„Chcę, byś wiedział, że tym razem będzie inaczej”. Analiza retoryki przedstawienia psychologii w grze Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

The chapter “I want You to know this will be Different” An Analysis of the Rhetoric behind „Silent Hill: Shattered Memories”’ Psychology by Sven Dwulecki and Arras Khaledi introduces the principle of calibration concept which states: “The better a videogame adjusts its persuasive elements, the more powerful its persuasive abilities become”. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories demonstrates this principle’s application by modelling narrative elements after player’s input. Gameplay behaviors, as well as given responses throughout in-game psychological sessions, shape not only the character of the protagonist, but also adjust the overall gaming experience to the individual player. Hence, Silent Hill reflects upon the gamers and allows for an uncommon level of game-incentivised self-reflection. With its interdisciplinary approach, this chapter ventures beyond Silent Hill’s rhetoric, analyses its interplay with the depicted conduct of psychology, and compares it with the game Until Dawn. Those insights allow for a better understanding of how procedurally calibrated messages create powerful statements about player’s personality and the depiction of psychology in videogames.