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A cowardly and superstitious lot
Super hero fiction poses us with the same question all good stories do; simply put, it asks what would you do? Despite comic books, TV shows and films having dominated the market for well over fifty years, video games arguably hold the edge in this regard. Rather than being confined to the imagination, it puts us into a characters shoes so we can find out for ourselves.
Would the world love them? Or fear them?
We usually think of super powers as heroic; its hardwired into us from an early age. This is a far cry from the real world, where prejudice comes all too easily. Would the status-quo mirror InFamous panic-gripped universe if someone with Delsins powers (not to mention questionable morality) appeared on the scene?
Would they be seen as freaks?
As such, developing special abilities in our world might come at the cost of becoming an outcast. This possibility is especially true if those powers changed you physically, as with the Prototype series stomach-turning abilities. In fact, the civil rights movement and apartheid of the last century demonstrate that discrimination isnt ever far behind us.
What about super-strength and super-speed?
What if your powers didnt fall quite so far from the tree, then? Fairholm suggests that wed feel less threatened if they took on a more traditional form, merely improving our strength or speed (not dissimilar to the agents of Crackdown). In fact, should an individual represent the traits we admire in everyday life theyd probably be seen in a very different light.
Masks: yes or no?
Although putting on a mask is synonymous with super heroes, psychology suggests that we might not respond well to those costumes in reality because theyre dehumanising. Human faces provide a lot of information, Fairholm tells me. So anything that youre wearing on your head where you cant see someones face, where you cant judge what theyre thinking or feeling based upon their facial expression, that creates a certain degree of uncertainty.
Hero? Or terrorist?
Its not an exaggeration to say that the appearance of super heroes would upend our world, but Im interested in whatd happen afterward. A culture similar to the one seen in inFamous: Second Son (where Conduits are labelled as bio-terrorists) might come to pass if great responsibility didnt necessarily follow great power. More than any other inFamous game, Second Son explores this theme extensively.
And would Super Heroes actually do good?
The utopian view of super heroes is that super heroes do good, Fairholm suggests. Even if sometimes the boundaries are blurred, fundamentally theyre doing things for the right reasons. Theyre trying to help people. Theyre trying to save people. For the most part, they do more good than harm. But I think in a real life situation where you couldnt factor that in itd be much less clear that theyd be able to always do good It would be largely dependant on the realities of life.
Super heroes would worry governments, right?
We frequently take the rest of the world for granted in super hero fiction. Fairholm has concerns that super hero vigilantes would make governments everywhere agitated--something perfectly realised in inFamous: Second Son. The whole game is about the US authorities 'cleaning house', by hunting down everyone with Conduit powers.
And what about the media?
Super heroes dont ever seem to catch a break. The public image of vigilantes is often dragged through the mud in gaming, as discovered by Cole MacGrath on multiple occasions. Considering how unpleasant we can be without special abilities, is infamy unavoidable? As Fairholm tells me, it doesnt take long to try and identify somebodys flaws. Either you look into their back-history, look into their past, youll find out what they were before they were superhuman I mean, people are human beings, and so they tend to behave badly.
Would they change with power?
If theres nothing that could constrain you morally then your moral belief system is different, Fairholm says on what these powers would do to your psyche. Look at the way it consumes Alex Mercer in Prototype, or how arrogant it makes Dante in DmC. Your moral system is based on the fact that youre mortal and vulnerable but again, if people have got power then how do you guarantee that theyve got responsibility? There is no yard-stick there.
There would be copycats
Interestingly, real-life superheroes could match their video game counterparts in other unanticipated ways. Indeed, Fairholm is partial to the possibility that wed base our personas on those who inspired us in the first place, as seen in 2012s Gotham City Impostors (where vigilantes and criminals acted out the roles of their idols, Batman and the Joker).
And how would they handle failure?
For the most part, characters in the vein of Batman win the day through sheer determination. Still, at some point youre bound to fail: you cant be everywhere at once. Fairholm thinks this might trip heroes up, specifically those who are perfectionists: Arkham Citys version of Batman is a prime example, because when things go south he loses his cool.
Would they become celebrities?
Fairholm brings up a comparison between celebrity culture and super heroes multiple times during our conversation. In his eyes, the latter is a suitable representation of the former. Gaming heroes often find fame among the people, with inFamous again providing a great example of this.
Would anything be the same again?
You often see this again with, what would it be like if aliens landed?. For some people, it would completely change their life, Fairholm concludes. If you had a religious belief system you might see this as the second coming or an intervention from God. If you have a natural suspicion about people, youre likely to want to see the flaws in this person.
With great power comes great responsibility
My talk with Fairholm paints a very different picture of super-heroism to the one weve become used to. However, perhaps thats why we enjoy the genre so much. In gaming these characters can achieve things our dull, logical world would suggest are impossible; theyre fantastical for a reason. That said, do you think youre cut out to be a superhero after all?
