Finding Identity with Sable
Sable, a 2021 game by Shedworks is a wonderfully meditative experience that provides the player with the chance, and the space, to reflect on various aspects of human development and how social roles are not only imposed onto us but also how we tend to analyze the world through the rigid categories they provide us with. Among those many issues, though, perhaps none seems more central to the game’s story and gameplay than the topic of identity and the questions connected to it - “Who are you?”, “what does it mean to be you?”. As a broad term used to describe a huge portion of one’s personality, identity is a totality of our values, tendencies, and biases and has a tremendous influence on how we are perceived by society. This article will explore the manner in which the game tackles this issue.
The game tells the story of a young girl named Sable who embarks on a soul-searching journey through the desert world of Midden to discover her identity by collecting experiences. The journey, known to the inhabitants as the gliding, is an important cultural practice and its culmination is the choice of a mask. Masks are worn by everyone in this society and they are visual signifiers of the persons’ occupations and/or social roles. The choice of a mask is final, which, understandably, is a source of anxiety for Sable who, throughout the game, remains unsure of her future after her gliding is concluded. The role of the player is to guide her on her journey to discover her identity and find the answers to any questions she might have about herself.
Realistically speaking, very few people get to deliberately choose their identities. The process of identity formation is largely devoid of any intention and relies on everyday activities, choices, biases, and preferences which then amount to one’s complete identity. In that sense, it would perhaps be more accurate to say that one’s identity is constructed throughout their life without a conscious effort, and the only deliberate aspect is its discovery. This process is the subject of Sable’s story, as the entire journey is centered around the character’s (and the player’s) efforts to explore the intricacies of Sable’s identity. As the various professions are tied to gameplay mechanics, the player explores them throughout their time with the game forming their opinions on each and establishing preferences which can then influence their choice of a mask. The various aspects of exploration, storytelling, and character interaction all provide an avenue for the player to form their in-game identity, and through that, Sable’s identity as well. Through this it quickly becomes apparent that Sable’s presence is a screening one, as it provides a layer of separation, allowing the player to somewhat divorce themselves from the idea of identity forming. The process is constructed in a way that allows the player to make the decision at the very end of the game, at which point their experiences allow them to fall back on established biases. The final “choice” then is not really a choice, but rather an admittance or acknowledgment of the identity already formed as a result of their playthrough.
Children, for obvious reasons, construct their identities without much forethought or introspection. The main basis for their sense of self is the manner in which they are perceived by their parents. As a child’s life depends on their parents it is only reasonable that their identity would similarly find its basis in this authority. Early upbringing plays a vital role in forming identity, for better or worse. At best, childhood is a safe and regulated environment in which the child is allowed to freely explore their identity while still relying on a firm structure provided by the parents. At its worst, childhood can severely cripple the child’s self-perception and lead to a myriad of identity issues.
Mirroring this idea, the introductory section of Sable shows a restricted environment in which the player’s exploration and trial-and-error efforts are curated and overseen by the tribe’s elders. The gameplay loop is the same as the one the player will naturally develop later on, and the challenges are meant to show the player the various aspects of the game without overwhelming them with information or punishing them for mistakes. This is a common method of introducing the player to the game’s mechanics, but it is worth noting how vital these first moments of gameplay are to Sable’s story. While performing the various tasks Sable interacts with the members of her tribe, making it obvious that they have sheltered her until this very moment. We catch glimpses of the simple, peaceful life of the tribe, and we begin to understand Sable’s anxiety - she grew up with the tribe and relied on them for structure and support, and now she is leaving them to fend for herself in a vast, mysterious world, forced to explore her identity without the safety net provided by her kin. It is only natural, then, that she starts searching for simple answers, often directly asking others what to do. This is an extremely flawed tool, as relying on outside opinion for the purpose of identity forming may lead to anguish - she will never fit the exact image someone has of her, and trying to conform to those flawed ideas would destroy her self-acceptance.
Early on a person’s identity is often acquired indirectly from various role models. This is exactly what Sable tries reflexively to do by talking to and observing members of various groups to compare herself to them. This approach, however simple, is often discouraged, as it leads to a sort of dysphoria - Sable is trying to place herself in roles she is unsure of wanting to pursue, and were she to go through with this plan, it could potentially lead to severe identity issues.
This can, over time, evolve into a serious problem. Individuals often develop “darker” identities to cope with the lack of acceptance they experience both from within and without. These more unhealthy traits involve addictions, self-harm, eating disorders, and para-social behaviors.
Sable provides a toned-down version of this phenomenon, as throughout her journey the main character can engage in activities that lead towards her developing “less reputable” identities. While there is never a clear indication of this being the case, interactions with the various characters hint towards certain masks being less prestigious than others. Notable examples would be the Climber’s Mask and the Shade of Eccria, which are both associated with criminal and/or frowned-upon behaviors.
Either deliberately or not, the individuals Sable interacts with influence her (or rather, the player’s) decisions. It is quite reasonable, after all, to naturally gravitate towards groups with which we resonate and among which we feel accepted, but we also become more accepting of the ideas shared among the people we respect, and thus interacting with the members of certain professions may sway our decision-making process to favor one over the others. There are several moments in the game in which we can see that Sable begins to voice similar opinions to the other inhabitants of the Midden, even if they are mere stereotypes. The player is also not immune to this saturation and they quickly learn to rely on certain assumptions. For example, a positive interaction with a Merchant at one of the many small camps around the world might help establish trust between them and Sable, and the player grows to expect further positive relations with other members of the group. But once the player has arrived in the city of Eccria this very assumption is used against the player, as the merchant there is anything but friendly. It is a simple but effective way of teaching the players to never expect that just because the character is wearing a particular mask it means they are devoid of any personality.
The process of identity forming is inherently personal and nearly impossible to accurately plan out or predict. The factors that influence it stem from various sources and they vary between each stage of one’s life. There are, however, three key aspects of the process that can be identified and used as a general framework for analysis. Those aspects are exploration of potential, identification of purpose, and pursuit of opportunities. These correspond to various aspects of Sable’s gameplay and storytelling, portraying the main purpose of the journey.
Exploration mainly involves trial-and-error attempts at various activities to identify which ones come easier and provide the individual with more sense of fulfillment, as well as allowing them to further improve their skills. This exploration is, by no coincidence, the cornerstone of Sable’s gameplay and the main source of entertainment within the game. It, however, serves a storytelling purpose as well, as it is the main means through which Sable explores her preferences and tendencies, experiencing for herself the various occupations available, ideally forming her own opinions about them. The game also relies on the assumption that the player would behave similarly, establishing biases of their own through the screening presence of Sable.
Identifying one’s purpose is, in the case of Sable, reliant on the degree to which the player connects with the world. It is a narrative decision, influenced by the player’s attitudes to various aspects of the world as portrayed in the game and as such reflects on the player’s own biases and tendencies while, once again, shielding them from any actual repercussions through the screening presence of the main character. The process of identification lasts the entire game and is only finalized through the very last decision by selecting a mask for Sable.
The pursuit of opportunities is an activity through which Sable pushes the player to explore the world. The player will naturally want to find activities to perform and, perhaps more importantly, activities that would allow them to use the skills obtained through gameplay. That is why a player who enjoys learning to climb, for instance, will seek out the various climbing challenges scattered across the playable area. The Midden is full of such opportunities, allowing the players to pursue their favorite tasks while never preventing them from going back to the exploration stage.
Identity is not only internal, as it shapes the way we interact with our environment. Accordingly, how we are perceived by society is largely shaped by our apparent identity. There are certain expectations we place upon any identity, and those influence our opinion of individuals we perceive as belonging to said group. Similarly, each identity is burdened with a myriad of social roles it is expected to fulfill, and we often base our judgment of individuals on the degree to which they succeed at playing said role. Sable, due to the nature of the medium and the genre, has to rely on a set of more apparent indicators than those we are accustomed to, which brings us to the idea behind the masks. As a physical, visual representation of the character’s chosen profession, they provide a framework on which the player can base their interactions with the world, as they quickly learn to expect certain behavioral patterns from the members of each group. They are deeply ingrained in the world’s culture, and their symbolism is amplified by the fact that they are the only distinct visual hint useful for character identification, besides clothing. Every character in the game wears a mask, and we never see anyone’s face. Thus, the masks become stand-ins for faces, as the player learns to rely on them to navigate society.
A crucial aspect of understanding the process of identity forming is the multiplicity of one’s character. No person is bound to a single identity, and one will assume multiple ones depending on the circumstance. One might, for example, assume the identity of a father when at home, a project manager at work, and a fantasy nerd when talking to friends. The game’s portrayal of this reality is somewhat tricky when approached incorrectly, but it effectively shows just how easy it is to forget about this multiplicity when interacting with individuals on a day-to-day basis. Seeing characters wearing the characteristic masks of their professions it is easy to assume they are not individuals, but rather stand-ins for a certain service or role, and the player will at times perceive the world in this manner - one does not care which Mechanist helps Sable customize her bike as long as there is one nearby, and the various Cartographers scattered all around the Midden are at times treated more as waypoints or landmarks than actual individuals. This seemingly reinforces the idea that masks strip individuals of any semblance of personality, limiting their identities to the roles they enact. And yet, nearly every one of those characters can be further interacted with and talked to about various topics. Those discussions reveal the individuals that hide behind the masks and effectively show the multiple identities contained within single persons, allowing Sable, and the player, a sense of comfort in knowing that assuming an identity by choosing a mask does not mean abandoning the current self - if anything it might be an effective affirming mechanism that would reinforce the sense of individuality that, because of the nature of the gliding, may not be as solid as we would like.
It is interesting that to embark on her journey of self-discovery Sable has to assume another, distinct identity, one which allows her to freely pursue the different paths that might lead her to her conclusions. It is a purely transitory identity, one that, while possible to extend seemingly indefinitely, is not supposed to become permanent, and that identity is one of a Glider, a lonely drifter traveling the world collecting experiences. All children are expected to become gliders, and all gliders are expected to eventually conclude their journeys and settle into their chosen identities, selecting a mask for themselves. While the various professions are expected to perform a very specific set of tasks, effectively filling a certain niche in society, gliders are generally perceived to pursue any and all jobs and chase new activities relentlessly, an attitude that is, after all, tied to the entire purpose of their gliding. Formulating this transitory identity - an identity of someone explicitly still looking for their distinct identity - has led to it evolving into a social role, defined by its interactions with its environment and burdened by its own set of expectations.
The environment also plays a crucial role in the process of identity forming, as a restrictive society may cause considerable anguish to a person whose identity does not conform to socially accepted norms. This can then push said individuals to seek a way out of said society, resulting in migration. While outright ostracisation never happens in Sable, there are hints of it, as various characters express less than charitable attitudes towards certain professions. Sable, however, does, in a way, “migrate” from a limited and restrictive society - after the introductory stage of the game is over, she is to leave her family tribe to experience the rest of the world, effectively acknowledging the limitations imposed on her by her tribe. It is admittedly a far more positive representation than many, if not most, real-life examples, as Sable’s tribe is fully aware of its influence and it is them who encourage (nor rather, force) her to leave and explore the world. Nevertheless, it portrays the necessity to acknowledge the factors that limit the development of identity.
Sable is constructed around the issue of identity. Nearly every aspect of the game works to provide the player with an environment in which they can safely ponder their own identity and, as was in my case, find a certain solace in the very uncertain aspects of development. It remains one of the most meaningful games I have played in my life, and I am happy to have talked about it.
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