Flawed Perfect Heroes — Introduction

Like many people across the globe, I too have been confined to my apartment for the last two months. And although Covid-19 has certainly disrupted a lot of industries and the social fabric of society in general, it’s’s worth noting the massive importance that content has in our daily lives. Book, movies, music, social media, etc. We are all avid consumers of one form or another, but this quarantine I’ve taken the large sum of my free time and put it to one of my favourite hobbies in the world — video gaming.

Video games can be so much fun and give players a rewarding experience and a unique sense of escapism and freedom.

What’s so interesting about video games as a storytelling device is their unique way of blending story with interactivity and immersion. By virtually playing with the characters of a given story you’ll be propelled into a world that is not your own and follow a path that may give you more freedom than a book or a movie and sometimes even let events develop at your own pace. This navigation, through a story in whatever design, presents critical challenges of pacing, timing, and affects the likability of characters and settings. However, when well-calibrated, video games can be so much fun and give players a rewarding experience and a unique sense of escapism and freedom.

Although an exciting and immersive story is fundamental in a video game design, I’ve spent a lot more time thinking about these characters, their journeys, motivations, needs and wants, and what makes them so captivating to me. And so, I what to try to understand what makes a video game character, your persona when you play, a fascinating and emotionally rewarding way of navigating a world.

Based on some of the games I’ve played these last months, I will write my thoughts on some of the most memorable video game characters I had the pleasure, the heartbreak and sometimes the frustration of piloting and share them with you. I’ll be posting these blog posts based on inspiration and games and characters that truly resonated with me. It’s worth noting that although I have specialized myself in telling stories, I have never dwelled into video games professionally, and everything I write comes purely from a place of love for this great hobby.

What makes a character worthy of being a vessel in our self-discovery?

The goal of this series is to understand what makes some of these so compelling and why I couldn’t put the controller down until I saw the credits rolling. I’ll dwell into topics such as friendships, love, family, mental health, the classical hero’s journey (motivations, trials, character development, etc) and some others as the main pillars to understand these personas and why we are so drawn into them. What makes a character worthy of being a vessel in our self-discovery?

Let’s find out together!

Part 1: Cloud Strife — Final Fantasy VII
Part 2: Aloy — Horizon Zero Dawn (soon)