Demand for Character Depth

This is a topic that’s been on my mind for a considerable time now. There are some discussions that almost breach it, but none of them really address what I consider the spirit of the matter. So: how important is character depth and character development to you in interactive fiction?

The title might seem like I’m demanding more character depth because of a perceived lack, but no, I’m referring to supply and demand. Specifically, is there a demand for games that heavily emphasise character depth/development/interaction in ChoiceScript games? I know inclusive romance options are essentially the major attractant for players (if I’m mistaken, please, do correct me!), but is their presence nevertheless secondary to the plot of the game? I’d love to get to spend more time with them in games, but what’s more important is how many of you share that view.

I would love to hear everyone’s input on this! I’ll mostly be listening, since my goal here is to learn from the discussion rather than to participate in it myself. Here’s a poll for posterity!


On a scale of one to five, how much would you like to see more games that emphasise character interaction and development?

  • 5 — I’d love to see more games like this!
  • 4 — I’d like to see more games like this!
  • 3 — It would be good to see more games like this, but I’m impartial myself.
  • 2 — I don’t particularly care whether I see more games like this.
  • 1 — I’m not interested in seeing more games like this.

0 voters


PS: I realised it might be useful to have some sort of control poll to gauge interest in character depth/development/interaction vs plot, so here’s a poll for that too! (Feel free to make suggestions below if you think the options are too limiting. I used a rating system again purely for uniformity.) Just note that the poll assumes good writing for all aspects of the story.


On a scale of one to five, how much more important do you consider characterisation than the plot of a game?

  • 5 — Characterisation is more important than plot.
  • 4 — Characterisation and plot are equally important, but I personally enjoy the characterisation more.
  • 3 — Characterisation and plot are equally important.
  • 2 — Characterisation and plot are equally important, but I personally enjoy the plot more.
  • 1 — Plot is more important than characterisation.

0 voters

A post was merged into an existing topic: Polls about COG, HG, and IF games (More Polls #16)