pixel for a thought: 'shippers!

Today's pixel thought is going to be refreshingly non-academic, rather aimless, and literally "fan"-tastic. We're going to talk about everyone's favorite topic: relationships! In video games! As well as in their crazy non-canon fanbases! And why exactly do we love them so much anyway?

However, the shortened terminology is simply "shippers" as in "relationship-er."

Funny how romantic relationships in games are so many times pre-selected, locked in to the default co-protagonist of the opposite gender. Considering that so many teenagers and college students play video games, you'd think the designers would instinctively recognize that dating and romance is the main thing in this epoch of life. Experimentation is everything. Give this particularly expansive demographic some breathing room here, related to the plot or not. Hitting on random characters of both genders? Why not? Fighting around all day with the expectation of a static FMV reward isn't the greatest way to live life. Right?

But instead, your hero is by default attracted to such-and-such a person, and there is little exploration of other options. (Let's pretend that Social Sims and Atlus's Catherine exist in an alternate universe only.)

For illustrative purposes as well as to satisfy my personal fan-crush bias I'll compare the two basic shippers in Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core centering around protagonist Zack Fair's not-so-fair life. It's clear from early on that he and flower girl Aerith (yes, that Aerith) are destined together from the moment they meet—obviously, because she's the first major girl introduced in the game! However, during his various missions he encounters redhead Turk assassin "Cissnei" who periodically stalks him. They enjoy a certain amount of low-key flirting, especially when they're at a beach resort wearing decidedly non-business suits and chasing around creeper cactuses (cacti?).

In fact, it could even be argued that Zack has a definite crush on Cissnei, and that flower-girl is just a back-up best friend. I mean, when will you ever see Aerith on the battlefield, taking out the bad guys with her Avatar-state spiritual awesomeness? Yes, I know she's part of your party in FFVII, but realistically? She's not really that type.

Cissnei, on the other hand, is an all-around bad girl with an equally bad shuriken. Enough said.

You know, the more I think about this particular triangle, the more it seems like Iron Man 2's shipper plots are remarkably similar to Crisis Core. Hot girl Black Widow = Cissnei, best friend Penny = Aerith. For that matter, it's a pretty cliche dichotomy in most fiction.

Oh I see, my line is right there.

We obviously visit the same hair stylist! We're made for each other!

But my question of the day is, if both girls are equally feasible mates for our friend Zack, why is his choice suddenly set in FMV-stone?

My theory is that the designers themselves are secretly devoted shipper fans. In reality, the creators are just elitist fans who worked their way to the top of the canon pyramid so now they can dictate "what really happened." Canon is a totally subjective term. It's basically glorified fanfiction and fanart. What's non-canon is simply whatever the designers threw out in the meeting room. Perhaps this is why the rest of us fans on the lower rungs of the ladder tend to be extraordinarily vicious in defending our preferred shippers. We're all writers, artists, and dreamers on the inside, just waiting for a shot at the top. We probe and analyze our fiction for even the smallest smidgen of evidence, and when that's not enough, we make up our own. Our devoted shipper communities are just a way for us to channel our brilliancy into the open.

What are your favorite shippers?