Story and Character

With competition from films and books the world of games has its work cut out for it. Games dont have the big screen advantages of being able to gain extra credit and audiences by plastering Steven Spielbergs name across the credits. Game designers dont have that edge of being a big face, their just background names for the game. Nor can a game try and gain credit for just one thing like the script. Games have to be played aswell, so theres more to it and its more difficult. Because i doubt you would buy a game which is just one big cutscene and no gameplay, no matter how good that script is. So how do the designers make something thats memorable?

The use of characters in games i think is a tad undermimed these days as a lot of what ive recently played host quite shallow and linear characters. But this is something that should have more attention payed to it as they are a key tool to combining all aspects of the game into one memorable experience. I mean plots draw a player in but the plot is carried out usually by the character so their a quint essential, and if a shallow or boring character does this you begin to loose interest in how they the character are carrying out the plot.

When i play games I persoanlly get more attached to characters that have a maverick persona to them, those ones that have a macho dark side to them that frequently shows through in situations. Im a fan of starwars for example, and although Luke Skywalker is the stereotypical relate to character that you should want to be because he is the symbol of all that is good and saves the world, id rather be Han Solo any day. But thats just me talking.

I wouldnt personally say the script is an all important tool for helping you respond to a character. Although a good juicy script can help make a cult classic with lines of unforgetable dialogue, sometimes a lack of script can be the key to creating a good character aswell. Less whats in the script and more what you do with the script. Again back to Star Wars we have Boba Fett, who despite only saying four lines of dialogue in the entire trilogy is still up there as one of the best characters. Its because the lack of script is a technique that is helping you respond to him. His lack of words keep him anonymous, making you constantly second guess about him and leave you wanting to delve into his character and get to know more about him. His apperance is also key to how his charcter is perveiced, again he is successful because less is more. Although he sports body armour, which is riddled with dents and scuffs which does tell you something about him as a character he is blank, completely covered from head to toe, creating the man in the mask persona that makes him even more gripping and filled with questions that get you into wanting to know who he is. Kind of along the lines of Batman or Zorro where you want them to be revealed.

Ok im totally off on a tagent/rant here so ill leave it at that