People are constantly complaining that and minority characters are shoehorned in and lack depth but I think you could argue that the lack of complex characters is an issue across the board. Too often are do you come across characters in video games that exist solely as a dispensary for objectives and information instead of being a catalyst for character exploration and well written world building.
I think something video game developers have struggled with for a long time is the ability to let the player explore the complexities of a character without taking away from their sense of agency. Exploring the intricacies of a character is most easily and commonly accomplished through dialogue and it's difficult to allow the player to discuss things like emotions and personal thoughts in a way that feels truly organic without it being completely on rails. This is something that, despite the advent of virtual reality and a more recent focus on immersive worlds with grand storylines, I don't think videogames will improve on to an acceptable level in the near future at all. What are your thoughts on this /v/?
Pic related may not be one of the best examples but is personally one of my favorite games to talk to the other characters in. In particular I love the bits where you have drinks with Dandelion and he asks you about where you're going with your life.
Anyone?
That's kind of the argument I have against people who don't like having a pre-determined character in the Witcher. By using Geralt you get much more out of the story.
Fallout 4 on the other hand kills any sort of agency by pre-determining the voice and only having 3 real options in the entire game.
I enjoyed the DLC quite a lot due to all the interesting characters, I think it really illustrates your point. Another small example is Corrinne Tilly
Video game writers are never going to be good enough to do what you're suggesting.
>>321583716
did u expect me to read all that shit nigga
>>321585568
t. alberto barbosa
>>321585135
>By using Geralt you get much more out of the story.
I think that having an established and well written player character is the most organic and natural way to succeed at what I'm talking about because the characters can recount past experiences and speak openly with each other in a way that feels natural as opposed to the 'create your own character' scenario where you meet every character in the game for the first time and you're supposed to be close with that character after exploring the limited, often just a few lines of dialogue available to you.
>>321585359
Some day I hope they can, I think it's one of the only ways video games will ever be taken seriously as a narrative medium.
>>321585359
Why not if film writers can do it?
Game Devs are just approaching it the wrong way.
>>321585721
Not that 'create your own character' scenarios are bad. What I love about fallout games is that your character feels defined by the choices you make at the end of the game when all the endings pop up.
Mine are usually altruistic the first time I play through it.
>>321583716
>I think something video game developers have struggled with for a long time is the ability to let the player explore the complexities of a character without taking away from their sense of agency...without it being completely on rails
What exactly is the problem with linear story telling? I don't know about anybody else, but I don't understand the need to always have the player project themselves onto the character they're playing.
>>321586239
I meant it less having to do with the medium itself, but the people who work in it and are attracted by it. At the moment, it's just not seen as a serious or prestigious medium to work in, for a variety of reasons. Because of that, it won't get the best people who are able to convey story and characters. Of course this can all change in the future.
>>321585721
There's so much more involved in a videogame than just writing or even making a movie. An aspiring writer is just not going to look at games as a viable medium, maybe a small scale indie game but the chances of being able to do all you need to do and being a talented write are not very high. So we're left with larger studios being the ones who could attract established writers which I don't see happening because they're not taken seriously. AAA studios essentially follow the Hollywood writing structure which is aimed at ticking enough boxes to attract casual movie goers who just want a couple of hours entertainment once or twice a week.
>>321586286
I may not have articulated what I meant well there.
What I meant by 'on rails' was dialogue within a cutscene or something where you have absolutely no control over the discourse. I'm speaking about trying to find a solution to fix the awkard, unnatural way that dialogue plays out in the format presented in games like Fallout where you can choose what you're saying. Developers dump thousands of hours and tons of money into voicing and writing these massive portions of their games but it just plays out in a completely inorganic way that I think we only really accept because we're so used to.
>>321586618
This is what saddens me. Developers shouldn't need to hire the best of the best writers to make this work. Games used to have writers that poured love into their games. They'd pour love into them and the writing would be charming and feel much more natural because they gave a shit about the world they were creating and the story they were telling instead of trying to get awards or advance their career as a writer.
>>321583716
The difference is that not only is lack of depth prevalent everywhere, muhnorities, instead of having 2 dimensions, have none.
>>321586986
That's because somewhere along the line having a character be a minority became celebrated on it's own. You don't need to actually tackle the issues surrounding that character's upbringing or any other challenges facing them during their life as a minority, you can just take a bland uninspired soulless character and make them black and you're publicly lauded.
