Poll: Who is the Player Character, exactly (in linear, single player games)?

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As in, who do you see the player character as while playing? Do you see the Player Character as you, and the traits they have are yours as well, for the time being? Or do you play them as if you're in the mind of the character, controlling them as their thoughts and conscience, but they are separate? Or, do you do neither and see the character as a "them", they have their thoughts, and you are just along for the ride?

I played Bioshock and the new Spec Ops through again, and they both raise questions as to who the player character actually is, so it got me thinking. Personally for me, I see myself as the thoughts of the character, I am in their mind and literally are their actions. I don't control them per se, because they are (for the most part) different to me.

Kind of twisted when you think about it, but that's true with everything.

 

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I hoped to see people's actual thoughts on this :/

 

[username sucks]

Other. When I am playing an rpg, there is no player character, it is only me in the game world. I ignore the story to the player character and make up my own that explains how I got from "real life" to the game's setting.

Also, I'm pretty sure bumping a thread is against forum rules, but I might be wrong. When I created a thread that got no responses, I let it die quietly.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

depends on the exact game, in a game like uncharted I am seperate from drake and am somewhat along for the ride/he is his own seperate person.

however for an rpg like mass effect, i try to invoke what I would do or how I feel.

 

[EmperorSubcutaneous]

Interesting.

I chose "they are separate from me" because it's mostly true, except instead of me being the one controlling their thoughts and actions, it's just a part of me that does it. And for each character I play, it's a different part.

Basically, I cobble together a new personality from different parts of my brain every time I create a new character (which is why I only have a few basic archetypes), and I act out that personality through the character.

 

[Adranos]

That depends entirely on the game. In The Elder Scrolls, I am the player character and he is what I make of them. There is no backstory, and no one who knows you so the game is a blank slate. However, in games like the Witcher, the PC is already predefined with a deep history and I can only play him within some narrow constraints. Then there are the Bioware RPGs which give the player a very sketchy history and an ambiguous motivation and let you get on with it. Baldur's Gate II could be played as the quest for revenge or the quest to rescue a freind - the player decides their motivation.

It is up to each RPG how much freedom to give the player and because of that I feel all of the answers to "who is the player character?" are valid depending on the game.

On a personal note, im a fan of the games that give your character a story that you can explore as the plot develops

 

[King of Asgaard]

They are entirely separate from me.
I am merely their superego, if you will.

 

[DoPo]

Other - it depends? I can play a character as myself ("blank slate" mostly - what would I do?), I can play a character as a different person (blank slate again, set up a character - what would he/she do?), I can also have less control over the character (Mass Effect - what would Shepard do is limited somewhat but it still controllable to an extent).

 

[fenrizz]

It depends on the game, really.

In Skyrim there is only me, but in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater I am controlling Snake.

Interesting question though, I might have to give it some thought on a late Caturday night.

 

[Something Amyss]

I design the character to be as different from me (in appearance at least) as possible.

Oddly enough, I design my characters to be as much like you as possible.

 

[Scarim Coral]

If we're talking about games with character creation then it depend on my character apperances. Sometime I try to make it look like me well an Asian character which mean those decision that character make is my as in if I was there. However for characters that doesn't look like me like e.g. a Charr Nercomancer in Guild Wars 2 (or just a human character that look different from me) would either be the character base dicession or just the same morale choice I would make (my character is a good guy than a bad guy since I want to be a good guy).

 

[Mobax]

For myself, it really depends on the game.

Take Battlefield 3 for example, in the campaign I am just playing through the character, I am experiencing their story through their eyes, but they are the character not me. If I have to make a choice in those style of games, I try to do what I feel that character would do.

Now in a rpg game, for instance, Skyrim, I am creating the character. To me that character is their own person, but I control their thoughts and actions. Basically if I imagine a character who is a dark/evil necromancer, I will play them that way, and make their choices follow that personality. Likewise if my character is a noble ranger, I will make their choices that way.

I do find that in games where I can mold my character through in game choice, my first play through tends to be a character who's decisions mirror my own personal feelings towards choice at hand.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

"I am in their shoes, therefor both the character and I are the same person."
But then that's how I like to play most video games.

 

[Mojo]

Gotta go with the "Depends on the game" option myself. In Spec Ops I'm definitely a different person then the player character same goes for Bioshock imo., even though its a FPS and your in full control of the character he still has his own back story and makes several decisions that are out of your control. In Skyrim or Fallout 3 Id say that your the same person as you basically make up your characters history and choose every action. Bioshock is gray zone here but Id still say hes is his own character because a talks, has tattoos and a back story (vague as it may be).

For myself, it really depends on the game.

Welcome to Rapture the Escapist! Nice avatar, btw.

 

[Full]

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These got me thinking that it mainly does depend on the game. MMOs and RPGs with character creation can be seen with a different context. I usually create a character different than me in looks, but I build them and make choices seriously, as in "what would I do?", however I never say "Oh yeah, I did that".

It's mainly thought provoking in games like Gears or Dead Space as loose examples, where you play as a pre defined character but you still control them. How do you see it then? Or in a game like Dishonored, whereas you "are" a mute protagonist in first person who you can build and upgrade, which is a pretty "yeah, that's me" feeling, yet also is pre-defined, with a gender, backstory etc. In general, I feel like it's easier to be in their mind, you don't tell them what to do, really, you don't say "shoot them" and then they shoot, but you both do it at the same time. They are the avatar of your actions.

 

[Mobax]

Welcome to Rapture the Escapist! Nice avatar, btw.

lol Thanks

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

If it's the silent protagonist, the point is to put yourself in his shoes.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

My PCs are independent characters. They have their own personalities, their own motivations and their own morals. They act in a way that is in line with their mindset, and when I am called on to make choices for them, I make them based on what they would do, not what I would do. If I constantly played myself in RPG games, they would have no replay value as I would make the same decisions each time, as I would be playing the same person each time.

 

[SonOfMethuselah]

It depends on the game, to be honest. In a game like Uncharted, or God of War, where the main character has an established backstory, a distinct persona, and important character traits, they are who they are, and I'm just sort of observing. If it's a game like Half-Life or Bioshock, where the main character is silent, I'm not against projecting some of my own traits onto them. When they don't speak, it's easy to disregard any backstory that is established for them. If it's a game like... I dunno, any modern fps, where the main character has a name, but nothing more, they are a non-entity. They really just serve as my camera for the experience.