Gamer Banter: I Rather Be Me

May’s Gamer Banter topic comes from Cat @ carocat.co.uk

Which game character do you identify yourself with most and why?

There’s not many characters from the video game world that I can relate to. Sure, there are characters that I like but those that I can relate and identify myself with, not so much. This is where “create your own character” comes to play. I am a huge sucker for this feature in video games. Especially in those games that I get to pick what I say and the outcome of the end game.

A great example is Dragon Age: Origins. I am able to create my own race, class, look and choose my origin story. I’ve played all of the origin stories in the game but I find myself adoring the female warrior/fighter human the most. I am able to create relationships with the other characters, be it friendly or something more.

The Mass Effect series is another great example but I wish that there was more to choose from as far as creating your character. I feel the hair styles and features were a bit lacking. I did enjoy the decisions that I had to make as a player and a character within the game.

Same goes for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Fantastic game series but sadly, I don’t get to pick what my character looks like. Instead I get to choose from a set of pre-made avatars. If they allowed it where you can custom make your character, that would have made it that much better. With the up-coming MMO, I really hope they allow massive customization of your character.

City of Heroes, a game that I played for almost five years was great when it came to creating your own hero’s look. As time went on, new items and features were added that allowed you to change your characters’ look if you wanted. As for me, I kept the same look for all of my characters and even shared the same name scheme. They even came out with a free expansion where you are able to create your own missions and story-arcs, fully equipped with friends and enemies that you make.

Point is, I rather create my own character than play one that is already there. Don’t get me wrong, I love video game characters and if done right, I can empathize with them. I just find it more rewarding and I find myself feeling a connection for a character that I get to create and play as the story unfolds. I end up enjoying the game more and I am able to lose myself. I’ve found myself able to identify myself with a character that I make in games like Dragon Age, KotOR and Mass Effect.

Hopefully more gaming companies can implement this feature in their games. Unfortunately I can see how hard it can be especially when you can be either male of female. I always play as a female and I’ve noticed a few “he” and “him” slip-ups in the games mentioned above. This makes me want to yell at the screen but then I just continue on with the story.

This post was part of Gamer Banter, a monthly video game discussion coordinated by Terry. If you’re interested in being part, please email him for details.