Characters in Video Games
In the beginning, game characters were nothing more than barely recognizable sprites in a 2D pixelated world. There wasn't much in the way of background stories or character development. Take for example, the original Donkey Kong. Who is that little plumber, and why the heck is that gorilla throwing barrels at him? Sure, game manuals may have included a bit of narrative about the characters, but they certainly weren't anything to get attached to.
The series that changed this, at least in my mind, was the Final Fantasy series. Each game, even way back to the original Nintendo versions, had interesting characters with relationships and history with the other characters. As games grew larger and more complex, the stories grew as well. The developers began creating CGI animations into key plot points, giving players a bit of cinematic action to explain events, or to show specific interactions between characters.
It was Final Fantasy VII that proved to me that character development was now integral to games. FFVII was the first of the series to be released on the Sony Playstation, and was the first of the series to be completely 3D rendered. The gameplay was immersive for it's time, and the CGI cinematics were stunning.
Squaresoft then threw all gamers for a loop when near the mid-point of the game, the character Sephiroth kills Aeris, one of the main playable characters during a CGI cinematic bit. It was unexpected, referred to by some as "the most shocking moment in video games." I was literally brought to tears. I had become attached to this virtual character, and watching her die was wrenching.
Now, all games seem to have back stories, character histories and world events, even if it's simply a combat game. This, of course, also helps when the opportunity arises to make a movie out of the video game concept. These characters don't garner the attachment of the characters played in role-playing games however. The fact is that in role-playing games, the player acts through the character. The character becomes an extension of the player.
There is a new form of character attachment, however. If you played table-top role playing games as a kid, you probably were attached to some of your characters. You created them, you acted through them, and you watched them grow through their adventures. This experience has now been replicated in the massively multi-player role-playing game universe. The attachment to MMORPG characters is intensified by the amount of customization available to the player. The player can choose races and classes that he finds interesting, or identifies with. His online presence likely mirrors his real personality (which could be a good thing, or could be a bad thing). The person with a Type-A leadership personality will organize a raiding guild. The class clown will likely frequent the chat channels to get reactions out of other players.
I started playing World of Warcraft the day it was released in the fall of 2004. The first character I created on the Uldum server, a Tauren warrior, is still my main character. I have been adventuring with her for over three years. I know her action commands so well that I hardly ever have to look at the keyboard. I know her strengths and weaknesses. I am so attached to her (and to a lesser degree my other characters), that I really can't see myself quitting the game, and risk that she will disappear into the ether. I'm sure that's music to Blizzard's ears, of course, that I'll be paying my monthly fee for the forseeable future too.
By S. Kristoff | VEESH Writer | APR.10.08