Curse

Wicked Shadow · Sep 16, 2009, 09:45 PM // 21:45

I've been reading some books by James Paul Gee about learning and identity in video games, and it's gotten me thinking. As far as I can tell, there are three types of playable main characters in games:

1. The player-made character, such as in an mmo like World of Warcraft or in an RPG like Neverwinter Nights. These characters are made from the ground up by the player by choosing a name, race, sex, skills, facial features, etc. These characters have no intrinsic personality, but rather are direct reflections of the player.

2. The empty shell, such as in most Shin Megami Tensei games or Gordon Freeman from Half-Life. These characters have been created by designers with their own history, appearance, and occasionally name. However, during play the player dictates nearly all of what the characters says and does, again possessing little personality of its own.

3. The premade protagonist, such as in most Final Fantasy RPG's and first person shooter games like Halo. These characters are created entirely by a designer and possess a personality of their own, which is generally expressed through dialogue and actions in cut-scenes.

So I'm wondering what you guys think of these archetypes. Is there a certain kind of character you tend to become more attached to? Does a certain type help convey a better story? Can we learn from them? Are there any other big types I've missed?

Kerwyn Nasilan · Sep 16, 2009, 10:05 PM // 22:05

Portal Main char, owatnow

Shursh · Sep 17, 2009, 05:01 PM // 17:01

Personally, I prefer the MMO-style character since it better reflects my personality, i.e. it says and does what I want it to do.

However, if you are looking for a good story, I'd go with the premade protagonist. Unless of course your story was written Japanese-Fighting-Game-style, in which case it's unlikely it will make any sense at all. (see: Tekken, DOA, Guilty Gear, Soul Cal, etc.)

Olim Chill · Sep 17, 2009, 06:32 PM // 18:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wicked Shadow

I've been reading some books by James Paul Gee about learning and identity in video games, and it's gotten me thinking. As far as I can tell, there are three types of playable main characters in games:

1. The player-made character, such as in an mmo like World of Warcraft or in an RPG like Neverwinter Nights. These characters are made from the ground up by the player by choosing a name, race, sex, skills, facial features, etc. These characters have no intrinsic personality, but rather are direct reflections of the player.

Player-made. The more "me" I can put into a game, the more I'll play it.

Winterclaw · Sep 18, 2009, 02:08 AM // 02:08

Three works best when you want to tell a specific story.

Eskimoz · Sep 19, 2009, 07:37 PM // 19:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shursh

However, if you are looking for a good story, I'd go with the premade protagonist. Unless of course your story was written Japanese-Fighting-Game-style, in which case it's unlikely it will make any sense at all. (see: Tekken, DOA, Guilty Gear, Soul Cal, etc.)

Well more to the point who cares what the story is?

95% of the time you buy a game solely for the purpose of beating the !@$@ out of something.

Think about it.

Earth · Sep 19, 2009, 09:22 PM // 21:22

Personally I become more "ättached" to a player made character, but some pre created characters are really awesome too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eskimoz

Well more to the point who cares what the story is?

95% of the time you buy a game solely for the purpose of beating the !@$@ out of something.

Think about it.

Off topic, but everytime I read one of your posts I think your Halmyr because of your avatar :\

Elder III · Sep 20, 2009, 02:15 AM // 02:15

player created - let me put my smudgy fingerprints on every stinking aspect of that character, from the start of the game to the finish and then and only then am I satisfied - it doesn't necessarily have to "represent" the "real me" either, but I want to be able to create the character that I have in my mind's eye and to act out the scenario that I envision my mind's creation taking part in, from Point A to Point Z - It's called Imagination and it's what makes a game truly good to the point of repeatedly coming back for more, or just play it once and leave it entertainment.

my 2 cents