Notes from an ongoing (work) conversation

[greatsword]

I’ve been thinking and talking about some issues related to game storytelling. I propose that the following things do not work in games:

Unsympathetic protagonists.

There is a difference between thinking "Man, the main character is an asshole" and "Man, I'm being quite the asshole here." GF2, yes, I'm looking at you

Comments

[greatsword]

I think this is part of what I'm responding to, and the range of reactions is interesting.

In a game you ask the player to step into a role. I like Ian's suggestion that the role of the player could be disassociated from the main character, though that is hard to do. I'm going to have to think about what the cutoff is between a flawed character that is still an enticing role and a character that is so broken that the player is turned off by playing.

[jimpage363]

If I ever get the opportunity to script a game with a Buffy-like main character, It's going to be nigh impossible not to name her "Mary Sue".

"Marty Sue".

And I agree, when playing a game, you don't want the hopeless despair scenario. I mean, how is THAT entertainment/relaxation/catharsis exactly?

[metageek]

I dunno; personally, I'd say the same about music and movies, but people listen to emo music, and watch movies where the protagonist dies of cancer. These people are clearly not looking for the same thing I am; maybe they would like emo games.

[greatsword]

I make a distinction between hopelessness and futility. It's one thing to put the players in a situation where eventual loss is inevitable; it's another to give them a feeling that their choices simply don't matter.

Left 4 Dead, for example, is a pretty hopeless world. But the characters "triumph" in each episode - meaning they escape with their lives.

[metageek]

That's a point. If you can't influence what happens, it's a movie, not a game.

[chorus]

Well, when it comes to unsympathetic protagonists, the details matter. If the story is in part about their growth as a person, it could work fairly well. Or if the main character is only one of several important characters, it can work out, too. As ianhess alludes to, a few of the Final Fantasy games have lead or important characters who are pretty screwed up people, but despite that, FF7 is actually one of my two favorites in the franchise (which is saying something, because I'm a total FF fangirl). On the other hand, there's Summoner. And Orphen, which I actually quit playing fairly early on because the main character was a complete jerk

[greatsword]

I'm trying to figure out the difference, from my point of view, between "series story" and "pilot." Halo 2 was too much of a pilot for me. ODST could easily be the first in a series, but it does draw to a satisfying completion.

I don't mind flawed protagonists; I think there's a big difference between flawed and unsympathetic.