Poll: Have you ever been emotionally connected to a character?

[MisterDyslexo]

So many, a lot of them because they remind me of either parts of myself or others.

I know its gonna sound strange, but Emile from Halo Reach.

Obviously, he, like pretty much every other character in the game, dies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjq1ZvEecRM&feature=player_detailpage#t=45s

He reminds me a bit of myself, and quite a bit of my best friend. My friend died in Afghanistan last year, age nineteen, with a real promising future. While patrolling a metropolitan area, an IED went off, and his vehicle was attacked. I don't know most of the specifics, but I know along the lines of how he died. He went out of cover to grab a squadmate who was down in the open, and got shot through the gut while doing so. He didn't go into shock like most people do, his adrenaline was pumping, so he bled out, slowly and painfully while firing back at some insurgents. The guy he pulled out of the crossfire survived the encounter.

Emile's death is extremely reminiscent of my friend's death, and along with a bit more abstract things about each of them being similar, its just so damn eerie. I always get a bit teary-eyed whenever I see that or play that part of the game. Not to mention Emile's last words, which really resonate with me for an entirely different reason.

 

[bl4ckh4wk64]

Damn, just thinking about it makes me sad. For a time I was *almost* obsessed with Ashley from Mass Effect. She just seemed like the most realistic character, and I felt an odd sense of attachment to her. I had a problem, and eventually it got to the point where I started to compare people to her, and they didn't stand up to my expectations. I eventually got some help and now I just realize it was probably some freak hormonal imbalance or something, I dunno.
Anyway, yea I was very emotionally connected to her.

Not only to Ashley though, I legitimately cried for about 10 or so minutes when the Normandy was destroyed. That was my home, my crew, they trusted me and I let them down. No matter what you do to the Normandy SR2, or even the probable SR3, it still won't be the same.
It just seems like I didn't get that same sense of connection in 2. I spent more time playing the 2nd game, but it seems like there was more characterization in the 1st. I managed to really look into the past of each of my characters and connect with them, except for Liara.

I also cried in Ace Combat 5 when Chopper died. The pure shock of his death, combined with the music... it set a mood. I remember playing through the last couple mission just thinking, "Damn, I miss his voice..." This was really the only other game that I cared about the characters so much.

 

[Puddleknock]

Well being emotionally connected to characters in a game adds to my enjoyment and how much I get out of a game. I think that is why I tend to play RPGs, as they lend themselves towards emotional connection. Mass Effect being a good example, the suicide mission can get heart wrenching if you grow attacted to some squadmates.

Though emotional connection is not just found in death, I smiled like an idiot during the closing scenes of Final Fantasy 9 with Zidane coming back and the story going full circle.

Though does not have to be RPGs, I find RTS strangely emotive at times. In games like Civ or Total War there will often be a unit or general who has done well or for whatever reason I've grown attacted to and I will be genuinely upset if that unit or general falls.

 

[Sam Cohen]

Yup. Ezio is just awesome. I just know its gonna suck when he dies.

I shall shed a tear of manliness for my fellow assassin.

 

[SpaceBat]

Some of the games I've played had fairly good moments, like the one scene from Hl2 Ep2, but none of them were really done all that well. There are only a few I can remember from the top of my head and those are:

Shadow of the colossus. Probably the most emotional scene I've ever seen. It's simply brilliant.

Spoiler: Shadow of the Colossus

Set it to HD and skip to 10:15

Ico. Just...Ico

Spoiler: Ico Scene

I don't really need to say anything about this.

And Metal Gear Solid 3. I really don't care what you may think of the series before or after MGS4, but I doubt a lot of people hate this certain scene.

Spoiler: Metal Gear Solid 3

Skip to 3:00

Hmm...funny. All three of them are Japanese games.

 

[Sam Vimes]

One of my own character in Dragon Age's Origins. I made several playthrough in the games but I did only one through Origins, Awakening and a couple of disappointing DLCs I bought. Anyway, he was an evil mage and did a lot of horrible things, but reaching the far end with him, putting so many hours and finally see him disappear with Morrigan felt... Great. He was an anti-hero sure, but he was the greatest. And I don't know about you, but when you put so many hours in the game and finally have the "1000 point hit" achievement, it really feels good, like "yeah, my character is really awesome.", like an award for the time you put in building your character...



Anyway, as annoying as they can be I was really attached to Niko's cousin and Kate in GTA IV, wich made the end choice really hard once you knew the outcome of both options... And I would always chose to pick the revenge option over the money because I always felt that's what "my" Niko would do... But the ending of that particular option makes me a little sad...

 

[kurtzy23]

I almosst felt like sheding a tear when my character sacarficed himself at the end of fallout 3

 

[Deadyawn]

Yes and I'm far too embarassed about it to speak of this anymore.

 

[ABLb0y]

Vanille from Final Fantasy XIII. The whole reason I stayed playing that trainwreck.

Liara from Mass Effect, until she turned into a ***** in Mass Effect 2. Then my sympathy latched onto Jack. Ok, she may be ugly, but at least she's not a racist (Ashley) a ***** (Miranda) or bland as hell (Jacob).

 

[Zeterai]

I would put forward that every form of game, book, or film is meant to have the watcher/reader/player form some type of emotional bond with a character. Whether you like or hate one, you're still forming an emotional connection.

What separates a really good movie or game is the level of humanity one can ascribe to the characters in it. You feel Andy's suffering in The Shawshank Redemption, and the movie wouldn't be nearly as good if the character weren't so easy to sympathize with. The same is true for a lot of the A-List RPG - Mass Effect, Grandia, Dragon Age, Knights of the Old Republic.. all of them have good characterization and invite the player to form a connection with the individual party members. When good things happen to those characters, we're happy; when bad events occur, we're sad, with the opposite occurring for villains who exhibit an actual personality.

Decent FPS titles tend to push this across as well, while the blander ones ignore it, or fail in delivery. Halo for example, doesn't manage quite the same level of character involvement as Half-Life 2 does - Cortana's good, but doesn't match Alyx for feeling like an actual person.

So from that perspective, I could say that I've had some form of connection to practically every character I've interacted with in a game. Specific examples are Alyx, Garrus, Merrill, Faith (Mirror's Edge), HK-47, Ezio, and Chell.

 

[RedLister]

Happens with me all the time. I can be such a soppy bugger. Makes my games all the more fun for me though.

The original ending for fallout 3 made me weepy as hell too, sure you can guess which choice i took.

Mass effect is another guilty one for making me become attached to the characters.

 

[Arcane Azmadi]

Yorda.

 

[Ldude893]

Soap Mactavish.

That's all I can say.

 

[Whyso]

sora from kingdom hearts, i wound up crying a tiny bit at the end (i had been playing for 9 hours straight)

you didn't get your girl sora :'(

 

[Wolfwood1203]

Well, at the moment I can't think of any specific examples, but yeah, I've cared about characters before. And yeah, I've been sad for them, happy for them, pissed off for them, and afraid for them. It's part of why I enjoy gaming. A good story will do that regardless of the medium, be it video games, books, movies, whatever.

 

[Scarecrow]

A lot of characters from Mass Effect, the brothers from Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver, (Really, Raziel is a dick) and the turrets from portal. Can't think of anything else. I'm pretty cold most of the time.

 

[Fasckira]

Gremio's death in Suikoden

 

[Nazgual]

Some of these have been said already but meh.
John Marston from RDR
Cast of Chrono Trigger
Partial Cast of Metal Gear
Partial Cast of Mass Effect 1/2
Cast of Lost Odyssey
Wander and Argo from SotC
Cast of Half-Life 2-ep2
Cast of Portal 2

There's probably more but I can't remember right now. I'll also add a game that thought it was going to make me care and EPICally failed to do so. Fuck you, Gears of War 3. Fuck you for that crappy attempt for a dramatic death of your only sympathetic character. You can't expect me to go through two fifths of your game being bored and annoyed by those meat head marines and suddenly the only likeable one (who says shit all up to that point) decides he can't bare it any more and pulls a heroic sacrifice for da team. And you really can't expect me to care about the rest of the game after that.

 

[latiasracer]

Not to spoil it, But what happened at the end of HL2 EP2. And Probably all your Buddys on far cry 2, after you fail to defend them at mikes bar. It's more sad that after you find them "OMG U GUYZ ARE ALIVE?" And then they try and kill you : (