Despite the depressing nature of the game's storyline, BioShock's story is revered as perhaps the pinnacle of in-game storytelling thus far, by gamers, critics and other game creators.

This isn't to say that simply being "emo" is enough to make a game truly push the boundaries of depression (or rather, emotions). There has to be gameplay, a good story and characters that you care about to keep a game from being a goth poser. GTA IV and BioShock herald what I consider a new breed of sulkiness in games. Sure, an optimist can find a ray of hope in those games' stories. But even though you can play those games a certain way, and maybe reach some kind of resolution where you're offered a hint of hope, it's the instances that you encounter that offer you no control--that make you do the opposite of what you originally intended to do in order to progress--that really have the potential to make your heart sink as not only a gamer, but a participant in interactive entertainment.

moscalloutThe weightiness of a game that explores your darker side--one that tests or questions your sense of right and wrong, good and evil, love and hate--can bring games outside of a typical "popcorn" experience./moscalloutThere is still room for the Saturday morning cartoon-type games, as there is also welcome space for the sitcom-type game and game show-type ... erm ... game. Honestly, when I wake up in the morning, I don't necessarily want to jump right into Rapture or Liberty City. But there's something to be said about the depressing, dramatic game. Perhaps the question shouldn't be, "Can games make you cry?" but "Can games make you feel like complete crap (in a good way, if that's even possible)?"

And I'm absolutely not saying that more "upbeat" games are incapable of forwarding this medium. Actually, one of the most engaging games that I've played in recent memory was Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Pardon the cliche, but that was honestly the first time that I really felt like I played an interactive movie. Or maybe that's just because I had a really sticky floor at the time.

I am also a fan of social games that make me laugh with friends, or truly witty stuff like Sam & Max.

Nevertheless, an experience like Uncharted or Sam & Max leaves you in a totally different state of mind compared to something like GTA IV, BioShock, or (I'll throw another rather depressing-yet-great game in here) Shadow of the Colossus. All of these games are equally immersive, but the weightiness of a game that explores your darker side--one that tests or questions your sense of right and wrong, good and evil, love and hate--can bring games outside of a typical "popcorn" experience.

So bring on the gloom, the sorrow, the hopelessness. Give me the illusion of choice, and snatch it away from me. Make me feel like an empty vessel of a gamer. We need expertly crafted despair. We need more of it to strike a better balance with those popcorn games.

Ugh, I think I need to pop a Zoloft or something. Or maybe play a Nintendo game.