Gameplay as Characterization

[Casual Shinji]

I mean, can you describe any part of Chell's character that's not player driven or based on her looks?

Actually, yes. I can.

She's the daughter of an esteemed scientist, one she has a strong devotion to. She has a propensity for science, whether as a result of her upbringing or some natural inclination. She's extremely strong willed and determined, almost to a fault. She has an uncanny problem-solving ability that's emboldened by her refusal to accept defeat. She hates robots and refuses to speak to them.

All of that, like her other traits, can be deduced from environmental clues and the dialogue of the NPCs around her.

Well then I missed all of that, and I'm not surprised that most people did as well. I've played Portal dozens of times and the only enviromental clues I've ever seen were the hidden areas where the walls are scribbled with talk of cake and GlaDOS being crazy.

And the only NPCs as far as I remember are GlaDOS who just treats you like a test subject and only reacts to your current actions, and the turrets that spout off one-liners.

So either I'm missing something dreadfully obvious, or Chell's character is hidden so obtusely within the environment that it might as well that be there at all.

 

[willoftheboss]

So back in the "Best Female character in Recent Gaming" topic I defended someone's opinion of Chell and Samuas being good characters. Someone pointed out that Chell in particular couldn't be because she's just the player avatar. Yet I feel that the actions taken by her, even if they were player directed, were part of her characterization in that she is smart enough to solve the puzzles presented to her and resilient enough survive Aperture Science.

Questions to discuss:
How do you all feel about Gameplay, this case I mean input from the player, as a form of characterization?
Do you think it is an interesting perspective when evaluating the motivations or interests in video game characters within their universes?
Can characters like Chell from Portal have personalities even though the player was the cause of most of her choices?
What about games only told through a first-person perspective, does the player avatar (like in Skyrim) have character as well?

A lot of Chell's characterization actually comes from other characters. The way GLADOS talks about Chell paints her as some kind of cold, calculating, vicious monster. And of course there's comparisons of her speaking like a jilted lover. Similarly Wheatly's comments on the player further show to the player how they are perceived in the world by others. They do the same thing in HL1&2 where we learn about Gordon through exposition through other characters. Despite never saying a word we do sort of have an idea of what Gordon is like as a person, same with Chell.

 

[Euryalus]

You know who has a weirdly good characterization through gameplay? The protagonists in the Elder Scrolls. Everytime you pause or reload the game, the Nerevarine or the Dragonborn are actually doing that. It's part of the lore which is surprisingly philosophically interesting.

Maybe characterization isn't the right word per say, but it's an interesting melding of gameplay and lore/story/setting.

http://fallingawkwardly.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/the-metaphysics-of-morrowind-part-1/

 

[Vigormortis]

Well then I missed all of that, and I'm not surprised that most people did as well. I've played Portal dozens of times and the only enviromental clues I've ever seen were the hidden areas where the walls are scribbled with talk of cake and GlaDOS being crazy.

And the only NPCs as far as I remember are GlaDOS who just treats you like a test subject and only reacts to your current actions, and the turrets that spout off one-liners.

So either I'm missing something dreadfully obvious, or Chell's character is hidden so obtusely within the environment that it might as well that be there at all.

I guess you did.

Admittedly, much of those details are gleaned from Portal 2 as opposed to Portal, but it still remains that there was actually a fair bit of characterization of Chell throughout the series.

And this is sometimes the issue. Valve's writers and designers have become so adept at building subtle clues into their narratives that a fair number of players miss them. Especially if those players aren't looking for them or are expecting everything to come from pure exposition.

It's a double-edged sword, so-to-speak.