Is bad ending for masochist?

[C-C-C-Cashmere]

I think what you're describing is a Downer Ending. A downer ending is when a movie ends on a somewhat sad or tragic note. This is as opposed to a flat-out "bad" ending, which is an ending that is unsatisfying or poorly executed. A good example of a downer ending is in the movie...

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American History X, where...

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you think it's going to end happily and the protagonist and his brother live happily ever after, until his brother gets shot by black students, and just as the protagonist was leaving behind his Neo-Nazi ways too.

A downer ending is basically used when someone is trying to drive home a point - life is cruel, not all ends happily, and you have to learn from that... or something.

I personally don't have a preference for happy endings or downer endings, as long as they fit the general tone of the story. Generally, happy endings are nice, but if you really want to drive home a point about real life, then a downer ending may do you well. I just don't like when people use downer endings as a kind of "twist ending" where it doesn't fit the rest of the story. It's like the creator was just trying to be edgy for the sake of it. So use a downer ending when it fits, really.

On the other hand there's the bittersweet ending, which is personally my favourite. It has elements of sadness, for example having to let your grandma go after months of taking care of her. But out of that experience, you've learned something new, and your grandmother will always be in your heart. There's an element of bitterness and learning from that experience that can let you experience a new kind of joy, and even learn something new about life. For example, in the movie:

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Her, where

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all the operating systems, including the main protagonist's date, are erased from the worldwide system. And the main protagonist (Joaquin Phoenix) is left with this kind of numbness at having lost his loved one, and just sits on top of the apartment roof with Amy Adams. And we're wondering what's going to happen next.

It's bittersweet, in that it's painful, but also very lovely. You've lost something, but you've also gained wisdom in return.

And that's all I ever want from an ending, really.

 

[Mike]

Haha, plenty smart people here. My friends would just stutter and keep denying, then switch the topic when we're about to talk something that might be controversial or dumb. Glad I made the thread, I've gained a lot from these posts and those links and references. xD

 

[XanderCage666]

Personally, I think bad endings, or having the option of a possible bad ending, can give a story a very interesting twist. Not all game protagonists are necessarily good, either. And some characters were broken from the start, even heroes can fail, fall, or turn evil, and a twist in that direction can really surprise and interest the player enough to keep going, if done correctly.

 

[Davant]

I'm not a fan of bad endings in particular, but MULTIPLE ENDINGS? I love when players get to choose their own adventure in a game. If their choices cause a bad end, then they played the game the way they wanted to. If it causes a good end, same difference. Choices make people feel important. They make gamers feel like their actions have weight, and therefore importance. Some people might not get bad ends because their masochistic, but just to say 'I don't have to follow your established rules, I'm going to do what I want, no matter the consequences'.