Bonjam everyone! This is Aifos coming to you alive from the Strawberry Battlefield! And omigosh, these strawberries are delicious!
Ribbon’s Sarcastic Black Cat: “Sheesh, that title’s a mouthful. Was our title writer on break or something?”
I’d like to see you come up with something better..
Ribbon’s Cat: “What, want me to write the posts, now, too?”
Oh! The post! I almost forgot!
Ribbon’s Cat: “What are we gonna do with you..?”
*ahem*
Generally speaking, when we play games we don’t think things like “I am going to press B, which will signal the game to make my character roll out of the way, and then I’ll press X which will signal the game for him to swing his sword”. Instead, we usually think something like “I’m gonna roll out of the way, then swing my sword”. This phenomena of putting ourselves in our character’s shoes is called “photokinesthetic projection”..
At least, that’s what Extra Credits called it.
In any case, as an interactive medium, this phenomena is all over games. We view our characters as us, and whether that’s as simple as just thinking “I’m gonna roll out of the way” or as intense as shouting “For all the kitties in Catpital City, you meowst fall!”, I’m sure we all do this to some extent.
In many RPGs, though, (and a couple other games) we don’t control just [i]one[/i] character, though, and I noticed as I was playing through one, this photokinesthetic projection only actually applied to a single character in my party, at least to any great extent, and aside from them I felt more like I was issuing commands to my party members, rather than playing as them. And that simply made me curious as to how this is for other people! So, here’s my-
Ribbon’s Cat: “Aifos, I feel like you’re not using that phrase right.”
What? Photokinesthetic projection? Pish posh, of course I am!
[b][u]Tl;dr? Here’s my point![/u][/b]
We all walk in the shoes of the video game characters we play as, but in the case a game has you playing as several characters at once, who does this phenomena apply to?
My answer:
[spoiler]Generally, it’s whoever’s leading the party.
In some games, like Paper Mario: TTYD, or Child of Light, where you comtrol a particular character in the overworld, being Mario or Aurora respectively, it tends to be them, for obvious reasons. (and because of this it feels really weird when I switch Aurora out in battle..)
However, then there are games like Pokémon, where your party are all stowed away in their Pokéballs when not in combat. In this case, it usually tends to be whichever Pokémon is at the head of my party, usually being my starter.
But the one I found most interesting are the Shadow Pokémon games, and Steven Universe: Save the Light. The former of which uses a double battle format so there is no leading Pokémon, but a leading pair. In the latter’s case, you can switch between characters in the overworld at will
In these cases, it tends to be whichever character is my lead attacker. In SU:StL, this was Connie, because beserk Connie is op, but the more interesting one is Pokémon XD, where it was my Gardevior named Gehrman. The reason that’s interesting is because Gehrman was actually the 3rd spot in my party, meaning he was never out in the lead, and yet it still felt like I was playing as Gehrman, issuing commands to the other Pokémon.[/spoiler]
But that’s all for now, folks! Jambuhbye!
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1 ReplyTypically the main character/party leader. Just feels like the thing to default to I guess.
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3 RepliesI dont see the characters as an extension of me. Only as tools to reach my goals.
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1 ReplyEdited by CannyJack: 1/27/2019 4:23:10 PMI don’t really immerse. I mean, yes, I think “I’ll jump there and shoot that guy” rather than Press A, Rotate Right Stick 38 degrees, Depress Right Trigger, but I don’t roleplay or personify much beyond that. The only story is what happens in game. I don’t invent backstories or do fanfic or study lore. So to address the question: to the extent that I invest in a character, it’s whoever I’m immediately controlling.
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1 ReplyIt's the persona in which you start the game out with that I usually identify as the main character in a game. Off the top of my head there's been fascinating leading characters such as Tidus in Final Fantasy X, Ari in Okage: Shadow King, Crono in Chrono Trigger, and Jill in Resident Evil. Having made my fair share of Jill Sandwiches over the years, there has been at least one or two times where I gave Chris a shot. His character having less inventory space is ultimately what drew me away from playing his place in the story. Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, which won 2018's Game of the Year, happens to be one game where I feel that is there is more than one leading character. While I do feel a strong bond toward your role with Roland, I also grew very attached to Evan and seeing his kingdom blossom to its full weight. Some games have characters in your party that I tend to prefer more than the protagonist, although Ni no Kuni II's really one time where I can also see myself in more than one character's shoes.
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3 RepliesThis question has lead Odin into a dormant state of constant flux and pure essance of chaos, as comming up with an answer is almost impossible.
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4 RepliesMain character if they're well written. If not, then usually the most well established side character. If I can't even get that, then the antagonist. There's only one game in recent memory that failed at all three: Dragon Age Inquisition. Usually I manage to derive some enjoyment out of whatever I play, but there was something about that game that made me indifferent to every character.
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3 RepliesI like to imagine I'm a Master of Puppets, pulling their strings...
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5 RepliesI’m gonna go with Pokemon for this cuz that’s a really interesting example. Usually my mains tend to be the top three on my party. The other three are sorta like side characters to me.
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1 ReplyI prefer the lead character for story reasons. For example, in Dragon Age Inquisition, I preferred to play as the character I created because he was, story wise the leader, even though he wasn’t the most powerful out of the group. Though generally, if the story doesn’t receive around one person, I’ll just choose my favorite.
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1 ReplyEdited by maisydog: 1/26/2019 10:34:56 AMI'm glad you're still here Aifos. It's been years but you're still here brightening up the place :) Also is save the light any good? I'm quite a big SU fan but I'm always wary of tie in games :/
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3 Replies... Does the story mode in brawl count?... [spoiler]not included in the DLC[/spoiler]
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1 ReplyDepends, usually I try to get myself in the mindset that I'm all of them at once so I don't forget to utilize anyone that might be useful in a situation. But I the case of something like Pokemon, I kind of just think of myself as the trainer since there's no need to think otherwise.
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1 ReplyI haven’t played too many games like this. But if I do, I would probably personify as the main character or leader of the pack. In games such as these, what I feel is one of my biggest responsibilities is to take care of my squad and ensure their well being which is what I imagine the main character feels as well.
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3 RepliesDepends. Usually I personify as the party lead, but depending on the circumstances, I may also just personify as who I resonate with or who's leading the story. For example, in Octopath Traveller, my party lead is Olberic, but I usually personify as whoever is leading the chapter of the game (ie. If I'm playing Alfyn's chapter, I personify as Alfyn. Or, I resonate more with Ignis than Noctis in FFXV, although that one is a little complicated since you never actually take full control of the whole party in that game).
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5 RepliesI try my best to play like the Character I'm controlling [spoiler]for example if I'm playing Romeo in ODST I'll act cocky with a crack shot, If I'm Dutch I play more aggressive, and if I'm Rookie I shut the hell up and play tactically [/spoiler]
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11 RepliesIt very much depends on the situation. In an RPG, it's whoever I control on the map, but only on the map. In battle, it's none of them, as I'll usually say something along the lines of "Alright Estelle, you place that Aerial spell there, and Joshua, you cast Flare Bolt on that enemy." or "When Cloud can act, he'll cast Bolt3, then Tifa will use her Limit." Except Pokemon is an exception...in that I'm [i]always[/i] the trainer. Dragon Quest is also an exception...the "Hero" nameless protagonist is me, no matter what I named them, where the other party members are not me. I guess in battle, if the character has a "voice", I'm not them, but almost a strategist for them. If they are voiceless I impose myself on them. But even this has exceptions, for example, in Fire Emblem Awakening and Fates, I refer to Robin and Corrin respectively as "me", though these characters are important parts of the plots themselves. But in Pokemon, I'm not the Pokemon, but the trainer issuing commands in battle, my Jolteon is "Jolteon", not me. I just hope I understood the topic well enough to give a proper answer. Would be embarrassing if I wrote this up and I totally misunderstood the topic. (*´>д<)
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3 RepliesI typically identify with whoever is actively calling the shots. If it's an RPG with multiple cast members, it's whoever is leading when walking around on the world map or whoever is currently perusing through menus. In something like [i]Pokémon[/i] or [i]Monster Ranchet[/i], it'd be the trainer. If it's an RTS it'd be some kind of commander or general observing the combat from a distance. In something like [i]Valkyria Chronicles[/i] it'd alternate between the commander (ex: Welkin or Claude) on the command screen and whoever I was taking direct control of during action phases.
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3 RepliesMain character. Although, it's worth noting that even in games where you control a single character I tend to use the word "we." I guess there are two answers, depending on how the main character works. For instance, in Dark Souls or Dragon Quest VIII, the main character is actually me, so I use the word "I" when I'm alone, or "We" when with another character in the game, either an NPC or a party member I control, for example. Like, "I only just managed to dodge that" or "we won!" If the character is an already established one, like in Darkest Dungeon or Super Mario games, I tend to just use the word "we" when addressing tactics or moves or whatever, and then "you" when addressing the character directly. Like, "we killed it!" or "why did you have to die?" You'll notice the word "we" appeared in both contexts, but it was used with different meanings. Like, "me, as a character, and my team members" or "me, as a person with a controller, and my puppet." Huh. I guess there were really four answers. This got really long as I rambled on...
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7 RepliesI tend to imagine myself as either a commanding officer, a tactician, or an AI designed to assist the protagonists. Might be because I tend to play strategy games that range from large battles to small skirmishes, or it might not. That’s probably a nature vs. nurture debate there. When I finally play another game where I build my own party from the start, that answer will probably change. I’m hoping I’ll try and take the role of all the characters, but I may end up designating one as a leader and work around that.
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1 ReplyI generally see myself as the unseen tactician that's accompanying the characters, I generally don't put myself in a characters shoes unless it's my personalized character or I strongly relate to them
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5 RepliesI stick with the primary character using others either just when they are good at the job at hand (FF15 - Cactuar event with Prompto) or when my primary is busy/down (Skyrim - chargeable magic, Werewolf/VampireLord/Dragon form).