sideways | (no subject)

Just as the universe tries to repeatedly reinvent crabs, every three years or so I seem to be compelled to build myself character directories. It's a little bit pointless given I so rarely document anything about them in public spaces these days, but hey, it's fun, and if I ever do decide to chatter about someone it will be nice to have a central reference point.

As I line the vidya ducklings up, I keep thinking of a YouTube video

syntheid linked me to a while back, in which the presenter discussed his preferences for RPG games with a set protagonist versus those that hand the player a blank slate to fill in themselves: "Roleplaying in Video Games (and why I barely do it)". I am someone who loves building characters out of blank(ish) slates and have broadly socialised in circles who often make a very involved experience out of it, so it was interesting to see this other perspective so well-articulated, and he makes some solid points even if I can't relate to every single one of them. (If you want your character to connect with and grow through the main plot then simply don't... make a character who has no reason to engage with the plot and/or will constantly fight against it? To also use The Outer Worlds as an example, I went in with a fairly bitter, entitled, and self-centred character, so I knew I needed her to have a reason for her to do anything for anyone else and slam-dunked a personal investment in rescuing the frozen colonists into her backstory. It dragged her through enough of the early quests that she started learning from those experiences and generating more involved interests and opinions in what was going on, and lo there grew a character arc directly linked to the main storyline.)

Still, he's right about the self usually sneaking in. I know what I like, and there's not much sense in denying myself fun just for the sake of artistic integrity - though there is sometimes fun in deliberately trying different things! I'm unlikely to ever play a truly mean or cruel character because I just don't enjoy it, and there's usually a slant towards similar themes: bonds and fetters, running away (and turning around), dealing with expectations. The gameplay shades things in, and I am a distance fighter whenever I can manage it so almost everyone else is too. I also apparently like short, consonant-heavy, gender-ambiguous names. Whatcha gonna do.

I get enough variety out of the experience all the same, and while there are plenty of exceptions (I'm a big fan of Tales from the Borderlands and The Wolf Among Us, for example) I prefer it when RPGs allow me to participate in the fundamental character design and craft their narrative in my head as much as on the screen, especially in an open world setting. I'm not out there imagining backstory events and offscreen conversations for Fiona or Bigby the way I am someone I've named, statted, and selected traits for myself; I view them as characters I'm discovering, not creating, even if my decisions significantly influence their behaviour in the narrative. In contrast to the fellow from the video, I find that a more passive roleplaying experience than the one where I'm actively carving out a mindset through which to view the world.