Importance of character developement/plot

[Mr.Squishy]

I'm sure this topic's been covered before, but let us tread this ground again. Recently I've been DM'ing two D&D pen and paper games (over msn nonetheless(though we've played in person a lot too)...oh the irony). I have three players in one (A dedicated roleplayer/power gamer, a Powergamer/munchkin/MMO-fanatic new to the concept of RP'ing in an RPG, and a guy learning the ropes.)
The aforementioned two are also the players in the second game (since we're on at different times we need something to pass the time when one's missing, soon starting a game with the dedicated RP'er/Newbie). As me and the dedicated roleplayer(RockSiccors here on the escapist) have experienced time and time again, the powergamer/munchkin/kill-shit-loot-repeat guy lacks any sense of character depth, developement or plot. Let's just say he was allowed one try at DM'ing, and none more.

While we were playing the other day, he complained that I, as a DM, had placed a deck of many things (magical deck of cards) in the middle of the road, and they'd spent a couple of sessions dicking around with that (though nothing physical or plotwise was stopping them from moving on).
He even went so far as to say "There's too much character developement and ethical choices in your games,and shinies are supposed to be good, that's the way it is in video games!" To clarify that last part, he's used to adventure games and MMO's, where shiny = good. I love explosive runes and gullible bastards, and I've been determined to pry him away from the shiny = good and only good mindset.

Though he's said similar-ish things before, this was the first time he actually directly, irrevocably expressed a hate of character developement and plot/story, which I find ironic, because he's got a collection of over 250 movies in his appartment, and they're his big passion.

Sorry about that, needed to vent a bit. But please, tell me your thoughts on it.

As for discussion value, how important is character depth/developement and plot to you in different media or just general? Bonus points for opinions on PnP games.

 

[SeanTheSheep]

Myself, I think character development is one of the key elements of good storytelling, and to that is near exactly what (From what I've gathered) tabletop RPGs are based around. Without a fleshed out, identifiable character to start with, your job gets much harder, because if you don't identify with your character, you won't want to let them grow, they will be little more than a chess piece you poke at.

With a character you can get into the mindset of, you can develop the character, giving them a more detailed backstory, so rather than "His village got burned down" you could tell an epic tale of how your character's wife and children were brutally murdered by bandits raiding the town and they only survived because they smeared their face and chest with the bklood of their eight year old daughter and lay on the floor motionless so they went unnoticed as the bandits torched each building one by one, with his house as the last, nearly dying from the smoke let off from the corpses, dying a little each time he saw the flames licking at a doorway as he lay slumped in a broken position against his front window. After he emerged from the wreckage of the town, coughing and wheezing, his eyes streaming from the smoke and the loss of his family, he vowed to get his vengance on those who wronged him.[footnote]This is just the events as an overview, each sentence here could be extended into a full sized paragraph.[/footnote]

Either way, he gets a +3 bonus against human enemies.

Now if you can't see the importance of developing a character from that, then maybe I've done something badly, but you should see my point vaguely.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART IN ANY STORY. PERIOD! If a game company doesn't find character development the story will just be awful. A character is key....

 

[SeanTheSheep]

If a game company doesn't...

If a game company doesn't?
If anyone doesn't I think you mean.

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

character development and good story telling are vital. that being said, i've found that it is impossible to reform a munchkin (unless he's just very young still). either stop gaming with him or learn to ignore his lack of depth...which, considering what you wrote above, sounds like it won't be possible.

 

[Ampersand]

Ahem? It's a role playing game. In my experience most of the fun comes from imposing a personality on to a character yourself. You know using your imagination and stuff.
I remeber a time when that's what all games were like, before everyone got all lazy.

Obviously in books and films character development is important. However in interactive media the player has to bring something to the table.