Game character(s) you most identify with, and the industry’s efforts to create them
It seems fairly obvious that a key feature of any great story driven game is its cast of characters. Writers and developers are constantly trying to create protagonists that their target audience can identify with, and the greatest villains are those that cause a genuine feeling of hatred in the heart of the player. Though many of the stories we see in the games we play occur in fictional settings, the struggles, hopes, and dreams of their characters are often familiar to us. This familiarity allows us to feel sympathy, and a sympathetic character is a wonderful tool for getting the player to feel involved in a game’s story. If you absolutely hate the PC of a story driven game, you’re not going to be too enthusiastic about advancing the story. Most likely, the game experience will be ruined for you –perhaps you won’t even finish the game. On the other hand, if a character’s personality traits and reactions cause you to think something like, “I know how you must feel,” then you’ll be able to develop an emotional involvement in the story that will keep you interested in reaching the game’s conclusion.
With all this in mind, it should also be obvious that if a game’s developers are doing a good job of involving their audiences, and thereby keeping gamers interested in their product, they are probably going to sell more games. And for really great stories or characters, there is the opportunity to create sequels and/or spinoffs that may also sell well. Sometimes we hear of changes that were made during the development of a particular game to make the PC more sympathetic (e.g. changing the ages of the protagonists of Final Fantasy XII and Nier). Sometimes a character is really written well, other times we might feel as though they’re a little over- or underwhelming. Seldom is a game 100% spot on, but it is inevitable that some characters (and thus the games they were a part of) will stick with us more than others.
Personally, I identify most with the silent types, especially when the PC communicates with the world using text based dialogue options a la Baldur’s Gate or Dragon Age Origins. When a character lacks a voice of their own, it’s easier to project your own personality traits onto them. Rather than hearing an actor’s portrayal of their dialogue, you’re able to choose an option that feels the most appropriate, and feel as though you’re really interacting with the game’s other characters. I may have no idea what it’s like to be hunting an archdemon to save the world, but if I can identify with my PC, then that character’s struggle is also my own. Her sadness in reaction to her companion’s death, her triumph over impossible odds, her involvement in the story is my own.
So which characters have you been able to most identify with in the past? What did you feel you had in common with them, or what was it about them that drew you into the story? What instances are you aware of in which a developer has purposefully altered their character(s) to attract a wider target audience, and how did you feel about these instances? Do you even feel that being able to identify with a character is important? What other general thoughts on the matter do you have?
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Originally Posted by Milady
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