Speculation regarding the climax of Walter White's transfigurative journey in Breaking Bad has now ended, while Game of Thrones' 'The Rains of Castamere' episode from earlier this year left audiences reeling in shock. In both series, no character is ever truly safe, and death carried great emotional impact.
In video games, meanwhile, it's rare for death to mean much. The safety net offered by the ability to continue from a previous save or change the difficulty level is an affirmation for players that they always remain in control, hindered only by repetition as they trundle on from a previous checkpoint. Most games offer power fantasies for the player with relatively few repercussions; in an apparent nod to Star Trek's ill-fated Redshirts, the Redcoats of Assassin's Creed III push disposable mookdom to the point of parody as Connor cuts his way through hordes of soldiers in busy streets. Although visceral and well-animated, any attempt to imply danger in these moments comes off as a facade, as the penalty for death itself is so fleeting.
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