Fulfilling a power fantasy is the secret recipe for success in online games like Destiny or Star Wars Battlefront.
When playing a hero and our idea of what it would be like to play them become one, then the power fantasy is fulfilled. But what does it actually mean?
The term “Power Fantasy”, or the fantasy of a character, has long passed me by. Recently, it came to my attention twice.
Once when Destiny explained, how to design the 3 new subclasses. Initially, one had an idea of a character in mind, some image from the pop culture universe (Thor, Legolas, and Emperor Palpatine), and then one would try out whether it would be fun to step into the shoes of such a character in Destiny.
For some classes, there were initially other ideas. However, when trying to implement these power fantasies in the game, it became clear: A sniper who can see through walls, or a necromancer are “cool ideas” – but they just don’t work. The power fantasy did not function in the game.
Also, when WoW introduced class changes, they kept speaking of the “fantasy” behind a class. The ice mage should become even icier, while fire was taken away from him. The demon warlock should rather summon many demons than become a demon himself.
This fit somehow more into the fantasy, the power fantasy of his class. But what is that even?
A Power Fantasy
A power fantasy is when we ourselves become the hero. Because in our idea of an MMORPG, we aren’t sitting at the keyboard, looking up tables, or talking on Teamspeak with our friends, but we are the hero, peeking around the corner with the blaster drawn or holding the shield overhead, so the claws of the giant demon smash against it. When we lie in bed and think about our hero and what we would do, we are thinking about this power fantasy.
Also interesting: The Robin Hood Problem – Everyone wants to be the hero.
We are not Dominic, stuttering under stress. We are not Phillip, out of breath when we have to carry a box of water up the stairs, or Melanie, who gets dizzy when we see a drop of blood.
But we are Tyranox the warrior, upon whom all rely. We stand against the huge monster, preventing it from crushing our weak comrades. We must withstand as many of its blows, dodge its tricks and spells – and we can do this because we are tough guys.
We are Ravenclaw the mage, standing behind the front lines, fighting the opponent with our fireballs. Wherever we look, the enemies writhe under the power of our gaze. When we cast spells, our veins glow red-hot. It crackles, bubbles, our thoughts become real.
Or we are the gentle healer Seraphine, who has been able to decide many battles through patient and wise healing. We are the saviors of our friends, who receive us with grateful, open arms. We bring order to the world.
You’re not so naive to believe in power fantasies, are you? Then you might find yourself on the next page!
