Learn how video games have evolved as a creative platform. Developers are more equipped than ever to deliver deep, immersive experiences no matter the genre.
Whether it be a musclebound barbarian brandishing a giant half crescent ax, or a sleek and silent thief with a tongue as sharp as his dagger. Gaming gives us all a chance to fulfill the role of a character we can relate to. Or, an outlandish set of attributes we wish we could pull off ourselves. The possibilities are near endless as games have had players take on the roles of anything and anyone. From a chili dog eating hedgehog, to a bobcat wearing nothing but a white t-shirt sporting an exclamation point on it that won’t shut up (Seriously, someone shut that damn bobcat up!). Some of the more interesting roles can be seen in games that have the player control an inanimate object that has been given the ability to manipulate the world around it.
For example, Glover on the N64 has you play as…well, a glove. There’s no hand in this glove, you’re just an empty glove with the ability to jump around and smack enemies around. You run around on your little finger-feet or however you describe this nightmare creature. It reminds me of an upper-class version of “Thing” from the Addams Family. They even somehow managed to give Glover a little bulge of a booty which somehow adds to making it seem almost human. Don’t get it twisted, you don’t wear Glover, Glover wears you. Anyway, the point is, you can damn near play the role of anything the world has to offer if the developers are willing to flex those creative brains of theirs in the right way.
Then V.S. Now
This leads me to think, what draws us toward the characters we choose to play as? Older games basically forced you into the role of whatever it was they came up with. While newer games seem to thrive on the customization of your character to do as you see fit within the world they give you. Having grown up in the era of the SNES and PlayStation, I’m more familiar with being given a character to play as with a predetermined quest or set of circumstances to uncover as I play through the game. Though I must admit, I would change the main characters name in a JRPG to something along the lines of “PoopButt” if given the option because I’m an unrivaled comedic genius.
Even in modern gaming, taking on the role of a predetermined character playing out a story is improving with each generation. With games like Horizon Zero Dawn having you take control of Aloy in her attempts to uncover her past in an expansive world full of optional quests and areas to explore. Or, The Last of Us 2, with the split roles of Ellie and Abbie through intertwining stories that shed light on intentions from both sides of a conflict. For a more quirky and unique experience there’s Deadly Premonition 2 on the Switch where you play as Special Agent Francis York Morgan as he tries to make sense of a murder case set in 2005 Louisiana. All three of these games show that there is still a place for deadlocked roles and stories in gaming.
As time has progressed, options have opened up tremendously for people to insert themselves and their own creativity into the realm of video games. Create-A-Character has become a given in the world of Western RPGs. I know I’ve personally spent more time customizing my characters appearance in some games than I have actually playing the story. The highlight of my Skyrim experience was creating an Argonian named Trogdor. The moment I could light things on fire was the moment I realized that I’d reached the pinnacle of role playing in a video game. From character appearance, classes, race, gender, and to that giant scar you want to put across their face. Getting lost in the role of a character of your own making can be the key to enjoying the experience a game has to offer.
In 2020, Even Sports Characters Have Backstories
Sports titles can boast an incredible amount of options in creating unique characters to take on your journey through the life of a professional athlete. Want to be a star quarterback that can throw this football right over those mountains? You got it, Uncle Rico. A left-handed center fielder sporting your old Little League number? Go for it, bub. (I swear if someone doesn’t shut that bobcat up I’m going to snap him over my knee like Bo Jackson did with that bat!) Want to be a 6’8 left wing enforcer on your favorite NHL team named Biff Bartecko? Too bad, that’s my dream and it’s already been fulfilled. Get your own goon. The importance of placing yourself or the attributes you find fascinating takes top priority for a large chunk of sports gamers.
I remember playing Ice Hockey on the NES where you had 3 options for your players.There was a skinny guy that skated fast but got flattened easily, a medium sized well-balanced player, and a chunky honker that was slow as dirt but launched rockets and ran everyone over. My friends and I gave them names and backstories to amplify the experience of the game. Skinny Pete was a substitute teacher than couldn’t quite make the full-time dive into teaching because of his passion for hockey. Average Joe was good at everything, but excellent at nothing. He’s on an endless quest to find that one thing he’s the best at. Then you got big Daryll. Daryll is a forklift operator that owes a huge gambling debt and must play hockey and bet on the games to make enough money to keep those pesky collectors off his back.
These silly names and stories always seemed like our childhood imagination trying to fill in the blanks of something presented to us that we felt didn’t have enough depth at face value. Now games give you the ability to do this within the game itself. It’s one of many incredible features that is overlooked in today’s gaming landscape. Creativity is at an all-time high in today’s society. Being given the power to turn a world, a story, and the people (or gloves) within it into your own customizable journey is a marvel that kids like me never thought was possible growing up.
So whether you choose to insert a character just like you into the game, or you’d rather see what it’s like to play as your polar opposite, I encourage everyone to take a second and appreciate the fact that we’re in an era of gaming that is unlike any other. Power Up your gaming platform of choice and allow yourself to get lost in whatever role you choose to be. What could pawsibly go wrong? (That’s it, Bubsy has got to go. Get the net!)
