Character

“All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players”

(Shakespeare, 2008:69)

An odd quote to use? Perhaps, but I think it’s a pertinent one as it speaks about the difference between being an observer and being a participant which is important in the context of Character in digital games.

Character is an equally important part of a game, as they are what connects the player to the game. Successful games have a character that the player empathizes with on some level. There are two types of characters in digital games:

Avatars: Which is a player designed and customized. They are seen mainly in games like the Sims and City of Heroes

Characters: Which are created by the designers and have motives and backstories.

The best characters in digital games are usually ones we can identify with on some level or else have a level of depth that we can empathise with. In a poll by Gamewad, the most popular digital game character of all time was said to be Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid (Gamewad [online] 2007). This is interesting as Solid Snake is created to be a lot more than a two dimensional representation of the player such as Mario. Solid Snake has a very distinct character and an extremely detailed backstory. The designers have made it so that Solid Snake’s backstory is revealed throughout the course of the game much like the Bourne films.
There is another character that is designed in detail although in another way and that is Gordon Freeman from ‘Half-Life’…

(You Tube, [online] 2009).

Although it may appear to be just another FPS in the clip, Gordon is designed differently. As you can see from the clip, Gordon never speaks. This design was a first in games of this type, especially as the game story was very detailed and there would need to be interaction between player and environment and other characters.

The game designers deliberately made the first person character mute so that the player is more immersed in the character. Similarly, all through the game there are no cut scenes so the player retains complete control of Gordon at all times. The designers thought that cut-scenes would detract from the illusion of immersion and that if he spoke it would impose a character on the player that they didn’t necessarily want. The same went for the fact that originally the designers did not want the player to see what Gordon looked like and were only forced to show him when they made the multi-player mode. When interviewed Marc Laidlaw, the writer of the game says “We just wanted to create somebody who didn't get in the way of the player exploring on their own yet feeling like they had a specific role - never quite sure that they were playing it right, but having it as part of the whole experience” (Laidlaw[Online] 2006). He goes on to explain in an interview with uk.pc.gamespy.com that “The main thing was not to put too much detail into really specific things about this character because we always wanted the player to help create who he was” (Tuttle [online] 2008).

The idea was a victory, as not only was the game extremely well received but critics praised the way that the character was portrayed in the game. So it would seem that sometimes deliberately not creating a character can be just as effective as creating one. The character must have had a strong impact…

Again to use narratology and compare digital games with film, often the best digital game characters are flawed and humanised. The titular character in ‘Ico’ stands out as he has weaknesses and is quite frail. Similarly Carla Valenti in the game ‘Fahrenheit’ stands out and seems much more rounded as she has several character flaws such as she is claustrophobic and predisposed to panic-attacks.

Obviously not all characters in the game need to be rounded and have a strong and definable persona as Jack Walters from ‘Call of Cthulhu’ or the ones above. NPC’S (Non Playable Characters) in a game don’t always need this level of detail but should at least be able to interact with the protagonist in a way that is believable for their character.

Of course not all games utilise a defined character for instance there are no characters in Forza or Tetris.

Jim Thompson (2007) agrees with this and writes “The designer must be aware of any characters significance within the game. NPC’s who are seen briefly do not need much character development and may only need superficial details of their personalities worked out. However, the player character and major NPC’s do need careful consideration” (Thompson 2007:95)

Making the characters especially the playable ones as human as possible (even if they are inhuman) is the key to connecting the player with the game emotionally and makes the challenges the characters face have a greater emotional impact.

Speaking of Challenge…