Do you view the player-character as "you"?

[Silence]

Never. Either I play the established story of one character, or I role-play different self-created characters.

I think the closest would be playing an ideal form of myself, but that happens very rarely. And well, it's never "me", since gender is flipped and probably some other stuff.

 

[nomotog_v1legacy]

Some times they are me some times they are not. It's not really based on if they are customized or not. Shepard isn't me, they are mine, but not me. Same with the boss (SR2).

 

[ThreeName]

Never. I play characters, not self-insertion. I'm already me, why would I pretend to be me again?

 

[cleric of the order]

As much as I would a tool, a car, etc.
Thy are an extension of my will, a tool but not my actually person hood in the majority of instances

Never. I play characters, not self-insertion. I'm already me, why would I pretend to be me again?

Pretty much this, why the fuck would I want to shove boring old self into what I'm playing
If I'm not mistaken in general a person named Adrian shore did a study on that, from what I heard the results that suggests this is somewhat widespread.
I don't know myself, it's behind a paywall

 

[ThreeName]

If I'm not mistaken in general a person named Adrian shore did a study on that, from what I heard the results that suggests this is somewhat widespread.
I don't know myself, it's behind a paywall

Do you have a link to it? I might have access through uni if it's actually in a legit journal

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

No, never.

I like to think of it as being an actor, playing a wide variety of characters.

Also, I want to be a writer, and I like coming up with different characters and stories.

 

[duwenbasden]

Nope, I always create different characters, with different backstories and interactions, and different archetypes. What I don't need is someone else creating a character for me and foolishly thinks he/she/it will be better than mine.

 

[Sean Renaud]

It depends heavily on the game. Commander Shepard was me, I'm the guy in Skyrim, I'm the guy in WWE Raw 2015, I'm not Mario, I'm not Cloud or Duke Nukem.

 

[Bocaj2000]

The player is the main character. That's the advantage of interactive media. Whether or not the game takes advantage of that is their challenge. Most games are roller coasters in which the player is along for the ride bringing them from one set piece to another. But the great games make the player an active member of the world and story. The player is the most important person as far as the game is concerned, but don't confuse that for the player being the most important character of the story. Interactive storytelling is still in its infancy with a lot to learn. Let's see how it develops.

 

[Fijiman]

To an extent, yes, but at the same time I know that I could never be the gun/sword wielding badass that I'm playing.

 

[FoolKiller]

I like both ways of doing stuff, but when its a blank slate, then it's usually me. Or a fantasy of me. Even if I play as a different gender I play it like I would be.

 

[Risingblade]

If I can name them then yes. since I usually use my own name.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Usually yes. Since it's an interactive medium and I get to direct the actions of the character then I feel I can step into the shoes of the character and become the character. This is esp. true in games with extensive character creation systems 'cause then I get to truly define the character I want to become. This doesn't always happen, like with most JRPGs it doesn't. Even with the Dragon Quest games which allow me to give the hero a name, I still don't really think of the character as me.

 

[cleric of the order]

If I'm not mistaken in general a person named Adrian shore did a study on that, from what I heard the results that suggests this is somewhat widespread.
I don't know myself, it's behind a paywall

Do you have a link to it? I might have access through uni if it's actually in a legit journal

http://www.digra.org/wp-content/uploads/digital-library/11313.28005.pdf
I think this is it.It was something a friend of mine brought up like a couple months ago, and he did hand it to me but there might have been some miscommunication. I mean I at least remember it being behind a paywall.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

It varies from game to game, of course. I try to relate to the characters regardless, and the more I can relate, the more I enjoy myself. Lets look at Red Dead Redemption:

Spoiler

John Marston, despite being a dude, is one of the rare dudes I like enough to enjoy. That, coupled with the world, the setting, the lore, etc. red Dead is one of my favorite games, and my only gripe is that the unnamed woman from "who are you to judge" is never a playable character, even in multiplayer. Not the Promo-art woman, but the woman arguably inspired by "the Quick and the Dead."
I enjoyed, a bit, going way away from reality as he rode as a zombie in the DLC, but I prefer him not being a zombie.
All around, john's a great guy. A pleasure to listen to, a pleasure to experience the world with, and so forth.

Jack Marston: I can't stand him. his voice, the way he talks, and stuff. His personality, and the way his voice sounds just grates on me enough that I do't beat the main story anymore, and faff about before then. I simply cannot enjoy the game as Jack.

Generally on my first play through I have them do what I'd do in their shoes. If I can create a character I go somewhat reminiscent of myself.

Bluntly, when I play a game, I want to enjoy some escapism. I like creating a more ideal me, doing things in a more ideal way, and being as far away from the straight white guys that aren't well written.
When I game, I'm at the steering wheel but either the character is my vehicle, so to speak, or they're the passenger, and I have to put up with them for the entire trip.

 

[Xeros]

Only if it's a character I've created, which I usually model after myself, or if I'm presented with a choice that I really need to think about what I would do.

 

[Aetrion]

I don't view the character as me in any game, but I view myself as the force behind the character that makes all the decisions. Mario can't beat a level, only I can beat a level with Mario.
No matter what shape the character in a game takes, it is an avatar of my will, and I lay claim to anything it accomplishes under my control and it's failures are mine as well. In that sense, it's me without being me.

 

[MysticSlayer]

The only two times I really went out to make myself in the world were Mass Effect and Fallout 3 (both of which I enjoyed doing so). For the most part, though, I make characters I want to play as.

Take Skyrim for instance. If I want to, I can make an honor-seeking Nord who enjoys picking fights, slaying dragons, and driving out those pesky elves. None of that describes me, but it is a character I like role playing in the world of Skyrim. However, I may decide I want to play a sneaky thief and/or murderer who gets a thrill from getting away with what she's not allowed to do. That's about as far from my personality as possible, but that was one of my favorite characters to play as in Skyrim. Being able to make the character look like how I see them can help a lot in making that role playing more enjoyable.

 

[Flames66]

My first play-through of a new RPG is always as myself. I create a character as close to myself as possible within the confines of the setting, use equipment and weapons I like and react to situations naturally.

Once I know the game, I might make other characters. I am currently playing Skyrim again as a Khajiit Pirate. This is never my first action and only happens if I really enjoyed the game as myself and can think of a character i want to try it as.

In online games, My character is me. If someone I meet is roleplaying a character, I assume they are that character and interact with them as such. I prefer to put myself in the world and speak entirely in character, because i am the character. I actively shun the green fatman in the clown mask and mankini because I assume that is how they picture themselves and don't want to be associated with the deranged. I know they are doing it for a laugh, but it negatively impacts my enjoyment, making them people I don't want around me.

 

[Joccaren]

Yes and no. Playing a fix locked story with no choices that uses purely action to keep me... 'entertained', then no.

In something with some level of role playing, I will alternate between playing as myself in that world, and playing a personally-created character in that world.

Personally created character as its the only way I'll get to experience the whole story. If I play as me, I'll only ever take one route, every time. Because I know me, and I know the choices I would make. If I create another character, I can make different choices and still enjoy the game.

Playing as me, however, is a natural course of events. Escapism is a thing. It doesn't mean escaping myself though. I like myself. I like who I am. However, my spare time IRL is rather boring. So I escape IRL, and journey to another world to have fun. Why be me watching a boring reality TV show, when I could be me running around slaying dragons and griffins and solving murder mysteries?
Its also kind of me, and my family's, philosophy in regards to watching near anything. Why watch sports? I'd rather be playing them. Why watch cooking shows? I'd rather be cooking. Why watch reality TV? I'd rather be living life. Its the same in games. Why would I want to watch someone else kill a dragon, someone else be the hero, or someone else get the girl? I can get that in movies if I want, and they at least try to dazzle me with flashy set pieces and action, and an inordinate amount of comedy, in order to make up for how boring that type of drama is on its own [And this is coming from someone who loves romance movies and dislikes romantic comedies. Main stipend is that they're tragedies - happy romantic movies aren't really as interesting]. Can't watch a lot of drama. I'd rather be living it.

And that carries into games. Why watch my character make choices, when I could be making choices? Why watch some dude on screen kill a dragon, when I could kill a dragon?
Cover it in flashy set pieces and action, and yeah, I'll get distracted enough to not care as its obviously trying to be a movie, not a game, but I also find those games more boring.