Mass Effect Analysis - The Shared Ownership of Commander Shepard

-- This video contains full spoilers for the Mass Effect trilogy, and depictions of virtual violence and sex --

When Mass Effect launched in 2007, the heroes of western RPGs were typically blank-slate nobodies. But Commander Shepard is different. What does it mean to have a character whose personality and identity is shared between the player and the character?

Support Game Maker's Toolkit on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/GameMakersToolkit

Join the GMTK Game Jam
https://itch.io/jam/gmtk-2020

Footnotes

[1] This role could also be played by the character Kaidan Alenko, depending on who survived the events of Mass Effect 1. To streamline the video, I’m using Ashley whenever I need to talk about the “Virmire survivor”.

[2] There are other possible choices, one of which involves using a "Charm" or "Intimidate" line to get Tali off scot-free without presenting the evidence. This is just one of many examples of the rewards for playing pure Paragon or pure Renegade being far too tempting…

Sources

Mass Effect Interview | IGN
https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/19/mass-effect-interview-2

John Ebenger | Twitter
https://twitter.com/EbengerJohn/status/1230205582478458880

Mass Effect 3 by the numbers | PC Gamer
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/mass-effect-3-infographic/

The Walking Dead: Bringing the World's Smartest Zombie Series to Life | Redbull
http://web.archive.org/web/20150209213003/http://www.redbull.co.uk/cs/Satellite/en_UK/Article/The-Walking-Dead--Bringing-the-world-021243300828382

BioWare Explains Why There's No Homosexuality in Mass Effect 2 | 1UP
http://web.archive.org/web/20120724180604/http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9026170

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey director apologizes for forcing characters into a traditional relationship | Polygon
https://www.polygon.com/2019/1/17/18186911/assassins-creed-odyssey-dlc-romance-apology

The Witcher History #2 - E3 2004 | ryslaw on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBWlnL6Tr6k

Games shown in this episode (in order of appearance)

Gone Home (Fulbright, 2013)
The Last of Us (Naughty Dog, 2013)
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Kojima Productions, 2015)
Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games, 2017)
Pillars of Eternity (Obsidian Entertainment, 2015)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Game Studios, 2006)
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (Troika Games, 2004)
Deus Ex (Ion Storm, 2000)
Planescape: Torment (Black Isle Studios, 1999)
Mass Effect (BioWare, 2007)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Naughty Dog, 2009)
Mass Effect 2 (BioWare, 2010)
Mass Effect 3 (BioWare, 2012)
Halo 3 (Bungie, 2007)
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (Naughty Dog, 2007)
Gears of War (Epic Games, 2006)
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Kojima Productions, 2008)
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Square Enix, 2018)
Persona 5 (Atlus, 2017)
The Outer Worlds (Obsidian Entertainment, 2019)
Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios, 2015)
Fallout 3 (Bethesda Game Studios, 2008)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (BioWare, 2003)
Life Is Strange: Before the Storm (Deck Nine, 2017)
Detroit: Become Human (Quantic Dream, 2018)
The Wolf Among Us (Telltale Games, 2013)
The Walking Dead: Season One (Telltale Games, 2012)
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (Konami, 2001)
Life is Strange (Dontnod Entertainment, 2015)
Kingdom Hearts III (Square Enix, 2019)
Dragon Age II (BioWare, 2011)
Fallout: New Vegas (Obsidian Entertainment, 2010)
Jade Empire (BioWare, 2005)
Dragon Age: Origins (BioWare, 2009)
Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios, 2016)
Assassin's Creed II (Ubisoft Montreal, 2009)
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft Montreal, 2013)
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (Ubisoft Quebec, 2018)
Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft Montreal, 2020)
Monster Hunter: World (Capcom, 2018)
Heaven’s Vault (Inkle, 2019)
The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog, 2020)
Mafia III (Hangar 13, 2016)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios, 2011)
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Eidos Montreal, 2016)
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (Sega, 2016)
Disco Elysium (ZA/UM, 2019)
Alpha Protocol (Obsidian Entertainment, 2010)
Mass Effect: Andromeda (BioWare, 2017)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt Red, 2015)
The Witcher (CD Projekt Red, 2007)
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (CD Projekt Red, 2011)

Music used in this episode

Music provided by Music Vine - https://musicvine.com/

Mass Effect soundtrack used with permission from Electronic Arts

The Witcher 3 soundtrack used in accordance with CD Projekt Red policy - https://cdprojektred.com/en/videopolicy

Video sections

00:00 - Introduction
03:13 - Part I (Shepard, Commander)
05:41 - Part II (Paragon of Humanity)
20:52 - Part III (Company Man)
28:58 - Part IV (Shepard's Flock)
44:12 - Part V (Create a Commander)
49:14 - Part VI (Commanding Shepard)
52:48 - Ending

Other credits

24 and Fox News © Fox Broadcasting Company
Star Trek © ViacomCBS

Contribute translated subtitles - https://amara.org/v/C3BDq/

Видео Mass Effect Analysis - The Shared Ownership of Commander Shepard канала Game Maker's Toolkit