Infamous Karma System

example of Bad Karma

This is an example of good karma

Infamous Basic plot and factors that contribute to Karma

infamous is an open world game where the player is thrown into the role of Cole MacGrath.  the back ground on Cole is not very detailed but the game does give you information that builds the character.  Cole is a bike messenger in Empire City (fictional city though does bare some resemblance to Chicago and New York City morphed together).   Game starts with Cole delivering a package to an unknown person, where e then recieves a phone call from someone name Kessler who instructs Cole to open the package.  COle opens the package and pulls out a device known as the ray-sphere.  COle closes the sphere causing an explosion and imbueing himself with new electrical powers.

Karma System

All of Cole's karma is solely based on how he uses his powers through out empire city.  Good actions such as helping injured citzens or using Cole's powers to live capture enemies grants you good karma. Evil actions such as draining an enemies life force or using Cole's powers to kill civilians grants you bad karma. Also as you progress through the story there will be points where it requires the player to make a choice one way or the other that grants the respect good or bad karma. The end of  Infamous is based on the Cole's karma level at the end.  If it was good then Empire City praises Cole as a hero and rebuilds. However, if Cole's karma is bad Empire City falls into chaos.

Karma levels:

Good

• Guardian
• Champion 
• Hero

Evil/Bad

• Thug
• Outlaw
• Infamous (which is also the game title)

 References

1.  Infamous (video game). Wikipedia. Retrieved October 10, 2011. from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infamous_(video_game)
2. Bad Karma Picture from http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/yIrxfaahPto/0.jpg
3. Good Karma picture from http://www.cheatcc.com/imagesps3/infamous_000c.jpg

Fallout 3 Karma Meter

picture from http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KarmaMeter

Several games implement some kind of morality into their gameplay.  The purpose of this morality system is to affect the gameplay.  You may ask: "How does it affect gameplay?" The answer is not as clear cut as you might think. Below is a list of games that have a morality system some are more clear cut then others. However, i am going to detail the Fallout 3 morality system.

Games with some type of morality system:

• Fallout 3
• Fallout New vegas
• Starwars Knights of the Old Republic
• Starwars Knights of the Old Republic 2: Sith Lords
• Infamous
• Infamous 2

Basic information about the game

Fallout 3 is a role playing game that is set in Washington DC after a nuclear attack(hence the name Fallout). During the attacks several people hid in various places throughout the area. You take of the role of a wander who has been living in and underground vault for years now. (Warning next part will contain a plot spoiler for those who haven't played the game). The reason you leaave the vault is to find your father who has a mysterious past that you have to unravel while playing.

Morality System

As the gamer plays through Fallout 3 You make choices along the way.  These choices made within the game affect the player in a number of ways. (listed below) If a player happens to have extreme karma one way or the other, it can lead to multiple endings of a game. To quote a section of text from tvtropes.org "To undermine the concept even further, games with a Karma Meter often include a Golden Snitch decision that will heavily push you towards (or even lock you permanently in) one extreme of the morality gauge regardless of your actions up to that point. This means that in a game with Multiple Endings, your ending is decided more by that one single choice rather than an accumulation of all of your deeds and misdeeds."  As tvtropes.org explains this Golden Snitch "A competition involving a series of events or activities, in which the final round counts for a disproportionately large percent of the team's total score — and in fiction, will tend to be worth more than all previous events combined. Thus, whoever wins the final round earns enough points to win the entire match, regardless of just about everything else that happened before it."

Ways choices affect the game:

• Choices affect how plot npcs treat the player
• Choices often lead to one extreme side of the karma meter.
• Choices sometimes lead to a grey area where there is no real karma affect

References: 

1. Karma Meter - Television Tropes & Idioms . (n.d.). Home Page - Television Tropes & Idioms . Retrieved October 28, 2011, from http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KarmaMeter 
2. san, a. (. (n.d.). Golden Snitch - Television Tropes & Idioms . Home Page - Television Tropes & Idioms . Retrieved October 28, 2011, from http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GoldenSnitch 

History of Karma Systems

There's only been a few games that have any notable karma system in them.  A karma system can sometimes be called a reputation system fro the Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing games (MMORPG).  MMORPGs like World of Warcraft will call the non-playable character (NPC) groups factions.  As well call your karma rep or reputation.  When your actions please the faction u game rep or positive karma.  when you r actions displease the faction you lose rep or gain negative karma. 

The two most noteable game karma systems are Infamous and Fallout 3.  I will detail each game in a later post.  Infamous basic plot is about a man named Cole.  He is a carrier for a some company in a city the game doesnt detail any of that.  one day he is requested to deliver a package and its a mysterious object that he is instructed to open and infuses him with electrical powers.  The way the karma system works is if you use your powers to help the city or nselfish reasons you gamin karma the max positve karma is Champion.  on the contrayery if you use your powers for evil or selfish reasons you gain negative karma upt to the Infamous rank. 

Fallout 3's is more extensive but its basiclly good and evil deeds gain respective karma, the Fallout 3 post will detail it better.

Karma systems are a way to engage the player into a moral choice and can enhance the game play

intro blog

This blog is about karma systems in games.  there are many variations of the karma system or morality system in games. research has shown that the average gamer likes to keep track of how their choices in game affect the game itself.  while not an essential part of game, the karma systems add to the game.  Karma systems are not always needed in game but just make it interesting. there are two games specifically i will explore to explain karma systems. these games are Infamous and Fallout 3.  I will try to gie a brief description of the game and plot as is relevant to karma systems. Enjoy the blog