Rebecca Murray
music allows players to identify with the characters ’ developing connections , as it creates a welcoming atmosphere . When compared to Bea ’ s path , Gregg ’ s sections involve more activities and mini games . For example , both of the characters decide to participate in a knife fight where the goal is to cut the other character ’ s hand . During this knife fight , the music is mischievous and sly . This music allows for players to achieve total immersion in the knife fight activity , as the music reflects the mischievous and dangerous nature of the gameplay ( Brown and Cairns , 2004 , p . 3 ). Alternatively , Bea ’ s ‘ hangouts ’ are more narrative based and reflect how her and the protagonist are gradually growing closer . After Mae embarrasses Bea in front of some college students , Bea runs away to get some space . The player must locate her and eventually talk about what happened . As the two characters talk together , the music is soft and calm . This reflects how the two characters are calmly discussing their issues and problems to fix their relationship . The music allows players to feel ‘ with the
144 character , rather than about the character ’ ( Cohen , 2001 , p . 251 ).
Within this game , the player must play as a female character called ‘ Mae Borowski ’. This is not typical within videogames , as Mou and Peng ( 2009 ) highlighted that male protagonists are the standard in almost every game available . The lack of female characters has caused fewer women to be interested in gaming overall ( Mou and Peng , 2009 , p . 929 ). However , this female protagonist in ‘ Night in the Woods ’ ( Infinite Fall , 2017 ) is a unique representation of femininity . Mae is quite a dynamic character that goes through some clear development throughout the narrative . Despite not having her own music , the environmental music reflects the character ’ s adventurous nature as both her character and the player explore the town . This dynamic and unconventional representation of a female character allows players to ‘ form their own identity and attitudes ’ towards female representation ( Mou and Peng , 2009 , p . 929 ).