How Virginia Woolf inspired Far Cry 3

What was the reasoning behind making one of Far Cry 3's most interesting characters leave the narrative so early? Spoiler alert.

5

Spoiler alert. You'd think Vaas is the main character of Far Cry 3, given his prominence on the game's box, and his frequent appearances in the game's trailers. The villain commands such a captivating presence, that his early exit in the game struck many as odd--even disappointing. What was the reasoning behind making such a compelling character leave the narrative so early? Lead writer Jeffrey Yohalem explained that Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse inspired that decision.

In Woolf's novel, "the main character dies in the middle, kind of parenthetically," Yohalem told IGN. "The whole book is going and you get to these parentheses in this middle portion, and she's dead... the rest of the book is about the absence of her. That is so daring. And we did it."

Yohalem admits that the decision to remove Vaas so early on would rub players the wrong way, but "you also want that kind of character to take a bow when everyone wants him the most." Leaving players "in a space where there's no immediate goal" was something that rarely happens in a game, he pointed out.

Producer Dan Hay said that "giving that taste of Vaas and making sure that it's short and that it's sweet and that it is about craving more of it... that was a focus for us." He added that he would expand the stories of Willis, Buck, Hoyt, and Daisy, never suggesting more of Vaas.

Far Cry 3 took 5h place in Shacknews' Best of 2012.

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    February 1, 2013 5:00 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, How Virginia Woolf inspired Far Cry 3.

    What was the reasoning behind making one of Far Cry 3's most interesting characters leave the narrative so early? Spoiler alert.

    • reply
      February 1, 2013 5:10 PM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        February 1, 2013 5:14 PM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        February 1, 2013 5:36 PM

        But games are art, man, and he's using his game to deconstruct the ephemeral nature of human entertainment through the satirical expressiveness of entitled young men turning to the savagery that they idolize in videogames!

      • reply
        February 1, 2013 6:37 PM

        he's really really high 24/7 I think

    • reply
      February 2, 2013 5:21 AM

      I really like the idea and appreciate them trying to put it in a video game, but they failed horribly imo.

    • reply
      February 2, 2013 1:10 PM

      I think Vaas died too early, I loved him as an antagonist and firmly believe he is the best video game character in a long long time. I would buy a DLC that had another campaign with him, maybe a side mission of sort.

      • reply
        February 3, 2013 8:58 AM

        I agree, he definitely died too early. Also there's a huge difference between "never suggesting more of Vaas" (Far Cry 3) and "the rest of the book is about the absence of her" (To The Lighthouse). They tried to copy an idea and yet managed to go in a completely (and much worse) direction with it.

        I, for one, wouldn't buy any Far Cry 3 DLC as the game disappointed me quite a bit.

    • reply
      February 4, 2013 6:21 AM

      Best game of 2012.
      Loved Vaas and I like the fact that the development team did something different.
      Between the decision to off a likable antagonist and the story in general is awesome.
      You never leave the POV of the main character and therefore the story makes much sense.
      As he said in a previous interview, this is a white man's fantasy.
      They come to an island and think he is going to "save" the natives.
      If all you bought Far Cry 3 was for non-stop running and gunning the you already know this game wasn't for you. That would be COD.
      This takes some excellent gun-play and puts a brain on it.
      Plus you can play any style you want when encounters do occur. Options, are always a plus.

Hello, Meet Lola