For me to feel emerged in the plot when i'm playing a game the characters have to be someone i can relate to, and i think most players need to get attached to the character to suspend their disbelief for longer. Characters in games are different from that of books and film as you can actually delve into their every mannerism by moving them in game. Take my always referenced game for example, Fallout 3. From beginning to end you play only as the lone wanderer of Vault 101, not having to see the sides of more than one character as you would in a book or film. In the game you set off with the task of searching for your mysteriously missing dad, so straight away you have an initial connection with the player as you are fed the information and back story needed to imagine his likely feelings and emotions as you make him wonder through the desolate wasteland. Also in Fallout, there's a feature achievable in games but not books or films, you get to choose multiple paths for the character to take them down any root you deem fit, which is almost like you able to imprint your own ethics and choices into this character, rather than just being told how the character acts and the path the character takes like you would in a book.
However there are some games that feature characters i find it hard to attach myself too. Take Halo for example, how am I to connect to a character who I don’t even know what his/her face looks like. Games like Need for speed, Call of Duty or Halo don't posses the character building traits seen in most games. I feel this is because they don't need to, they are meant to be played light heartily soldiers and cars are disposable, the element of attraction in those types of games are funded by the quick return of fun you get from playing, not the gradual build up of a plot or unraveling of your characters back story.
For me to say i create more of a relationship between games characters than i do with characters in books, isn't entirely true. I find it much easier to immerse myself into my imagination when I read books than when I play games. Yes in books the plot is set out for you, but in games you have the world made out for you and the characters are just there for you to get from A to B. A character in a book is a blank canvas for you to unload all your crazy concepts of men and women into, unless of course the character is described in incredible detail at the start, but even then there's room to squeeze in your own aesthetics. I try and read a lot of Sci-fi books as apposed to ones true to life, as you have to create a whole new world from just a set of words. I love that the world is constantly changing in books and if you get something wrong it can be erased and made again. Books can be quiet vague sometimes which is a good thing but also a bad thing. It means that when a character walks into an un-described room you automatically deploy your own images as to what the room would look like, and then you turn the page to find that it eventually describes the room, so you then have to un-imagine your concept which is hard.
The more realistic the industry increases to be then technically the more immersive games should get, as realism is a key factor in emerging yourself in something, if the story and aesthetics are too wacky then it just becomes another light hearted game you cant really grasp or relate too.
'LA Noire' - Realistic faces
I feel character artists have the hardest job in game production, scenery is nice but its not essential, there's few games where you just play as a camera and look at scenery. The character is always the main focal point even if its just the back of a head or their hand and gun on screen, the personality they emit and draw you in with is what makes the game a form of escapism, you get to imagine yourself as that person for a while, taking on board there issues and tasks while putting your own aside. Also the character artist has to try and please everyone, which is hard because you won’t be able to create a character who will relate to everyone, that's why its good to find a niche concept for characters, at least if you cant please everyone you can create something no one else has. A game will be good if at least flows from start to finish, this way you’ll hold the audience for much longer than if you are just switching between random environments, characters and story lines Keep it simple don’t over complicate the story line because the player just won’t pay attention and grow bored of listening to big words and complicated sub plots. To me a game is enjoyable if the characters and plot are unique and relatable, in voice, appearance and personality unless like i mentioned earlier its a light hearted game like Minecraft in which you don't care that your character doesn't have a voice, you don't care they all look the same, you just want to do a bit of digging.
No comments:
Post a Comment