This is a subject I have been wanting to get off my chest for some time now.
Villains (or antagonists, whichever you prefer) in video games are almost always either bland, unexplained or just completely over the top. It seems that everytime a villain is needed, they are just given the faintest hint of a motivation (aka Bowser) or just do bad things for reasons that can best be described as a parody of serious drama (aka Sephiroth).
My biggest problems with this is that if these characters are going to be made, they need to be fleshed out more, given legitimate reasons for doing what they do and most importantly, not to be seen as villainous when they do it.
For example, a very wise person (I forget their name, Joseph Campbell I think)once said of villains that "they are the hero of their own story". This, I think, is the best way to go about making a good villain, by making them a character who does things because they genuinely believe that they are doing the "right thing". They should only be villainous in the sense that they are in some way opposed to the protagonist (aka the player character).
Another great way to create villains is to make them a "shadow of the protagonist" (again not my words). In other words, they have to in some way reflect the actions or motivations, or backstory of the main characters. This would render them in a sort of "there but for the grace of god" type situation, showing what the main character could have become under different circumstances.
One of the best examples I have ever seen of this type of "villain" are the Colossii of "Shadow of the Colossus". Here the antagonists are a series of giant creatures that the protagonist has to slay in order to bring back someone close to him to life. Now while we may support the protagonist for doing this, the colossii in question never seem hostile. They never attack unless attacked or disturbed themselves and the protagonist is often very single minded and brutal in his treatment of them. This game really had me think about whether or not these antagonists could be considered as villains, or even if the player character could be considered a "hero".
Good and evil are very complicated subjects and need to be treated as such. And while some may see the world in black and white, we need to ensure in future, that antagonists are merely a darker shade of grey.
Villains (or antagonists, whichever you prefer) in video games are almost always either bland, unexplained or just completely over the top. It seems that everytime a villain is needed, they are just given the faintest hint of a motivation (aka Bowser) or just do bad things for reasons that can best be described as a parody of serious drama (aka Sephiroth).
My biggest problems with this is that if these characters are going to be made, they need to be fleshed out more, given legitimate reasons for doing what they do and most importantly, not to be seen as villainous when they do it.
For example, a very wise person (I forget their name, Joseph Campbell I think)once said of villains that "they are the hero of their own story". This, I think, is the best way to go about making a good villain, by making them a character who does things because they genuinely believe that they are doing the "right thing". They should only be villainous in the sense that they are in some way opposed to the protagonist (aka the player character).
Another great way to create villains is to make them a "shadow of the protagonist" (again not my words). In other words, they have to in some way reflect the actions or motivations, or backstory of the main characters. This would render them in a sort of "there but for the grace of god" type situation, showing what the main character could have become under different circumstances.
One of the best examples I have ever seen of this type of "villain" are the Colossii of "Shadow of the Colossus". Here the antagonists are a series of giant creatures that the protagonist has to slay in order to bring back someone close to him to life. Now while we may support the protagonist for doing this, the colossii in question never seem hostile. They never attack unless attacked or disturbed themselves and the protagonist is often very single minded and brutal in his treatment of them. This game really had me think about whether or not these antagonists could be considered as villains, or even if the player character could be considered a "hero".
Good and evil are very complicated subjects and need to be treated as such. And while some may see the world in black and white, we need to ensure in future, that antagonists are merely a darker shade of grey.
