Literature can come in many different forms, and when you mix it with art and entertainment, it can be something groundbreaking. Deus Ex is a revolutionary video game from 2000 that allows the player to assume the character of JC Denton, United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition agent as he sets out to combat terrorist forces, which have become increasingly prevalent in a world slipping ever further into chaos in the year 2052. What was so revolutionary about this video game saga that combined the first-person shooter, role playing, and stealth elements is that it was the first to introduce narrative choice to a game of its type; every decision the player makes will alter the story instead of being pigeonholed into having to sit through one narrative with no control. The game developer, Eidos, accomplishes what is the goal of every role-playing video game, player immersion, by offering the player control over the direction of the narrative in both pivotal and non-essential decisions. From the very first moment, when the main character is taking down terrorists in the Statue of Liberty, the player has to make a decision: lethal or non lethal weaponry? The commander will ask, and the player immediately has to decide, which affects how the commander and agency sees the character/player down the road. This forced decision gives you agency over the narrative, and manages to meld the character and player’s decisions. In this way the game can tell a story with a dynamic narrative that allows the player to be a character. Actions that do not affect the story line can also go in multiple different ways. The main character’s brother decides to leave the Anti-Terrorist Coalition at one point in the game. The player can either do nothing, hunt him down, or convince him to come back. The main plot isn’t affected at all, but the story that is told changes based on the decision.
Thierry Nguyen of the review site Computer Gaming World talks at length about the choices that the game offers the player in terms of narrative: “The concept of choice and flexibility is so inherent in the game design that the endgame, too, depends on your choice,” (para 16). The narrative adapts to the player’s choices so much so that the player learns what they choice reflects about them in indirect characterization of the main character in the final scenes; at the end of the game the player is given three different options, “all of which are extensions of three different ideologies; it’s up to the player to determine which of these ideals will be followed, and hence, which ending will be seen,” (para 16). No matter how much control a book appears to give, it can’t come close to the immersion of actually making a choice about the narrative, which sets Deus Ex apart as a masterful way to tell a story.
Nguyen, Thierry (2000-09-05). “ZDNet: Computer Gaming World: Reviews: They’re Out to Get Me”.Computer Gaming World. Web. 10/14/14
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