Ugh, that scene stills gets to me, hard. Didn't mean to ramble.
Now, all that said, I'm HOPING there won't be a death in this game. The creator could pull one off, and it would work for the story... but at some point, it looks like a creator's hallmark to just kill someone off, all because the "gritty, realistic" atmosphere seems to call for someone to die to advance the plot.
)
