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I've never cried during a video game. But what you're really asking is 'when did a video game trigger an emotional response?'. That I can answer.

Remember some of the choices you had to make near the end of GTA IV? You spent the whole game trying to find the person who ruined Niko's life. After finally tracking him down, you find him a miserable, broken man. Should you kill him? Would letting him live be crueler? Would it be the right thing to do? I knew that after I made my choice, the game would autosave. There was no going back. I can't tell you how long I sat there, thinking through my decision. That was more tense for me than any of the games action scenes. The choice you had to make after this one was just as bad

And what about the big twist in Bioshock? Sure, you could classify that as a cutscene, but Andrew Ryan wasn't talking to some protagonist next to him in the frame. He was talking to you. He was explaining why you did the things that you did and how the reasons you thought you had for doing them was wrong. This wasn't about a character you were passively watching, it put a whole new spin on *my* actions and gave me a shock that the same scene playing out in a movie just couldn't.

I've never cried during a video game at all really. And I agree that its the cutscene that would make someone get emotional.

@johnsteed I'm actually specifically asking about crying during games, since that's what James Cameron referenced. Being moved to tears is not only an emotional response, but a physical response, and I'm interested in seeing how games may have touched on that. But anways, your GTA IV reference is a good example. As for BioShock, I think it's a unique exception in that they use the cutscene not just as a narrative step forward, but an effective reminder of your character's slave-like condition. I think Braid is another good example of a unique cutscene, the finale sequence being essentially a cutscene that you helped create and are actively playing back. It's examples like these that help give evidence games can stand apart from film, but I think we'll need to see it more often in future games.

hi man this is a interesting topic iv been playing computer and video games for 25 or 26 years and i have cryed a few times final fantasy10 part 2 when cloud meets yuna is an excelent cut seen and with the original music its also very moving only time i can think of from gameplay is a long time ago when i beet daily thompsons super test on spectrum 128 and well i was only 6.

I have a relatively easy answer to this question. Although I haven't full out cried during a video game it isn't saying I haven't come close. In Call of Duty 4, after the nuclear explosion and you are just stumbling around, technically that isn't a cut scene but it is a very emotional part of the game. As you basically just hold the joystick forward you eventually collapse and die. I was closer to crying at that point in time then I ever was during any movie. I felt attached to that character that just died. I apologize to Mr. Cameron if I didn't get that close to crying during Titanic, but I don't feel attached to something I didn't have a part of.

Square (as was called back in the days) has a few titles that made me cry, but I think its because all of the 3 titles were RPGs. Xeno Gears (while the story on that blanka [from street fighter] looking guy), Final Fantasy 7 (Arias death), and Chrono Cross (the part when the robots beat up Robo).

Ack! That's what I get for thinking I know more about what a person meant than the person asking the question.

The only time I ever cried when playing a video game was when my mother was cooking onions in the kitchen. The only movies that made me cry were Peter Jackson's King Kong (when Kong fell off the building) and Godzilla (the hollywood one where the monster invades New York City and eventually dies). I don't really know why, but something about big creatures, that are just confused and just trying to survive, getting killed like that makes me sad.

Well, like I said, the only time ever ever cried playing a video game was when my mother was cooking onions. However there have been a few times I've felt like crying. Like one time I was playing Halo PC, and I had played this level over and over, and just couldn't beat it. Halo has an checkpoint save system and I was at the second to last checkpoint in the level. I also just had one bar of health left, so even a grunt could've taken me out. So, the last time before I beat the level I got to where I knew I was almost done when an invisible elite popped up behind me and sliced me with his plasma sword. I was like "Noooooo!" I was almost to the point where I would've said "to heck with this" and uninstalled the game. However, I decided to try one more time. The next time I went through there I tossed a Plasma grenade at the elite and he ran off and ended up killing himself and a bunch of grunts. Now, that was funny! I was also able to beat the level because of that. So, I went from feeling like crying to laughing!

well, the ending of FF7 crisis core , the losing battle against a freaking army, with sad music, you very own HUD breaking down on you, and teary cutscenes interwoven is tear-jerking, and the cutscene ending was just as emotional, even though you knew what would happen from FF7, it was still powerful

I nearly cried twice in ROME:Total War, for joy, and then almost once in Medieval2, but by then I had become desensitized and was a ruthless general.
I never cry in movies.

I'm embarassed to admit it, but I cry over everything. Doesn't matter if it's a movie, a video game or a toilet paper commercial.

Actually, most times I cry are during cut scenes, but that only makes sense because I'm occupied playing the game at the time, can't afford to cry.

Saying that though, most times I cry during games are during RPG's, because they trigger the most emotions. I cried during Suikoden II during a certain famous characters death, I cried at the ending of the Xenosaga Trilogy because the whole thing is just insanely emotional, and I teared up during Shadow of the Colossus when Agro doesn't make the jump. I like James Cameron, but thats kind of a closed door statement.

@Sophia I have yet to see you cry at Kart Kall, unlocking that will be my new goal.

near to tears....the end of Rule of Rose

I know its a cutscene but I got a lumpy throat when Dom found his wife in gears2. I've never actually cried at a movie so this was a big deal for me, and does show that games can give you just as powerful of an emotional response as a film can.

I can't say i've ever cried during a video game, some have made me feel...dissapointed...but i've never cried..

in fable II when i kicked a chicken off a gypsy's face, i laughed so hard i cried.

Well I cried once, but on a different reason. When I was young I remember playing RE 1 and there was a zombie following me, I didn't know what to do so I cried

ive never cried from a video game unless it was out of joy. for example, when i was little, i played pokemon crystal all the time. one day, i encountered entei. i tried to catch him but couldn't. years passed, and i still couldn't catch. it wasn't until i looked online for strategies of how to catch him that i had a little more success. then i found raikou. it seemed like i would never be able catch them, until one fateful day when i decided to check up on my game. i got my haunter (the pokemon that helps ALOT in the catching process) and started to chase entei down. i finally cornered him, put him to sleep, and used mean look to trap him. finally, i caught him. i almost cried because i had finally caught him after 3 years of trying. 6 hours later, i caught raikou, then caught ho-oh.

the only time i cried during a movie was when ash got turned to stone in the first pokemon movie. "pokemon" is very emotionally powerful XD.

Earthbound--when fighting Giygas, there's no sound, odd clicking noises and you defeat him by playing a song that reminds him of when he was a boy.

well it wasn't tear-jerking, but the text bits in lost odyssey could be very moving.

though I cried at the end of castle crashers, it was that hilarious.

I've been about to cry over infuriating, frustrating challenges. :q
That's it really.

I cant recall ever crying whils playing a computer game, but then ive never really cried watchin movies either.

I would personally feel more of an emotional attatchment to a computer game character though, as I would be the one guiding them through the story, where as Id be more of a passive observer in movies.

When i do have an emotional response to movie characters its more of a nostalgic response nowadays though (a la Transformers etc)

i think it would be very hard to cry in a game sequence, as very little emotion can be displayed. you are in control. movie style cut scenes like in MGS4 would have this affect. When you say 'actual gameplay' i cannot imagine any sadness unless there is actually very little gameplay invol;ved, for instance the 'level' where you play as sgt paul jackson as he died from radiation poisoning in COD4. This was not tear jerking, maybe with special camera angls and third person play it could have been, but there was a completely minimal amount of player input. But i think this can be utilized in future games for sure

yes. i have 2, maybe 3 for you.

first off, rez. rez is an on-rails rhythm shooter, and has no cut-scenes but because play felt so intense and the music was so good, i felt some deeper emotions. i wasn't dropping tons of tears, but i felt them in my eyes.

second, FF11 online. because of the social aspect. friendships actually are real in those games.

and super metroid, right at the end when you unload into mother brain. such a cathartic moment. it might have been triggered by a cut-scene (stop-scene?), but during play i was quite emotional.

oh, and shadow of the colossus! right at the end (it's a bit of a spoiler if i say). i was crying so much. that's a really good example.

@TeabagChampion:

isn't that in trigger, not cross? when you're in the factory in 2000 a.d.
good example though.. i didn't cry, but yeah i can see why someone might.

oh, and i possibly was 'moved to tears' during the final sephiroth fight in ff7.

I can cite one moment in video game history that made me cry in what was an impressive showing of immersing you into the cut scene. This went beyond anything any movie could do.

Warning: Spoilers for Metal Gear Solid 3 ahead.


It was when you finally fight the Boss. The game basically has it established that Snake and Boss are very closely tied together, very intimate, and that what they have goes beyond love. The battle is fun and whatnot, a thrilling boss fight. Then comes the scene after. The Boss is laying there dying. She gives some final words and then hands Snake her legendary gun, The Patriot. She asks him to take the final shot as she lays there dying. Snake stands up and points the gun at her. This is where the cutscene pulls out and you're put into control. It goes from "Oh... Snake's going to shoot the Boss" to "I'M going to shoot the Boss." It thrusts you into Snake's position, and leaves you no choice just as he has no choice. The only thing you can do is pull the trigger and kill the Boss. No longer is she Snake's mentor and lover, she becomes YOUR mentor and lover. And the one who pulls the shot isn't Snake, it's you. It's a heavy emotional experience that truly makes you feel as if you just killed someone important to you. For a moment there, it's pretty darn hard not to cry. Great blog post, though. I found it very interesting.

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I've never cried or came close to crying playing video games. The closest I have been was when I was younger do to frustration.

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I don't think most video games are geared towards drama much. They mostly have a happy heroic endings. Must be a Hollywood thing.
That does not mean, however, that people don't get emotional responses from them. I've seen many FPS player go into bouts of rage when shot and others who laugh themselves silly when conquering a piece of virtual land.
I guess most games are also too shallow to get deeper emotional responses from them.

Interesting reads, it never occurred to me that one of the most prevalent and natural emotions would be that of unbridled frustration, then followed by joyful elation when overcoming challenges. It may not even be the primary intent of the game designer, but it's a natural result of game design nonetheless. I think there are some great examples here, whether it's emotional identification with the game character, being overwhelmed by the sensory experience, or just out of pure hilarity.

Alright I will start with this: Final Fantasy X made me cry. Fina Fantasy VII, and VIII made me cry. And Metal Gear Solid 3 and 4. While most games dont rely on the story telling element, it can be done. I have never cried because a painting or a painting. You see, cutscenes arent just shot movies in between gameplay.

What is the difference between movie and game? Games are interactive. Movies are not. If anything, games should make people cry more, however a lot of makers dont use this potential. For example, you can grow attached to characters in games a lot more than anything else besides books. Because your with them for so long.

"The cut-scene is just a cousin of modern film, inserted into a video game experience to help move the narrative along. There are certainly very moving, emotionally, and sob-worthy video games, but it's my feeling a gamer's top ten list of emotional games would be heavily cut-scene reliant."

Are you aware a lot of games call them cinematics now? Heavily cutscene reliant, there is nothing wrong with that. All movies are are long cutscenes. Its not that games cant do it, its that a lot don't try. Closing your minds to the possibility of an emotional game would close your eyes to countless experiences. For example, MGS4, the ending gameplay through the microwave. Pay that then tell me it is not possible.

Because the developers dont really try to make it sad, its not. But it can. Calling cutscenes just something to move the narrative is a very limited viewpoint. I expect a response. So saying "You dont cry during videogames", to me, is stupidity. I have never cried during a book. I have cried for songs and movies. Because they convey emotions. Games dont normally try. But they can, proven in the games I isted.

James Cameron can comment on games just as much as he'd accept film advice from Miyamoto. I wouldn't take his comments that seriously, his days of innovation are over, and given that video games move at the speed of light, people from other media are no real authority.

@dunnuck Are you directing these comments towards me, or James Cameron? My blog post is not about if cut-scenes (or cinematics, doesn't matter what they are called) are emotional or not, it's about if gameplay is emotional or not. Gameplay is what makes the gaming medium unique, not cut-scenes. The question is, can this medium take it's defining element (gameplay), and use that alone to evoke an emotional reaction, namely the act of crying, without relying on the cut-scene device, something that borrows heavily from the film medium?

I cry a little inside every time I find out that the princess is in another castle.

I've been playing for the better part of twenty years now, and I can safely say never. Since you put in the conditional "but not cut-scenes" part anyway. There have been cut-scenes that have moved me to tears, sure, but not openly sobbing, or spilling buckets. There have been times when gameplay has almost managed it - these have been from Final Fantasy games only though. FFX mainly the Yuna/Tidus scenes, but most especially when Yuna is recording her thoughts on the Mi'ihen Highroad; FFVIII awkward scenes between Squall and Rinoa. But I'm not sure whether to classify them as scenes or cut-scenes. They aren't movie scenes, but they're a part of the story no matter what you do. The FFX scene I mentioned actually allows you some degree of control over the camera while it's happening, so I'm not sure what that is. Actually, FFIX DID manage it - it was the moment when Zidane got out of the chair in Pandemonium Fortress and systematically abused/avoided his friends in a vain attempt at solving his own mess.

It was directed more toward James Cameron, however, I don't think that gameplay can make people cry (unless out of happiness or frustration), because most of the things in media that make people cry, they are not involved in. Gaming is interactive, and it is predetermined for you by the makers, so people will not cry during gameplay, UNLESS it is entangled witht he story of the game, such as the microwave section in metal gear solid, where it is gameplay, yet a cutscene at the same time. But because of the interaction and "fun factor", crying won't happen during gameplay normally.

I think i remember one time that i almost cried out of complete frustration, it was in Portal, one level had you teleporting from wall to wall and i just couldn't figure out, no matter what i tried until i finally put the controller down and walked away never to return to that level..or game for that matter. You might say i give up easy but then again i don't really enjoy puzzle games or being frustrated to the point of hurling my controller at the TV..i could just be simple minded, who knows?..

I'm going to have to go with Bioshock. When I found out that Atlas was playing me the whole time and my decisions that I had made came back to haunt me, I was very upset. I didn't cry, but that is one of the most unbelievable moments in a video game and it really stuck with me and made me go back and play the whole thing over again. What would you suspect from the greatest game ever made.

There were two instances where I recall crying while playing a game..

The first, and probably a common one, was during FFX. It was the first game I had ever played, but defeating Sin just made me bawl. Maybe it's my girly-ness, but I think it was extraordinary gaming.

The second was more recent. My boyfriend had convinced me to play Left 4 Dead with him for the first time. Me, him, and two of his friends got on our computers, all in the same apartment and settled in. They started the game, on *expert*. It was around this point when I vowed never to play this game on expert again. We were playing Death toll, I believe, and as I rounded a corner, that haunting, irrevocable, intrusive, stupid-f-ing-tank-music began. And I was his meal. Stupidly, I had gone a little farther ahead, triggering the spawn, and as I ran away in a futile attempt to live, the tank smacked me with one hand, clobbered me with concrete, and I stared at the screen, watching my lifeless body. I cried. I could care less that I had died, it was just the sheer "OMG" factor. After the game was over, we all had a good laugh about it, but even on normal, as much as I love the game, the tank music or the tank itself gets me all shaky. I've considered getting some silly tank music mod, something that would help me and my tank-jitters, but it would ruin the game for me. Although, I do have fun Molotov'ing the witch and hearing "burn baby burn" looping in the background. Smug satisfaction, indeed.

Yeah some in game music can definitely stress you out if they do it correctly, the sound effects in FEAR had me jumping at shadows, and L4D does a great job at keeping you on your toes..

I've Had afore mentioned "Unbridled Rage". Trying to download a game Demo for a highly anticipated game and getting Disconnected from Xbox Live every 5 Minutes (Literally) sends me into an Insane jibbering mess. But, after I re-connect all is well(Until I get kicked off again :}).

When I was a little kid I used to feel very sad when I lost one of my allies in Starfox 64. They'd give a quick message like "I can't go on." and while it wasn't a moment where I'd cry, I couldn't help but feel sad and a sense of loss and disappointment, like I let them down or something. I know it's stupid but I was a kid. I also had the same feeling when I lost an ally in Fire Emblem. Maybe I'm just dumb.