Respecting Character

       Too many modern games fail to create real depth in their characters and often create a character that has already been made before, even if the art is a bit different. There are many stories of a character whose main purpose in life is saving a "damsel in distress" or simple revenge. Of course, there are some games that take these stereotypical characters with stories and turn them into something else, but they are few and far between. What games are missing right now are brand new stories that have not been traveled before? These types of stories are hard to create as there is rarely any basis for them and will require the writer to make the story from scratch. One such game is This Is the Police. 

The Physical Character

       The game starts off with the mayor telling Police Chief Jack Boyd that his son was looking for a spot in the government and that he thought Police Chief would be a great spot for him. Boyd disagreed with him and told the mayor he would like to keep his job. One thing leads to another and the mayor forcefully pushes Boyd into early retirement and is given a couple months to prepare. Boyd does look like the stereotypical police chief; a bit on the bigger side and starting to bald, the only piece that's missing is the donuts. Looking at his posture, he is slouched in his chair and makes the viewer get the sense that Boyd doesn't care about how other people view him. However, he is wearing his uniform so his position seems important to him. Even though Boyd looks like your typical Police Chief, he is far from it.

The Sociological Character

       When Boyd is told that he only has a couple months, 180 days to be exact, to get in his affairs in order until he is forced into retirement, he makes the goal of earning half a million dollars. The audience learns later that Boyd once had a wife and kids; however, after a rather grueling day, Boyd asked his wife if he had a million dollars, would she be happy with him. She responded by saying it didn't have to be a million and that half a million would work. Later after that conversation, his wife left him for a reason that is never explicitly stated in the game but is hinted towards being caused by Boyd increasing his distance between him and his family. With a backstory like this, the decision making on Boyd's part turns out quite interestingly.

The Psychological Character

       Boyd was getting through life just fine given everything that had happened in his past; however, his breaking point was reached when he was notified that he had to retire. This breaking point made him realize he wanted his family back and he figured the only way to do it was to get the half a million that he and his wife had talked about some time ago. So, Boyd starts his journey and tries to earn half a million dollars in 180 days, through whatever means necessary. At this point, the audience is beginning to relate to Boyd. He has lost his family and soon, his job. The players want Boyd to get a win before he loses it all. Neither Boyd nor the players could have guessed what happens in the next 180 days.

Progression and Growth

       One of the interesting story mechanics within This Is the Police is that you get to choose how you get your money. You can have Boyd stay on the straight and narrow, earning the money through good deed and a paycheck. Or you can put Boyd on the dangerous path of corruption and back alley gang-dealings. The choice is completely up to the player. Depending on how the player makes choices for Boyd, will change how Boyd grows as a person. Eventually, once you have gained a large sum of money, Boyd starts to become more obsessed with his material possessions and begins to 'upgrade.' It starts with him getting a tape player, then getting his hair done, and then him getting a new phone. The closer the deadline draws, the quicker to anger Boyd becomes. New characters are introduced throughout the story that throws new problems and opportunities at Boyd. Some characters become permanent additions to the story, while some are there only for a couple of scenes. However, all of them seem to have a meaningful impact on the story itself. In the end, This Is the Police is a game that has an original and interesting player-decision based story and is highly recommended to anyone looking for a story heavy adventure-strategy game.

Sketches