Valentine’s Day just passed us by, and many around the globe are sitting and wondering if their date went well or not. For some, it’s probably more obvious than others. I took guessing out of the equation and spent my evening with the recent release, Dragon Age: Inquisition. What might surprise you, however, is that my night was not without romance.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is unique, as it features an in-game system in which players can flirt and learn about other characters in the game world. Much like the real world, the persons within Dragon Age: Inquisition each have their own tendencies and preferences. The choices and decisions players make in the game directly affect what others think of them.
As a player, you’ve got to boost your character’s ‘approval’ rating with other characters to have any hope of wooing them into your grasp. This proves to be a treacherous path at times, given the politics of the game world.
My ability to communicate romantically in the real world is pretty non-existent. Playing through Dragon Age: Inquisition, I think I came to some very sound realizations that may help me in the future.
I know what you’re thinking: “This silly boy is talking about dating inside of a video game.”
I have learned a lot by playing this game, which allowed me the opportunity to control conversations and keep them at a pace of my choosing. Admittedly, this is a bit like cheating. In any normal chat, if you stopped and stared at someone for 30 seconds before deciding what to say, you’d probably come off as strange or flat-out crazy.
That said, I’ve taken my experience and come up with some ideas that you can try to apply in real-life dating scenarios:
Be yourself.
I know: It’s cliché. That said, you really begin to understand why these words are so important when you enter the dating arena. As the main character in Dragon Age: Inquisition, your opinion carries a lot of weight; maintaining strong relationships with other organizations and people are very important facets of the game world.
When my opinion changed during play to suit someone that I liked, others took notice. In fact, there were occasions when I damaged my chances with that person because I changed my opinion to suit.
Be yourself and forget what anyone will think of your actions. This way, you can automatically filter out a number of choices that might be bad for you in the long run.
Accept flaws in character.
A lot of times, when we are looking for potential romantic partners, we are very picky. That’s not to say we shouldn’t be – we’ve got to value ourselves as well. There are certain characteristics that can be overlooked. Maybe you’ve noticed that your significant other is a tad argumentative?
For me and my lover in Dragon Age: Inquisition, the subject of contention was religion. My partner’s name was Cassandra Pentaghast, a devoutly religious member of the Seekers of Truth. I played my character through the game as a skeptic, as is one of the many options. We learned to accept each other’s differences and came out stronger because of it.
Don’t get hung up on a person.
Early on in Dragon Age: Inquisition, I had my eyes set on one character in particular. I knew that the Dragon Age series had the romance system, and I thought it’d be easy to woo anyone I wanted. After all, it’s a video game, right? If you’re willing to say anything, even if it doesn’t fit your character’s persona, then that may be true. I have a penchant for sticking to my character’s faux belief set from the get-go, so this wasn’t an option for me.
At any rate, I figured out very quickly that it just wasn’t going to work out between us. The waiting and worrying to which I was previously subject finally disappeared when I stopped trying to be with someone that just wasn’t right for me.
Ask questions.
This is, surprisingly, one of the most important lessons I think I can relay to you. Ask copious amounts of questions and don’t stop asking them. They are a great way to show interest in your partner, even if you’ve been together for a while. When you’ve just met someone, you can’t have any communication that is based on prior outings. While it’s easy to assume that you’re adept at socializing because you hang around old friends, new people – even non-romantic persons – can shatter your reality. If someone’s already agreed to go on a date with you, the interest is there. Asking questions can do nothing but bolster their opinion of you.
We live in a day and age in which video games encompass the entire range of human experience. While some might portray these feelings more accurately, there’s always something to be learned.
Let’s not forget that these titles are made by people just like you and me. These developers are extremely passionate about their work, and it’d be hard to imagine them putting anything less than 100 percent into their craft. In this case, Dragon Age: Inquisition developer Bioware has given gamers a luscious game world, packed to the brim with a stellar plot and interesting characters. The gift of being able to interact with this universe adds yet another layer of depth that is completely its own.
~Video games journalist Jacob Saylor has covered the massive Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles.
