First off…
Hi everyone, long time lurker, first time poster here. Its a pleasure to (formally) meet you all.
I started following CoG way back when imprisoned was released, and back then I always used to play the main character as myself. However, as CoG games began to evolve and the selection grew, I began to notice that I couldn’t always play the MC as a simple extension of myself. Choice of Romance forced me to play as a different person to progress the story, Slammed caused me to create a character that actually gave a fig about wrestling, and some games like The Orpheus Ruse actually inspired me to make a unique MC just because I could. The games that motivated (rather than forced) me to create my own unique character are honestly some of my most memorable stories because it let me really develop an attachment to my MC.
So the question I want to ask is: Who are your main characters? Are they projections of yourself, characters similar to you but decidedly separate beings, or are they completely unique individuals? If you are one of the people who tend to play as yourself then do you always play that way or are there some games that have inspired you to create a unique MC? Most importantly, out of all of your MCs, what were your favorite ones like, and what were the stories that they made?
For me, my more recent characters tend to have part of my personality, but still exist separate from me. Orpheus Ruse was the game that I first really did this in, and I think what caused me to do it was the ability to describe how my character looked in my own words. I believe I described him as “round glasses, narrow features and sharply dressed” or something like that. It was a small thing, but it was the first time I had ever stopped to really flesh out my MC. It was also helped by the fact that the MC’s childhood friend’s aggressive personality complemented the laid back and sly one I gave my own character. I ended up loving the way my character developed as the story progressed and enjoyed how his motivations were not the same as my own. *spoiler* For example, even though I knew he had been betrayed by his childhood friend, he refused to believe it and spent half the story worrying himself sick over her…only to throw a book at her the minute he sees that she is alright. But enough about me and my characters.
Tldr: I’m interested in hearing about your MCs and how you developed them.
I ALWAYS play as myself (or as close as I can get to that :P.) I always try to pick the options that paint my MC as an intelligent, compassionate and shy person.
I’ve never played a video game where I could really play a character very similar to myself. I’m a weirdo I guess. Or maybe I’m just taking this too literally, but that kinda supports me being weird. Anyway, I usually try to play a character whose morales and strongly held beliefs match my own fairly closely. I don’t really enjoy games that force me to play too far away from my beliefs because then I don’t feel connected to the character. I also don’t like games that make me feel helpless and ineffectual because I get enough of that in real life. Of course really awesome engaging writing can overcome those hangups. I don’t really like the Main Character of Vendetta, being a violent mobster and all, but he can be played as someone who’s actually pretty nice as long as you don’t cross him, and is even somewhat compassionate and idealistic. The writing really makes me care about this character, despite him being a violent criminal.
In general I like to play through choice games utilizing a minimum of violence. I actually like playing charismatic characters, like Mara except without all the death. It’s one reason I never really got into Sabers of Infinity. I felt I had gotten pretty far into the game, and it was all combat, or thinking about combat, or preparing for combat, or the results of combat… it just did hold me interest. I really liked the parts of Choice of the Dragon where you basically got to be like ‘Hey little helpless human minions! Don’t worry, I won’t let the bad guys hurt MY minions!’ but if I’d had the option I probably would have tried to develop an actual positive relationship with some humans. I also have come to realize that I seem to have a disproportionately large negative reaction to the deaths of female characters compared to the deaths of male characters. Like, even in Legacy of the Assassin or For Peace We Die when you’re supposed to be a compassionless killer massacring a bunch of faceless mooks it bothers me slightly more when the ones referred to with female pronouns are killed… Hm…
I try to play very charismatic characters, too. I always assume that the game writer will reward players that choose this option and give them more conversation choices, but the downside is I usually fail at any physical challenges in the game.
But to answer your original question, I usually play as myself, but with a cooler name, and obviously not as charismatic as the social butterfly that is me…(hah.)
I am sometimes sarcastic, but I’m always a good guy, which is weird for people that know me in real life. I just can’t stand being the bad guy. That’s the hardest part for me in writing my game, coming up with lots of bad options to choose. I like Skywalker-esque heroes.
@CitizenShawn
I can totally agree with that. One of the weirdest things about writing an in depth CS novel that caters to various type of people is that you have to give options that you yourself don’t justify and would never do.
@Shoelip it can happen at anytime really, no matter the circumstances. @CitizenShawn it can be easy to be evil, just don’t listen to people, think about only yourself, try looking for something really irritating about an character and times it 100.
And then you are a bad guy
@Specter Sure. You could be the cold calculating guy that takes any opportunity that benefits you in any way only for it to turn out that you completely misread the situation or that you’re just too short sighted to see the long term consequences of your actions.
I’m not really sure what you mean by backfire though, because the way I define it I don’t see how being idealistic really makes it more likely.
Whenever I play any rpg, whether it’s elder scrolls, mass effect, or CoG, I always do two playthroughs, one as the kind and gentle me who nurses animals who’ve been injured and then I do a playthrough as my sarcastic asshole who doesn’t give a damn bout who dies. That way, I’ll get to see almost every path the game has to offer
I have the problem of don’t be able to play as a good character. I started trying to play as a man to don’t mistake with Mara, but no avail, I just found be goody SO BORING. And I fall in sin like a drunken Paladin. My me1 Paladin Jesus Shepard 1 hour My dragon age character 20 minutes … :((
@poison_mara I see I will have to write my games with people like you in mind!
@Specter thanks, I’ll keep those tips in mind. I think the challenging part is finding interesting ways to be “bad,” and not calling it “evil,” either. You can be totally anarchistic but be charitable, perhaps; don’t make the readers feel like they’re forced to made bad decisions every single time.
@that1german I try to do that but I usually fall out halfway through the second playthrough. The only games I’ve done several times over are Knights of the Old Republic; they really did a good job there! Mass Effect 3 was pretty good, too, at rewarding you for being bad.
@Shoelip hold on who said I wouldn’t be prepared for anything that I didn’t calculated, a person must always have back up plans for the present and future for I am not stupid enough to forget about future consequences.
Being idealistic can make make you lose touch with reality, you might think the world is good before it hits you on the head. But I admit it has it’s advantages, innovative things can only happen by someone who has an ideal so yeah maybe someone’s ideals might actually work through. @CitizenShawn there is a way, you must believe that it is for the best of the people. Even if you do genocide you can think of future consequences that might happen if you didn’t do it. I believe there was a word about that type of villain
