The Most Harmful Character Trait

[xXAsherahXx]

In the world of video games there have been more than a few bad characters (Wakka, Samus from M etc.). What do you believe is the most harmful trait for any character to have in his/her development?

I would have to say overconfidence. Sam from Vanquish is a prime example, his overconfidence is just annoying, and it never goes away.

 

[Kryzantine]

Cheapskate from the Tropico series is a particularly bad trait. It's not really noticeable early on, but once you get past 1975 or so, it's just brutal. It forces you into the tourist industry.

Oh, wait, you mean character character?

Well, in order to answer this question, you have to look at the bad guy from Jade Empire, who is absolutely perfect otherwise. So I'd say lust. Characters that are obsessed with just one particular thing. It WILL cloud their judgements.

 

[KefkaCultist]

I hate whiny protagonists.

Nothing kills a game more for me than a protagonist who can't stop bitching about pointless stuff. Yes, characters should have emotions and not be just chunks of meat with a weapon, but when it's to the point that I want to smack the character every time he/she speaks it gets annoying.
(i.e. Hope from Final Fantasy 13)

EDIT: For the antagonist side, I hate when the antagonist is the stereotypical "bad ass" dressed in black with silver hair and depression.

 

[Worgen]

the waif female trait, I understand wanting to have women around the big ass burly guys but for once could a woman really look like shes strong enough to hold her own around them instead of still being tiny compared to them, the only game where Ive seen woman look like they might also be as strong as the guys (in some ways) is street fighter 4, chun lee looks like she will kick to death a horse and its awesome

 

[Wierdguy]

Beeing perfect.

Perfection is ironicaly the greatest flaw one can have.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Beeing perfect.

Perfection is ironicaly the greatest flaw one can have.

That's good, but I've got one better. Being perfect...nominally.

So infuriating having Mary Sue characters with supposedly massive intelligence that couldn't outwit a dead frog, people with a variety of superpowers they fail to use when appropriate, or a wealth of experience that doesn't stop total noobs from making fun of them.

Glerb.

 

[Tallim]

In the world of video games there have been more than a few bad characters (Wakka, Samus from M etc.). What do you believe is the most harmful trait for any character to have in his/her development?

I would have to say overconfidence. Sam from Vanquish is a prime example, his overconfidence is just annoying, and it never goes away.

I have to ask, what was wrong with Wakka?

 

[nicksdrago0]

I really don't see overconfidence as a bad character trait-some people are just overconfident. I actually like seeing it in characters, as it has its incredible ups and downs. What I hate is banging head on wall stupidity. If say, a character is captured by 5 mooks when he just beat the crap out of 10 identical mooks, or fell for the trap by the bad guy disguised as himself but with a mustache, it seems like a poor reason to force a player in a situation rather than the character being caught up in one. This is particuarly annoying in rpgs with the captured by 5 mooks situation-they could have easily replaced those 5 mooks with one boss crazy overpowered for the partys level, and simply have him knock the tar out of you and then capture you instead.

Everyone has flaws, but overwhelming stuipdity breaks the immersion in a game.

 

[zeldagirl]

In the world of video games there have been more than a few bad characters (Wakka, Samus from M etc.). What do you believe is the most harmful trait for any character to have in his/her development?

I would have to say overconfidence. Sam from Vanquish is a prime example, his overconfidence is just annoying, and it never goes away.

I have to ask, what was wrong with Wakka?

I was going to say, Wakka was a bad character?? Sure, he's a *flawed* character, but he's also twelve kinds of awesome. And he's voiced by Joe DiMaggio, aka Bender. That's awesome.


Just for clarification - do you mean character traits that you don't like, or actual bad character traits. Because sometimes, a character's flaws and bad traits are what gives them...well, character. >_>

 

[Legion]

I would have to go with pacifism, for what I imagine is obvious reasons.

 

[Lightning Delight]

I would have to go with pacifism, for what I imagine is obvious reasons.

I think pacifism is only a problem nowadays because every game is about fighting.

It really bugs me when the characters are unnecessarily depressed and angry, like War in Darksiders. Sure he lost all his powers, but he never shows any side of happiness. Even when he rips the giant bat's heart out, he still has the same scowl on his face as always. I would be cheering and dancing about, because doing that would be totally awesome.

 

[Legion]

I would have to go with pacifism, for what I imagine is obvious reasons.

I think pacifism is only a problem nowadays because every game is about fighting.

That was the joke.

 

[Lightning Delight]

I would have to go with pacifism, for what I imagine is obvious reasons.

I think pacifism is only a problem nowadays because every game is about fighting.

That was the joke.

Oh. Oops. In my defense, its hard to sense sarcasm in a written post.

 

[King Kupofried]

There's no real trait I think that makes a character bad on its own, since it is how the character is written and how he fits into the world that decides whether or not he is good. There are a few traits that that make a character highly hit-or-miss though.

Naivety becomes the most quickly irritating to me. It is difficult to make a character that
is convincingly naive, and even then it can VERY quickly becomes sickening.

This is why I absolutely despise Shion from Xenosaga, her naivety is so thick it makes me want to puke.

Sora after the first Kingdom Hearts, I tend to give the first one a pass because Sora had a childish innocence to his personality. He loses that in #2, his childish nature is replaced with smugness and considering he has been up and down the entire universe, literally fighting against the darkness of men's hearts, it just becomes tiresome to watch him rush head first into blatant traps without so much as a second thought.

 

[Savagezion]

In the world of video games there have been more than a few bad characters (Wakka, Samus from M etc.). What do you believe is the most harmful trait for any character to have in his/her development?

I would have to say overconfidence. Sam from Vanquish is a prime example, his overconfidence is just annoying, and it never goes away.

I have to ask, what was wrong with Wakka?

I was going to say, Wakka was a bad character?? Sure, he's a *flawed* character, but he's also twelve kinds of awesome. And he's voiced by Joe DiMaggio, aka Bender. That's awesome.


Just for clarification - do you mean character traits that you don't like, or actual bad character traits. Because sometimes, a character's flaws and bad traits are what gives them...well, character. >_>

Thirded. I found myself wishing Wakka was the main character instead of Tidus many times. Plus, I think Wakka would have been more interesting to explore than an egotistical Blitzball star with daddy issues.

Based on what everyone else is using as a basis of the question, I would say whiny too. Unless it is executed in a comedic sense, whiny is annoying and will make me hate you being in the game.

 

[AwesomeFerret]

I'm going to hazard a guess and say that what the OP perhaps means is something along the lines of "What character trait turns you off from a character?" or something like that. If that's the case I think that it's something that is going to be different for a lot of people, such as the people who like over confidence. Despite it being a potentially damaging personality trait, some people find appealing in a character, as evidenced by those who have said they didn't mind it. Others hate characters who go out of their way to be kind to everyone, due to the way they can often place themselves in danger- and yet this is an inherently good characteristic. Interesting stuff.

 

[Jedamethis]

Ignorance. Or maybe idiocy. Bloody stupidness. You know.
"You mean [obvious thing] is [obvious]?!"
"How do I [obvious] this [obvious]..."
"Maybe I have to [obvious] this [obvious thing]"

 

[xXAsherahXx]

I didn't like Wakka because he was always so happy, in bad times even. I mean, it isn't bad to be happy in a bad situation, seeing the light from it, but when its the most prevalent emotion by far in a character, I lose interest. It hinders development

 

[Wuggy]

A two-dimensional personality. Meaning, if you can describe a characters personality with a few words, I think the character is not good. A good example of this in practice is having the character act based on a single motivation (like revenge, loyalty to a country etc), having only one or two defining character traits like "tough woman" or "wise-cracking supposedly flawed guy" (a la Nathan Drake).