A little confused with your answer, sorry
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Two.
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Okay man I’m leaving sorry leaves the cantina
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Smart.
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Okay, that bit of fun out of the way, I like those examples myself. One is more about shielding the player and the other is a bait-and-switch. Any time a choice can accurately be replaced with just the word “Psych!”, it is not a good choice. Fake choices are one thing, but self-negating choices are something else entirely.
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What’s your definition of ‘failure’ if you’re given the option to harm or kill a character in an IF? 
One of my favourite moments in Morrowind is a Fail state. And the big proof Morrowind is a REAL RPG.
you have to meet the spymaster in Balmora. He tells you that you can sleep in his bed but not stolen from his stuff. But well It is an Rpg everyone picks the stuff not nailed down more if he has a hidden skooma stuff under his bed.
Then he attacks you and you kill him. The game just says . You have killed your only informant about the whole prophecy. The acts would happen. But you can play the game. You can become a mage or a drug dealer. The game acts like the world continues with the plague. and the crisis persists you are a normal person, your own actions gated you from being the hero
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Its not about “failure”, it’s not like you attack someone you know you have no chance of winning.
More like, there’s an antagonist in game and you hate them so much. After few hours, you find them alone and helpless. Book gives you harm/kill option, they fight back obviously. After a few mins they escape because a police officer came here to take his wallet and we’re distracted for a few seconds. And all this happens because that character is plot important and can’t die at this point.
That’s what I’m frustated at, if they need to survive don’t provide us perfect place to harm/kill them at very first place
I see. So what you’re frustrated about is railroading you into a situation with a bait and switch. Thanks for clarifying.
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Voted I put that in my story and that it’s awesome, because if I hadn’t put that as a choice in the story, it wouldn’t have led to a horrible death for the reader and that’s even more awesome.
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When you play a game, do you play as a self insert (as best as you can within the story’s confines) or a separate character that exists within the story’s setting?
- I play as a self insert
- I play as a character completely separate from myself
- I play as a character that shares some characteristics with me but is not me
- I have no preference
- Other
0 voters
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writing characters has always been my strongest trait as a writer and playing interactive fiction as my original characters has helped make me even better at it (in my own opinion anyway). plus, i get easily frustrated playing as a self-insert for the vast majority of IF.
let alone the fact that there are still plenty of games that only have male/female gender options, i don’t like opening myself up to immersion breaks–which this format is riddled with when i play as myself. it’s just easier and more satisfying to play as other (fictional) people since i can potentially learn things about their personality by placing them in settings and situations I would never write. plus, i don’t have to deal with moments like “p sure i selected dark skin but ok, let’s pretend my face turned ‘bright red’ 
” or “yeah, where is the option to stress cry? i need the option to stress cry” or “i am way too much of a noisy [insert political ideology] for this entire scene to even be possible” or “i’m sarcastic, not needlessly mean” or “ok i can tell where this plot is going, so i would never choose any of these things” or–
you get the idea 
the majority of my favorite COG and HG titles I have replayed as so many original characters but had to give up and quit mid-playthrough as a self-insert 'cause i was getting annoyed
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A little extracted quote from wikipedia:
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game ;[1][2] abbreviated RPG ) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making regarding character development.[3] Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines.[4]
According to that you play a role, you assume the role of characters, you aren’t supposed to be the character.
Edit: I don’t want to sound like I want to argue about it as I’m questioning it for myself too.
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Some people like to play as self inserts rather than play a character, hence why I created the poll. I was interested to see the results.
I should probably clarify that the ‘share some characteristics’ was referring to - in my head - personality traits instead of physical appearance. Whoops. 
I wanted to leave it ambiguous since people would defines characteristics differently, so thanks for the reply. 
I can understand that, but some times I see it difficult because the mc can do some things different as how the reader would. That may be somehow fixable by the writer but to what extent? traits and emotions are wildly mixed differently on each of us, how can you write that so every single player could insert itself on the game and not being put out of the immersion because some thing they wouldn’t accept as some choice/action/trait/whatever that they would not agree on?..
You can’t. Simple as that. You can’t account for every single reaction, even for a triple A game with a big budget behind it.
At some point in the story, the reader has to surrender - for lack of a better word - to the premise of the story. Or else there would be no story. Mass Effect wouldn’t be the same story if BioWare allowed the player to say ‘nope’ and quit at any point in the story.
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Exactly, so even if you say you’ll play as if you would be inserting yourself on the game you are failing to do so because of the lack of choices that wouldn’t adapt to what you would really do, so in essence you are just playing as someone else with a given spectrum of limited choices? or you would just stop playing at the moment you read the options and say, nope, I wouldn’t do any of that, I’m out…
If I’m going to deep just let me know, I don’t want to be annoying. (I have to go, no internet at new home, see you tomorrow)
I personally don’t play as self inserts because of that reason - I have limited options of how to act within the story’s confines - and because I find it interesting to play as someone slightly different. The core is still the same (chaotic neutral, sarcastic, persuasive, etc.) if it’s presented, but I’ll allow the author to lead me on the adventure for one reason or another. And if at some point I don’t agree with a decision that strongly, I stop playing. If it’s a demo, I leave a suggestion about it and go on my merry way.
And no worries. Don’t apologize. It’s a lovely discussion. See you soon and keep safe.
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I voted that I play as a different character with some of my own personality traits, but I think when people say they’re playing as self-inserts, they’re not saying “I’m playing as the mid-twenties female 21st century writer I am, and in this dangerous situation I would prefer to run away, but that’s not always an option.” I think when people say “I play as a self-insert,” they mean they make the decisions they reasonably would if they were the ones in that situation, with their personal justifications, rather than the “character’s”. That doesn’t mean anyone expects an infinite amount of choices presented to them to accommodate their free will and personal preferences; I think it just means they operate according to their individual feelings and preferences, rather than the character’s backstory.
Example:
The game presents you with the choice to save a little kid from drowning in a well, or letting him die and being rewarded with money because some noble wanted him dead.
Self-insert: “I will save the child because if I, [first name] [last name], were to see this happening in real life, I would save him.” Alternatively: “I will save the child because if I, [first name] [last name] were to be placed in this exact situation, this is how I as an individual would react, so that’s what my character will do.”
Character completely separate from myself: “I will save the child because I think Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall, would save them given their background of saving innocents or watching their sibling drowning in a well. I know Hawke would never stand by after what happened to their sister. I will operate according to their backstory and personality.” Alternatively: “I would personally save the child in real life, but I think Hawke, the Champion of Kirkwall, wouldn’t, because they desperately need the money because of [x y z story reasons], or because they’re a neutral-evil character, even though I consider myself personally to be lawful-good.”
Obviously this is all from my perspective; everyone’s reasonings are going to be different! But this is how I interpret the divide, so I don’t think the lack of infinite choices necessarily means you’re restricted from playing as a self-insert? I think it’s more about justification and reasoning and intent behind decisions rather than the offered decisions themselves. I hope that makes sense!
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Perhaps, but this is also a possibility when playing as something other than a self insert. For example, if I’ve created a character that is very anti working with the government, and for plot reasons that character must work with the government, the same issue pops up.
The issue of railroading and choices is one that affects both self inserts and non self inserts. It’s up to the player to give their character a reason, self insert or not, to stick with the plot.
As for the reason I play self inserts sometimes (usually for my first play through), it’s because I want to see the world react to me, as a person. I want to learn about the world the way I would if it was real, and have it respond to me in the same way. It’s less of an exercise in putting myself in someone else’s shoes and more of an exploration of a setting for me.
And this may just be me, but I think this has helped me grow, even just a little bit, as a person. Maybe it’s because I get so deeply attached to these characters, but I find the consequences of my (or my self insert’s) actions in the game lead to real life reflections for me. I learn more about myself through this way of playing, something I wouldn’t get to do it I wasn’t playing as a self insert.
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