Emotion is the connective tissue of storytelling. It’s what draws players into fictional worlds, binds them to characters, and raises the stakes of every decision. In traditional media, emotional resonance is crafted through tightly controlled sequences. In games, however, interactivity changes the equation. When players make choices that lead to laughter, heartbreak, or redemption, not because they were told to care, but because they chose to, then emotion becomes something deeper: it becomes agency.