Here’s another video game example in which I learned another aspect about teamwork. This particular example I’m using doesn’t deal with interacting with other players, like my first post about teamwork, but it provides a great way to see the possibilities of interacting with other characters. This particular post also deals with a valuable skill needed for leaders. I’m focusing on choices and the way a leader or team member represents themselves using communication when making choices. How a person presents themselves can make a huge impact on how others perceive that individual.
For this major issue I’m using Telltale’s game, The Walking Dead, based on the comic and television show of the same name. The full game was published as five episodes in 2012, and it’s defined as an adventure game (similar to computer point-and-click games). This means that players venture through a story filled with several characters while making several choices and solving simple puzzles to continue the plot. Players control the main character, Lee, as he discovers and survives a gradually destroyed and twisted world full of zombies while protecting a little girl, Clementine. The choices Lee makes affect what Clementine learns and may eventually value.
The Walking Dead logo.
The type of game is focused on character development and the choices that the player makes. Its major feature is that the choices the player makes will result in different consequences as the game continues. While it’s possible to see the various outcomes by playing the game several times, the first time playing always has the biggest impact for the player. Of course, the game isn’t completely open to the infinite possibilities which could arise in the game’s situations, but the differences between one choice and another still affect various aspects.
The main characters, Lee and Clementine.
This game is great for multiple reasons. The game focuses on so much drama and tension between people. There are moments of panic and gore when the survival instant kicks in. It tugs at your heartstrings and forces you to make difficult choices that result in consequences that follow the character for a long time after. Differences in values and opinions can result in an upset in the flow of the team, especially when somebody makes a decision that the rest of the group may not agree with. The following clip shows an example of a seemingly easy choice, but unfortunately not everything is so black and white.
The above video demonstrates one example of how a choice can change some opinions of an individual. Granted, this video doesn’t reveal the changes opinions of Lee, but it shows the alternative choices the player can make in this situation. Clearly, Lee’s other two companions, Glen and Carley, are against the young woman’s suicide, so when players choose the choice shown in the second part of the clip, we see the resistance of the team to be a part of that choice. No matter the choice, the characters understand the situation and why it’s done, but they’ll definitely wonder about Lee’s values in the future.
As I mentioned before, in this world, the choices are not so easily picked, and sometimes it doesn’t matter what choice you make because the outcome may end up the same no matter what. In the real world, that’s not necessarily true, but for this particular game, that’s how it has been programmed. Sometimes leaders will come across a situation where they won’t be able to make everybody in the group happy. When that happens, rifts can be created and team unity will be hurt. This next video shows the shocking results no matter the choice made. Everybody is affected, and a rift begins to form.
What viewers unfamiliar with the plot haven’t learned is that Kenny and Lily have been against one another since the group came together. They have different opinions about how to lead the group and how the group should survive, so it’s natural that there’s some tension between the two. They learned earlier in this particular episode that every person is infected with the disease that causes the dead to reanimate—when somebody dies, they will eventually turn. In this situation of uncertainty, Lee is forced to choose sides. Unfortunately, this sometimes happens in real life among a team, although it should be something that never occurs.
All of The Walking Dead stories have provided some tough choices morally. Is it right to give up when you know your fate? Is it right to take drastic measures to protect against the inevitable in times of uncertainty? Is it right to do whatever you can in order to survive? Perhaps these questions are easier to answer alone, but when those choices affect the way an individual is seen by the rest of the group, then the choices become much more difficult to make.
In Lee’s world, Clementine’s survival is his ultimate goal, and she views Lee as her main protector. While she has her own voice, she still learns much from Lee’s actions. In this situation, can you choose to do what’s morally correct or what you need to survive? While most of the group agrees that taking the supplies from the car has to be done for survival, Clementine is the only voice that rings of innocence. So, Lee has to make the choice to do what the group feels is best, or what’s seems to be morally right in this situation. When the alternative is chosen and Lee personally takes supplies from the car, Clementine becomes unsatisfied with Lee’s choice.
So, what’s the point of The Walking Dead and teamwork? Well, its story and the difficult choices presented to the player have truly affected me. It has shown me that the choices somebody makes—leader or not—are watched carefully by everybody else. Some of the consequences result in rifts within the group and changing opinions about the values of others. If you don’t make the right choices, the team won’t follow you eventually. You have to show others the way you want to be represented through the way you behave and the choices you make.
Teamwork Tidbit 3: Choose how you want to be perceived. Don’t let down your most important fan. Sometimes the most difficult choices make no difference.
Lessons from Text: Lead by Example. Listen Aggressively. Communicate Purpose and Meaning. Generate Unity.
Blocks of Leadership 