Since Monthly Musings has moved to the topic of sacred cows, I figured there was one that I just had to make a stab at slaying: the silent protagonist. You know who I'm talking about. That guy, mainly in RPGs, who says absolutely nothing during the course of the game because he's supposed to be "you."
I really hate that guy.
The common refrain we hear from video game developers is that the "silent protagonist" never speaks because it's supposed to help with the immersion and make you feel like you're part of the game. Sorry, I have to call shenanigans on that. Personally, I find that nothing breaks my immersion in a game more than having characters interact with a mute. There have been plenty of them in many genres over the years, but one that strikes me as particularly annoying is the Hero from
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. What annoys me about this guy (aside from the silence) is the lengths Square Enix goes to to shut this guy up. Throughout the game, there are simply parts where this guy HAS to talk. So what do they do? They show him from behind talking and moving his hands. It really sticks out to me every time that it happens, thus breaking my immersion. Big surprise, right?
Another more recent example is the
Ghostbusters video game. It doesn't bother me that you don't get to play as Venkman or any of the other established character. However, you play a literally nameless rookie (your uniform's name patch actually says Rookie). When the other Ghostbusters interact with you, you either look flabbergasted or throw up your arms. I guess this guy is a mime or something. What I'm about to say is very lame: breaking the immersion here is a case where bustin' doesn't make me feel good.
Why does this bother me? I guess I reject this whole idea that the video game character is supposed to be an avatar for me. Playing a game is no different than watching a video game or reading a book. I don't watch
Blade Runner and pretend that I'm Harrison Ford, or watch
24 and imagine myself as Kiefer Sutherland. I play a video game because I want my main character to interact with other characters and be a part of the story.
Of course, there are times when immersion and characters aren't really necessary. When I'm playing Unreal, I just want to shoot people. In a game where the characters and story don't matter, this is fine. But it just really bugs me in a game where a named character who is part of the story doesn't say a word. One last example that sticks in my mind is Isaac Clarke from
Dead Space. Here you have a really creepy game where a bunch of crap jumps out at you from everywhere, and all you get from this guy is some text on a log screen. As scary as the game can be, it really stands out that this guy just walks through the game in silence, and you don't get a sense of his fear or the tension in the atmosphere.
So my message to developers is this: kill the silent protagonist. It doesn't help the "immersion" and serves to do only the opposite.
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I've never played any MegaTen or Persona games (shocking, I know), so I can't really comment on them. However, off the top of my head I can't think of any games that really do the silent protagonist in a good way.
Even when it is done right (I absolutely love the Shim Megami Tensei series), it would still be better if the main character had talked. Those games handled his silence well, giving you dialogue options occasionally, but it still never felt like the character was ME.
I guess it's a matter of preference, but I happen to really hate silent protagonists. Good write-up.
Old Nintendo franchises are a bit different though, so I can give them a pass. Link never talks, and that doesn't bother me. Samus Aran doesn't either, but then again she doesn't have anyone to talk to, being surrounded by alien monsters. That's a legacy from when those games were made 20+ years ago. But there's really no excuse for new games to be doing it now, especially when they have voice acting, yet the hero still remains silent.
- Don't forget Okami's Amaterasu, and Pokemon and Mario. Technically, Mario never has a line of in-game dialogue. Sure he has catch phrases, but he never actually talks to anyone in the Muhroom Kingdom; even in the Paper Mario games his only "dialogue" is the options you get when responding to an NPC question.
Which I find a lot more appealing than Sonic's incessant, irritating dialogue.
Maybe there's a distinction between characters that need to talk to other characters and characters that can and should stay silent. A lot of the good silent protagonist games either have very little vocal story or make sure you're never alone so that your annoying sidekick can do the talking (and irritate the fans) without making anyone annoyed at the main character. Even Pokemon once used the sidekick that does all the talking for you in "Pokemon Colloseum"; although usually that series just uses lots of characters that like the sound of their own voice and don't really expect more than a yes or a no out of you.
o.o
Kidding aside, I find that playable main characters that chatter their heads off to be a large turn-off. I tend to let game off the hook when there's tremendous amounts of customization otherwise, then again, there are plenty of games that are deeply customizable and still have a silent protagonist.
I like to use the GTA PS2 Trilogy as an example. We start out with a guy who's just a guy. He's not much for words, just doin' jobs. He does what needs to be done and whacks anyone that crosses him. He gains prestige, people talk about him.
Then we have Vice City, in with Ray Liotta, out with you as the anti-hero. While I could go on and on about how the guy is a hypocrite for even taking on the role of Tommy Vercetti, but I'm just totally ejected from the experience and have to now adjust to being the hand of God over Tommy.
San Andreas comes and meets me halfway. I don't get to shut CJ up, but I can decide his stats, what he'll look like and whether he's a beefed-up gansta that dual wields shotgus or a fatass that spends too much time at the drive-thru yet is a speed demon on a bicycle. Then GTA III guy shows up again and, well, he's supposed to be me so its fun that GJ hates me so much for winning the girl he hates and I'll eventually get revenge on for putting me in the slammer.
So in the grand scheme of the GTA trilogy, I at least have a place where i can say I made my mark and brought the story to a close.
But then there's all these RPGs out there where you're to make choices that may reflect you as a player. Those pointing out Shin Megami Tensei titles know the value of this, but its a western gaming convention more than it ever was a Japanese one.
Sure, we can point to Mass Effect and here's a talking head you make decisions for, but look where that series is going. Since our hero likes to talk so much, ME2 has become more of a shooter than an RP
Then there's stuff like Ico or Shadow of the Collossus or even Super Metroid. Not only are protagonists here not glib, but neither is anyone else. Yet as you play through the original Metroid Trilogy, there's a certain personal impact to the culmination of events in Super Metroid thet would have felt totally different if Samus talked all the time. You met the hatchline, it imprinted on you and there are its actions in Super Metroid.
When that stuff in Super Metroid happened, amidst the previous silence and desolation, it made a huge impact without saying a word. So much that I don't really understand why Aerith getting shish-ka-bobbed by Sephiroth was such a big deal. Useless plot device dies, I loot her of the party's materia and move on, but oh, Cloud can never get over it. He needs a "reason to fight." How about the brunette with the big knockers and long legs you made a childhood promise to, dumbass. Flatchested flower girl dead, brunette with big boobs not dead. Easy choice, let's go stop Sephiroth and put an end to his mommy issues.
Anyway. I do like FFVII, I'm just making a point there. I find voiced or texted protagonists to be so overwrought its sometimes annoying. Master Chief or Solid Snake I can deal with, but hands off the Nintendo and RPG protagonists.
Half Life's protagonist never says a word, and in this case, the attempt to make the player more immersed works... you DO empathize with Alyx and the other characters more because you are never pulled out of Gordon's viewpoint, never hear him speak, are free to imagine your witty responses in whatever voice you choose. It gets a little difficult to believe at times, but I'd much rather hear nothing than have Gordon spouting one-liners every time he kills a Combine soldier.
As Mark Twain said, "Better to be thought a fool and say nothing than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
I know the idea was to make him this avatar-type character, so it was you and not him experiencing the horror, but once the story becomes more involved, you (as a player) take a backseat. It's just one of the many reasons I found Dead Space to okay and nothing more.
As for Ghostbusters, I actually thought The Rookie's silence and facial expressions worked in the game's favour. I mean, if that was you working with the Ghostbusters, I don't think you'd be saying much since you would be in awe of them the whole time. It also worked because he was new and couldn't find a way into their established rapport. It's the ultimate first week of a new job!
I don't think it would have worked if he just turned up and acted like Poochie The Dog from The Itchy & Scratchy Show. It would have been like Extreme Ghostbusters all over again.
@mechayakuza: I actually think you shouldn't back down here. There are certainly some games where they make the Silent Protagonist "work", but no matter how well you pull it off, that character's development could have been stronger with actual lines. If you are making a character-driven story, do not use this mechanic, is what the rule should be.
I think Mass Effect nails it in that you have a lot of choice as to what your character says. I always felt like the dialogue I chose in the game is how I would react if I was in Shepard's shoes. Therefore I was more immersed in that game than in any game in which I controlled a silent protagonist.
I like the way Nathan Drake would make little quips during Uncharted, that made him more believable and made me feel more immersed than if he said nothing or only talked during cut scenes.
But it’s not all bad. Like everyone else said, Persona does manage to pull it off.
The thing I find problematic is the fact that this is suppose to be you in this world you happen to playing in. But if it was me, why the hell are they calling me Gordon Freeman. It defeats the purpose of the story. I wouldn't want a video game staring me cause it would be uneventful and mundane. I also wish link said more than just yelling like an idiot.
Another thing much I find even more annoying than the silent protagonist are the characters that just speak gibberish. LBP, mario, you name most kids games. That annoys me. Good post by the way.
1) Don't put the character in situations where they have to talk.
OR
2) Give the player opportunities-LOTS of opporunities-to say what they want.
There is no middle ground, period.
And on a related note, I agree with Pascuz about gibberish. I have no idea why developers (AHEM Nintendo) persist on using this - it NEEDS to GTFO. Hearing random bleeps and sldkfjas;dlkfjas sounds adds NOTHING to the game. It doesn't sound like a voice, it just sounds lazy and annoying. If anything, it makes me mute my game because it's so awful.