Issue 29: Extra - Striding the Wasteland

[The Escapist Staff]

Shannon Drake"This hero strides a wasteland, a strange world where a teenager or a government commando is the only person with a brain or willpower, and where the entire world is against him." Shannon Drake rails against the lack of compelling protagonists.

 

[The Escapist Staff]

Original Comment by: Bob

Uhh...if you shoot at the marines enough in Halo, they WILL turn on you and kill you. I know it's fun to write so verbosely and with such vigor, but try to pick one of the ten other games where your allies actually don't fight back when you kill them. Hell, half the point of Halo was killing the marines - which came from the old Marathon practice of killing all of the Bob's...

 

[The Escapist Staff]

Original Comment by: Patrick Dugan
http://www.kingludic.blogspot.com
I was dissapointed to read no reference to the original post-apocalyptic tactical RPG, or to T.S. Eliot's poem, but otherwise you paint a very compelling picture of the impoverished state of game writing today.

BTW, don't worry about what others say, write with all the vigor you can.

 

[The Escapist Staff]

Original Comment by: Slartibartfast

As Ken in SFA3 put it: Feel my burning vigor!!

Uh, anyways...

Interesting article, if definitely got me thinking and I think it makes some good points. Who was the last truly interesting protagonist I've seen in a videogame? I can't think of any. One of the hallmarks of great literature is the interesting, believable characters, which is something videogames could certainly use more of.

 

[The Escapist Staff]

Original Comment by: Mark

What about Mario?





...Anyway. A part of the problem in making an interesting hero in a video game is that (in most games) the character does still have to be a hero - meaning that the game does have to include something that only the hero can do.

Invoking more powerful forces than the hero himself can be a tricky proposition, since if they're so powerful, how come they're not out saving the world? A little bit of literary forethought can create a reason why those institutions can help the player only in very specific ways, but it's only rarely been used.

Things like this are the reason why writing the storylines and characters for video games has fascinated me: many types of video games have a pretty rigid gameplay system, meaning that you have to make a story that fits within the context of the gameplay. Of course, there are always opportunities to change the gameplay... but it's a delicate balancing act, because whatever you replace it with has to be fun. The constraints imposed by the fact that it is a video game ensure that every story in a video game will either be total crap or pure genius. The problem is that the story aspect of video games has so long been de-emphasized that most of the ones that have gotten through are crap.

Part of the stagnation of the video game story lies with the cutscene or the scrolling dialog box (or voice acting), where the player has nothing to do but just watch, listen, or read.... If we can find a way to minimize the pain of these, we can use them more effectively to develop better stories without having to sacrifice playability.

 

[The Escapist Staff]

Original Comment by: Merc

Ah, now what about Planetscape: Torment? There was a game where you could decide on who you were. And figuring it out was interesting. Why couldn't you die? Why were you so covered in scars?

That was a great game.

I think the real difficulty with video games is that you really can't have a strong "first person" protagonist, because if you have a strong personality it is bound to clash with the personality of the person playing that character. Unlike movies or books you're normally a passive observer of events, but in a video game you control that character. Too much personality and it doesn't feel right because that's now how you would do things. Too little, and you get the boring characters like the guy in Doom.

I guess the best choice is to have real choices for the player that define the character they're playing, but fill in those real choices so the player actually identifies with their character.

 

[The Escapist Staff]

Original Comment by: Olumide Edu

Even though yet another kotor (or more accurately, kotor 2) refernce is bursting to come forth I will fight against it vigorously.

Anyway, I agree with this article very strongly. This was an especially good week for The Escapist and I am very glad that you decided to return to this general issue again as it has been burning in my mind.

Good job!

 

[The Escapist Staff]

Original Comment by: Hobbyns
http://www.hobbyns.net
I agree with you that even the most compelling of game protagonists would make poor company. Let's not forget though that some of the most memorable characters had no personality whatsover. Gordan Freeman wasn't a character per se, just the vehicle through which we could look out and experience the adventure that is Half-Life. Still we remember him fondly because we became him, yet we wouldn't even have known what he looked like without the promotional pictures of him that came from Valve.

I would have to say that my all-time favorite character was Garret the Thief. He is memorable for being a compelling character (even if a slightly stereotypical one), yet as a gamer I was also able to become Garret. That is the main difference between Gordon and Garret. Two sides of the same coin, that coin being good game protagonists.

 

[The Escapist Staff]

Original Comment by: Hobbyns
http://www.hobbyns.net
Oh, forgot to say...

Great article, I enjoyed it a lot.

 

[The Escapist Staff]

Original Comment by: parkbench

I was going to mention Planescape, but someone beat me to the punch--among games, that one is a perfect example in which the story is all there, waiting for you to flesh it out, having you sit on the edge of your seat as the memories you have lost unfold.

I think Sin City got unnecessary flak. It's like Kill Bill--it was a deliberately over-the-top, exaggerated stereotype, anti-anti-cliche, and that's why it's brilliant. In terms of cohesion Sin City half wins, half loses, but the losing part is one of its strengths, because it does it deliberately. It *feels* like a deftly-made comic.

As for Gordon Freeman, I think it's a good thing that he particularly lacks a 'personality--' beforehand, while he was key to 'the experiemnt' he wasn't really *anyone special*. If he were, he wouldn't be fighting his way through minions, would he? Special mentally, I mean. If he were, he'd be one of the scientists--and then hed' be fucked, neh? Crushed by some beam or eaten by some gastly thing. No, Gordon Freeman is a tough man who can hold his own and is just trying to make it out alive.

But good article anyway. I agree on the whole 'game industry growing up' thing.

 

[The Escapist Staff]

Original Comment by: Ben Casey

Good article. I'm reminded by how Garrett from the 'Thief' games is just the character you're talking about. He's interesting, has a personality and morality of his own, and is completely the opposite from the 'big brawny musle-head' guy that you see in so many games. Not just that, but you definitely see his character evolve during the 'Thief' trilogy.