Do you self insert?

[V da Mighty Taco]

Typically not. Every once in a while I might (most often on a first playthrough), but usually I like playing as something separate from me that has it's own story and personality, hence why I often like to play as female characters.

 

[norashepard]

I do it on a first playthrough for RPGs, simply because I want to see what problems (or steamy romantic escapades) my own idiocy will cause. BIG mistake in Mass Effect doing that, as I'm sure other people can attest to. After I beat it I was pretty mentally messed up for like a week and a half.

Other games though, I don't tend to self-insert, and more like, allow them to be inserted into me (OH MY GOD), as in like, I like to think that the character I'm playing is telling me a story to teach me a lesson or something, so I can become more like them (usually heroic.) In the Sims for example, I never make myself, but after playing for a while I feel like the character is me and I am them. Although I do find it hard to do that with male characters at all, so maybe there is still some subliminal stuff.

I really need to work on my words.

 

[ellers07]

Yes, for RPGs with with the ability to customize your character. Many of the games have been mentioned already (Elder Scrolls, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, etc.). In these cases, it's easy to create a blank slate that can represent me and the choices I would make.

No, for games with set characters. Mario is Mario, Batman is Batman. Despite the fact that I made choices for Adam Jensen, he was just a character I played as. Even in Zelda games where you could rename Link, I tended to go with Link because that's who he is.

So, in the end it all depends on what level of creation is available to me. I like both types of games, I just perceive the protagonists in different ways.

 

[NightmareWarden]

I find it difficult to insert myself into a character-
...
...
...unless I have some level of control over him/her/it. I want some way to make that character represent me in a large extent, regardless of the method. This typically occurs best when I have a large amount of control over my character's fighting style. The ability to customize my character's appearance (face, voice, and height more-so than equipment(no pun intended)) helps me become a little bit more immersed in the world, however it does not really let me insert myself to a larger degree into a character, if that makes sense. I didn't want to say "insert myself farther into a character", but that does actually feel like a more accurate wording.

I insert myself into these kinds of characters because I am able to reflect how I would want to try to survive in that kind of world. Unfortunately this kind of limits me to RPGs and action RPGs since I rarely enjoy FPS games.

 

[Bruenin]

all the time, does this make me narcissistic? I've always wanted to be the hero :3, not so much for the fame though, I never imagine people cheering or anything, just them knowing that I was the reason they're okay : P

 

[gritch]

I self insert often enough albeit in a slightly different way. When playing rpgs (Mass Effect, Dragon Age, etc) my first play through is normally with a character that looks like me. I always try to think of what I would do in that particular situation and base my character interaction on that. My game avatar isn't exactly me - it's an alternate (typically more badass) projection of myself. Now if the game is made correctly by the end the protagonist should have developed a separate personality and I'll try to base their decisions on the character I like to think they've become not necessarily what I would do myself.

After my first play through anything goes really though. At that point I've experienced the core story and now I'm ready to play as more interesting roles than my own.

 

[viking97]

Hard to say, sometimes I do sometimes I don't. If the game specifically tells me the character is me I think I tend to, or if I made the character I think I will as well.

I recall playing the first half life and being kind of dragged out of the experience when I started thinking about what Gordon would do when the security guards refused to continue, and realizing I have no idea because Gordon has no character. Once I made that realization my immersion was so shot I stopped caring, and promptly just shot them and took their ammo.

I don't think this was much of a problem in the second though, possibly because all the actually good characters around made it easier to either project myself or flesh out Gordon's hypothetical character, I'm not sure which.

Actually, wouldn't empathizing with the main character so that you imagine yourself as them be the same thing as self inserting? hmm

 

[Smiley Face]

Well, that can mean two things - it can mean inserting your own personality into the protagonist - having the protagonist act as a proxy for your self; and it can mean immersing into the game where you're trying to make decisions as your character would - rather than replacing the personality with your own, you let your own personality take a break for a while.

I suspect that I take something of a middle ground - I have a very flexible, bare bones sense of self, and I find it easy to mold myself towards the character so that I can identify with them or whatever - but within that context, I'll often calculate my decisions logically, and use my own metrics for moral quandaries.

Then again, it's possible that I don't really self insert, either way, at all - after the fact, it's like reading a book - I may have put myself in the character's shoes, or I may not have - but in the end it's their story.

 

[Phlakes]

Occasionally. Heavy role play is a little weird to me (no offense), but the kid in me who had fake sword fights in my friends' back yards can still get pretty far into an RPG. I guess the fun comes from seeing how you'd actually manage, especially in more decision-heavy games. And that probably goes along with being a big fan of realism.

 

[synobal]

I don't when ever I play a video game I'm playing a character. I've got years of experience in Pen and Paper groups and as a rule you never play yourself or let your own feelings interfere with your characters actions in such a game. So It's a habit more than anything.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

I generally do not. I prefer well-defined characters whose identities are distinct from mine. The one exception might games which offer a completely blank slate, like Demon's Souls.

 

[Morsomk_v1legacy]

Dear god no. I honestly do not want to see myself in the characters that I am playing. It just doesn't feel right to me and it sort of breaks the character for me. For instance, if I was playing Gears of War and I was imagining myself as Marcus Fenix, I would do stuff that he wouldn't do.

Jon(or whatever random gears of war character): "YEAH, WE GOT FUCKIN' GUNS WITH CHAINSAWS MAN!"

Me(Marcus): "....How the hell does the chainsaw part on the gun work? What the fuck is powering the damn thing? Electricity? Steam? Oil?

Jon: "....Yeah lets just go with oil man."

Me: " Umm....no! I don't want to carry a gun that can blow my fucking face off!"


.....Yes, I can be that boring sometimes.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I do yeah, even with fps male characters even though its pretty jarring when they talk. Link as well I don't find too bad. I don't hate playing a guy but its not as immersive for me as a lass. I can't do it with third person dudes, I feel more like I'm watching their story, can still enjoy the games though.

Oddly I very rarely give female characters in rpgs my name but call guys Charlie. So I think I'm like saying 'this is me but dude shaped' It's kind of an interesting subject.

 

[Morti]

Yes, though not through any concious effort on my part. I think I just have a poor grip on reality though as it happens with all media really easily. It's the reason why I like very little in the horror genre.

I'm still perfectly fine though with being made to do things I wouldn't do irl, half the fun of games is being someone else.

 

[The_Echo]

The only time I've inserted myself into a game to any degree was Journey. And even then, I didn't mean to.

Otherwise, I just plain can't do it. I'm not Sly Cooper. I'm not Lee Everett. I'm not Dovahkiin. I'm not Zack Fair. These are different people in different worlds and I'm just sharing the experience of their story.

 

[Olas]

You're definitely not alone Daystar. I played through Mass Effect as a badass renegade femshep which is basically the antithesis of who I am in real life.

Ironically I think I'm more myself when I can't design the character because I feel less obligation to give them their own unique personality.

 

[TallanKhan]

If i can create my character, something like oblivion then absolutley. The more the game determines about my identity the less i self-insert (yes, its official, even with the "-" it is still dirty). Im not suggesting I enjoy the games where I don't any less, but just in a different way.

 

[BrotherRool]

I always self-insert (and wish fulfil). Making decisions based on another character unlike myself is a skill I'm trying to develop in RPGs but even then I'm always going to enjoy the playthrough of what I would like to happen first

 

[Irridium]

Nope. Because if I try to play as myself all I'd do is hide in a corner and quietly weep. Like a true coward.

 

[thiosk]

The real question is, can you self insert into a female protagonist, or do you find yourself only capable of self inserting into male protagonists?