Elements of Gameplay part 3

Throughout films and TV there have been a variety of colourful and inspiring characters, but why is it we are drawn to these characters? Film is a great medium for establishing characters and making people respond to them. Great scriptwriting can make a character so much more vibrant, but perhaps more important than the scriptwriting is the way he delivers his/her words, whether it’s with anger, pain or lust, we can’t help but be fascinated with them. Sometimes what makes us connect with characters is when we see a part of ourselves in them, that may mean we feel sympathetic for them or it could mean we could imagine ourselves being that character.  One way we remember a character is though visual means. Sometimes the distinct look of a character can draw our interest and imprint iconic images in our memories. In my opinion fighting games have some of the most visually interesting characters in the gaming industry, if you’ve ever played street fighter you would instantly recognise the character from looking at a single image. The distinct clothing, plus vivid colours and shapes of the characters have managed to creep in to our heads and stay there; such is the power of strong imagery. Of course the other way a character is remembered through their personality. The characters that are created on film and indeed in games are always created with an over exaggerated persona, that way people are drawn to them, because we are inspired by their confidence, and it makes us want to be these characters. What’s brilliant about games is we can partly be these characters, we can control them; make them do what we want. Games are very good at making people feel like they are the hero, the strong charismatic knight who takes on whatever the game throws at them. The kind of characters that always stick in my mind in films/TV is the confident yet easy going kind of characters that seem to get away with everything, because that makes me want to be able to get away with everything.  Ferris Bueller s day is a great film in that respect because it makes you want to take the day off like Bueller and skive off on some fun filled trip with your mates, he brings the sense of freedom and enjoyment through his confident witty character and that’s what makes it a good story, your living a day in the life of this person with this carefree lifestyle. The type of characters I like in the video gaming world is usually the one I can create myself. With games bringing in character customisation the persona is now u to the player to decide, it gives people the freedom to create their dream character, take control of them and essentially be them  in the game, and I think that adds something extra special to a game when you put your own input and personality into your own creation.