Character Anonymity: Has Your Toon Taken on a Life of Their Own?

Have you noticed that recently your toon is a bit more rebellious? Maybe you're feeling a bit disconnected from certain RPGs of late? In this article I'll be talking about how your character communicates in-game, more specifically those of the role-playing variety and what kind of effect that has on your enjoyment of it.

The way I see it, in RPGs your character will communicate in one of two ways; vocally, or non-vocally. In older games the latter is certainly the case, you explore, quest and galavant along your merry way without ever hearing the sound of your toon's voice (aside from the occasional grunt and "I need a target" or "Damn, I'm good" etc. in combat). However, it seems that as games have progressed, that the protagonist of your fantastical adventure has become noticeably more wordy.

To make a stark comparison, take two games from the same series. Bioware's Dragon Age Origins, and Dragon Age 2. The big difference between them in this context is the communication system. In the first you have the ol' reliable "choose a reply from these options to continue the conversation" whereas in Dragon Age 2 you have a rehash of the "dialogue wheel" as featured in the Mass Effect series. In the first case, although your replies are limited, you never actually speak so the temperament behind them remains unknown and thus open to your imagination. In the latter case, you select a response for your character whilst the dialogue is taking place and then they say something that more-or-less sums up the selection that you just made.

It could be said that the "dialogue wheel" style of communicating makes for a more seamless conversational experience when relating with non-player characters. These situations play out more like interactive cut scenes, and you get a real feel for the way your character articulates, how they sound and the manner with which they handle themselves. This is great if you are happy with the way that they are portrayed and don't mind a cookie-cut scenario.

Whilst some might argue that this system makes for a more immersive gameplay, more attentive listening and thus more enjoyable gaming experience, I find this is not the case for me. Whether it is the pen-and-paper, Dungeons and Dragons style roleplayer in me I don't know, but when playing an RPG I build up a character sheet in my mind. A background, a depth and an attitude, make me feel like I know my character and the way that she would react to the situations in which finds herself.

By giving the character an actual voice, not much room is left for imaginative styling. It's like comparing an audiobook to an ink-based, leafy tome. When you read a book you imagine the voices, the way they say things and in an audiobook that is taken away. From my past work in a bookstore I can't tell you how many times I heard "But that's not how I imagined him to sound!", or "I just don't think they would have said it that way!". This is exactly what happens when you do the same in a game. Your character becomes limited to the interpretation that the producer/writer/voice actor has made, and their translation is all that you are left with, throwing your little creative character sheet right out the window!

A mute protagonist is an open protagonist, and having a lead character like this allows the player to project whatever traits or quirks they like onto him/her. Ultimately this means that your experience of the game is 100% individual to you, making for hours of tailored gameplay, and perhaps more importantly, replay value. It is no wonder that games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 3 (well done Bethesda) are so successful when you think about how open they are, how much room is left for interpretation and the fact that you can play them over and over, each time with endless variations. To hearken back to the aforementioned Dragon Age games, Dragon Age 2 I played once, with no desire to go back and start again, whilst Dragon Age: Origins I have completed several times, and thoroughly enjoyed doing so. Personally, I put this down to the anonymity, rather than set identity of the hero!

I'd like to point out that whilst I strongly feel the unspoken character is very beneficial to an RPG, this is not particularly relevant in cases where you assume the role of a set character, in games where there is no real customisation, eg. Final Fantasy X or Alan Wake. Also, there is no way that I would suggest that a shooter such as Gears of War should have mute stars. More often than not it is the familiar voices of the people in these and the banter they deliver that makes the game so fantastic!

Of course all of this is just my take on the matter, maybe this is my way of recapturing the bliss of fancy dress and make-believe that I enjoyed so much as a child. You can't deny that the escape of placing yourself in a wondrous world, with so many adventures at hand is something worth holding on to when real life is so...grown-up. Realistically, you may completely disagree with me and adore the vocalisation of the hero, so I'm not pretending my perspective is the only one out there. Whatever your thoughts though, keep on role-playing, and let me know what you think in the comments!

 

Emsey out!