Why must every game revolve around making my balls feel big?

[Zhukov]

This might turn out a bit rant-ish and I make no promises of comprehensibility. You've been warned.

...

Alrighty then, I want to you all to participate in a brief little experiment. I want you to run your eyes along your video game shelf or Steam library and see how many of your games can be accurately described by the following paragraph.

The protagonist is either a blank slate or a badass (if the latter, then extra points if they're a personailty-deficient, heavily built, thirty-something white guy [http://doctorpus.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/marcus-fenix-gears21.jpg]). Progressing through the game involves killing or violently defeating large numbers of enemies. As you progress your protagonist gets increasingly powerful, usually through stat increases or the acquisition of equipment and weaponry.

Extra points if you get the girl and save the world.

The point I am laboriously trying to make here is that way too many games constitute little more than a juvenile power fantasy. An endless procession of burly, infallible badasses joylessly curb-stomping hundreds of unambiguously evil enemy redshirts. It's really getting old.

Even stealth games, a genre that supposedly focusses on avoiding conflict, still tend to feature unstoppable badass protagonists and allow you to murder everything in your way.

Now, I understand why we get this. Whether I like it or not, testicle-swelling power fantasies are where the money is.

That said, there are games out there that manage to avoid this sort of thing while still being fun. Mirror's Edge focussed on avoiding or running away from combat situations (okay, except when it didn't, but shut up). Amnesia casts you in the role of a defenceless bastard who starts gibbering in fear at the merest glimpse of a hostile and it was still one of the best games I've played in years. Journey has no enemies at all and I've barely heard a single word against it. It can be done! It just almost never is.

Before people jump down my throat with fearsome cries of "Games should be fun!", let me make one thing clear. I'm not saying these kind of games should go away entirely. Hell, I enjoy them myself. I enjoy Half Life 2, I enjoy the Mass Effect games, I even enjoyed my time with Gears of War 3.

But for the love of all that is holy, there are other kinds of stories out there!

[sub]PS. Whoo! I got through that whole rant without once saying "holding the medium back" or "video games being taken seriously". I feel good.[/sub]

...

EDIT: Judging by many of the replies, I need to clarify one thing. I am talking about games that are story-based, or least have a story and a protagonist. Obviously things like flight sims, puzzle games or racing games don't fit the mould that I'm complaining about.

 

[Hyper-space]

snip

Bless you, Zhukov. Its almost like you read my mind.

I think that the next step in story-telling will be a departure from the power-fantasies of yesterday, video-games have proven that they can make ANYTHING fun and exciting (fucking Sims, man), why not apply that to stories as well?

But eh, all in due time. At least, I hope.

 

[RJ 17]

Snip

I definitely see your point, but to a certain extent I believe it depends on the story that they're trying to tell.

Mass Effect 3, for instance, shows that Shepard isn't Christ the Second Coming. He/She can't save everyone...he/she doesn't always win. Do you pull off some amazing crap? Yes.

<spoiler=I do not care who you are...this part was just frickin' awesome>Like summoning the Queen ***** of All Thresher Maws to take out a Reaper

But over all you see Shepard scrambling about in his/her attempt to save everyone.

The thing is that stories that boil down to "good guys vs bad guys" need a heroic figure. And the hero always wins (in the end). It's just the way stories are built.

Though this does give me an interesting idea for a game involving a story who's hero isn't a badass in any way, shape, or form. A completely incompetent loser who just blunders his way through the story and somehow comes out on top.

But yeah, in the end it all just comes down to story telling: most stories need a hero, and the hero needs to win in the end. Since you're playing the hero winning, each victory makes the hero seem like more and more of a badass.

Edit: Hope you see this edit, Zhukov, because I meant to ask you what you think of a hero like Ezio Auditorie (there's no way I spelled his last name correctly).

 

[Fappy]

I think I may have fewer of these games than most strangely enough. The reason why this is so wide spread beyond the obvious reasons of it being easy to do and it sells games is this: there are "ancient" game philosophies deeply embedded in the sort of game you are describing. If video games are escapism than power fantasies are probably the best example of what most people want when they desire a reprieve from reality. The concepts of violence and progression were parts of a foundation laid in nearly all video games decades ago and it is really hard for games to break that mold and still be successful. I totally sympathize though, I really do wish there were more unique experiences out there.

 

[Racecarlock]

Oh jesus. This is the "Every game is a first person shooter" argument in a different wrapper. Try dear esther. Try passage. Try the path. Try every day the same dream. Try the sims. Hell, try katawa shoujo and some other dating sims. I hear katawa is good anyways, I pretty much stopped with dating sims when I turned off safe search on google anyways. The point is, there are lots of games that don't make you a generic hero. Hell, try amnesia the dark descent, or some other horror games. Hell, give red dead redemption a try. Give GTA IV a try. Believe it or not, the video game market is not as stagnant as you think. Certain genres are, certainly, but definitely not the entire market.

 

[Folji]

Sure; about 30-40 out of nearly 200 games, and only some 5 of them star a heavily built and personality-deficient white guy. That's not so bad, plus they're spread across a handful of different genres with settings spanning from outer space to ancient persia to a fantasy world to another fantasy world to a third fantasy world to post-apocalyptia and to dystopia.

Power trips are just plain fun. Though my Mirror's Edge probably still remains my favourite game from the past several years because there are hardly any other games like it.

 

[veloper]

Why? Gameplay is often based on conflict, so if it's not a strategy game with many faceless toy soldiers, then it's game about a smaller group or even just one protagonist.

The protagonist then becomes a badass, even if he's painted a nerd or a robot, or something worse, because the conflict defines him.
Most designers simply go for a more plausible tough guy protagonist, but it doesn't matter, because badassery can always be always earned in such games.

The only alternative is to take the fight out of the game.
Play a puzzle game or a point&click adventure. Plenty of games like that, but violent conflict is most prevailent, because people simply love the thrill and excitement. The power fantasy is born from the conflict and unavoidable.

 

[dimensional]

The protagonist is either a blank slate or a badass (if the latter, then extra points if they're a personailty-deficient, heavily built, thirty-something white guy [http://doctorpus.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/marcus-fenix-gears21.jpg]). Progressing through the game involves killing or violently defeating large numbers of enemies. As you progress your protagonist gets increasingly powerful, usually through stat increases or the acquisition of equipment and weaponry.

Extra points if you get the girl and save the world.

As soon as I read this Mass effect popped into my head (probably because of all the threads around here lately) except hes also a blank slate and a badass so extra extra points. I suppose he can be a she though not sure if that - or + points but the she can get the boy so same story.

I did look across my PS1 library when I started reading youre post and I would say only about a third of them meet your criteria but then again I did buy a lot more varied games on PSX/1 (whatever) and I cant be bothered to dig out my current and last gen games right now to check those but I think a lot of games do dodge the stereotype image you are suggesting even if it is still the main stereotype as it were.

Then again I have no problem with a stereotypical protagonist if they are fun to be around and play as.

Also what about Nintendo and their characters surely Marios not a badass or a blank slate? and then link and Samus and Kirby etc actually I would say youre stereotype applies mainly to western games play some japanese ones and you will have a lot less of this stereotype reinforced but of course others will replace it every culture has its own favoured cliches.

 

[Zhukov]

But yeah, in the end it all just comes down to story telling: most stories need a hero, and the hero needs to win in the end. Since you're playing the hero winning, each victory makes the hero seem like more and more of a badass.

I feel you are missing my point.

Obviously a story needs a protagonist and, yes, that protagonist will generally come out on top when all is said and done.

That is not my issue. My issue is that the vast majority of game stories and protagonists seem to exist solely for the sake of providing a vicarious power fantasy for the audience.

Let me put it another way. Which of the following scenarios strikes you as the more narratively compelling:
a) A grim, tough, unflappable and nigh invincible badass slaughters his way through legions of foes with a big phallic weapon, beats the villain to death and is celebrated as a hero before hooking up with the nearest pair of breasts.
b) A scared and desperate guy with cowardly tendencies is pitted against a vastly superior adversary while in pursuit of a personal goal. He experiences numerous setbacks and losses before finally succeeding by the skin of his teeth.

Because I'm seeing a great deal of (a) and bugger all of (b).

Edit: Hope you see this edit, Zhukov, because I meant to ask you what you think of a hero like Ezio Auditorie (there's no way I spelled his last name correctly).

Not quite sure what you mean by like Ezio. What aspect of Ezio exactly?

As for Mr Auditore himself, ehhh... not too impressed. He's basically just another flawless badass effortlessly murdering his way to the end credits. On the other hand, he has some range, a sense of humour and a certain degree of charisma, so I can't really hate him.

 

[Kahunaburger]

Let me put it another way. Which of the following scenarios strikes you as the more narratively compelling:
a) A grim, tough, unflappable and nigh invincible badass slaughters his way through legions of foes with a big phallic weapon, beats the villain to death and is celebrated as a hero before hooking up with the nearest pair of breasts.
b) A scared and desperate guy with cowardly tendencies is pitted against a vastly superior adversary while in pursuit of a personal goal. He experiences numerous setbacks and losses before finally succeeding by the skin of his teeth.

Because I'm seeing a great deal of (a) and bugger all or (b).

That may be a general issue with people's preferences and expectations playing games - as a rule, they hate losing.

There are exceptions. "A scared and desperate @ with cowardly tendencies is pitted against vastly superior adversaries while in pursuit of the Amulet of Yendor. The @ experiences numerous setbacks and losses before finally [succeeding by the skin of its teeth/dying ignominiously]" is a pretty good description of most roguelikes, Crusader Kings II gets a lot of praise for having the possibility of non-trivial losses becoming part of the story, Dwarf Fortress (and Tetris!) inevitably ends with a meteoric fall, and so on.

But generally speaking, most of the games like this are old or pretty niche, and most players will slam the quickload button the second they lose or suffer a setback. Unfortunately.

 

[Strain42]

This is why I'm glad we have characters like Phoenix Wright. An average joe that life occasionally shits on, he rarely comes out on top, and when he does it's by the skin of his teeth or through the help of others. He's not some super buff badass.

Phoenix Wright is a protagonist that puts on his pants one leg at a time. He doesn't aim a gun the size of a car at his pants and yell at them to put themselves on.

He's the only protagonist of all the games on my shelf that I'd like to have a beer with. (or maybe some Grape Juice...lol)

 

[Aris Khandr]

Though this does give me an interesting idea for a game involving a story who's hero isn't a badass in any way, shape, or form. A completely incompetent loser who just blunders his way through the story and somehow comes out on top.

Get Smart: the Video Game.

"Would you believe" I would play that so much?

 

[Kahunaburger]

This is why I'm glad we have characters like Phoenix Wright. An average joe that life occasionally shits on, he rarely comes out on top, and when he does it's by the skin of his teeth or through the help of others. He's not some super buff badass.

Phoenix Wright is a protagonist that puts on his pants one leg at a time. He doesn't aim a gun the size of a car at his pants and yell at them to put themselves on.

He's the only protagonist of all the games on my shelf that I'd like to have a beer with. (or maybe some Grape Juice...lol)

Yeah, I don't get why people think most games need to be brown gritty shooters with lots of bloom when you can make an enormously successful franchise about a defense lawyer trying to do his job in a justice system designed to get convictions.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Oh can I not go through two threads without pulling the "Persona 4 is awesome" card? Apparently not it seems.

Persona 4 did this pretty well I think, the turn based JRPG combat actually made sense to me since your party is comprised entirely of high school kids, rather than Super Epic Badass Mcgees so of course they're gonna be a bit hesitant in their fighting and end up waiting around for orders a lot. One of the rare examples of turn based combat making sense within universe.

Plus the main character is practically a professional therapist by the halfway point. He's fully capable and certainly has some badass moments but he doesn't really conform to the standard "unfazeable white guy with a voice of a grizzly bear" badass prerequisites.

Also Phoenix Wright. All he has is a penchant for scathing remarks (in his internal monologue anyway) his godlike luck, his ability to miraculously walk off any injury and his Objection!

He takes down a couple hundred murderers and drags some "legendary" prosecutors down a few notches with only his words... And his evidence of course

Rather sure Japanese games in general seem to do things a bit differently.

EDIT: Damn ninjas. Ninjas everywhere!

 

[RJ 17]

Snip

I understand what you mean, and that was kinda the point that I was getting at as well with my whole "story telling" deal. I'm not disagreeing with you on the notion that the vast majority of games today feature protagonists, as Yahtzee put it, "Pecks like pavement slabs wearing an entire car for armor with necks that look like up-turned salad mixing bowls" etc etc. What I was getting at was that such is the times that we're living in. Videogames are a form of escapism. Seems most people would rather be yelling at dragons attacking Solitude, or chainsawing through the 2 millionth Grub of the day, or jamming their combat knife into another differently colored SPARTAN than worry about their every day lives.

Again, I'm not necessarily agreeing with this trend, just explaining the rationale behind it but I'm pretty sure you already know this: people like feeling like a badass. It makes them...well...feel pretty badass. Again it goes back to what I was saying: it's just the currently preferred story telling device. Few people would be interested in a game about a helpless weeny essentially lucking his way to the goal. As another example of current story telling trends, look no further than the whole "Dark and Gritty" trend. "Mass Effect 2 is going to be a lot darker, we open up with Shepard getting killed and that sets the tone of the game" was one of the quotes about ME 2 before it came out. The Batman reboot is supposed to be "A dark take on the Batman series" (though personally I thought the entire point of Batman was that it was supposed to be dark >.>).

I do think I'd enjoy a game about a "less than heroic" hero having misadventures on his or her way to the goal. I'm just saying "Such are the times that we're in."

Though to answer your original question, here are the games currently in my collection: Dead or Alive 4 (mostly nostalgia, it's the only fighting series I've ever been good at), Portal 2, Warriors Orochi 3, Mass Effect 1-3, Tenchu Z, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Revelations, and that's it. Of those I'd say the only ones that I have that fit the "almighty hero" category would indeed be the AC games. Edit: And Mass Effect, of course.

And speaking of which, as for Ezio, that's kinda what I was getting at: he does actually have personality. He shows anger, passion, a decent amount of wit, etc. And he's certainly not a hulking super hero dressed in a refrigerator. Yet indeed, with the title of Grand Master Assassin, he is by definition an utter badass. So I was wondering which side of the fence he'd fall on for you: a decent hero or a Gears of War hero...just not as huge.

 

[TehCookie]

Just looking at my main games shelf, 6 out of 100. DMC1-4, Duke Nukem and Bayonetta. I don't buy games like that, do I get a prize?

The point I am laboriously trying to make here is that way too many games constitute little more than a juvenile power fantasy. An endless procession of burly, infallible badasses joylessly curb-stomping hundreds of unambiguously evil enemy redshirts. It's really getting old.

Isn't buying something different instead an option? If you were saying there were too many games like that on the market I'd agree and hope tides change, but in your own collection you choose what games you buy.

 

[Zhukov]

Oh jesus. This is the "Every game is a first person shooter" argument in a different wrapper. Try dear esther. Try passage. Try the path. Try every day the same dream. Try the sims. Hell, try katawa shoujo and some other dating sims. I hear katawa is good anyways, I pretty much stopped with dating sims when I turned off safe search on google anyways. The point is, there are lots of games that don't make you a generic hero. Hell, try amnesia the dark descent, or some other horror games. Hell, give red dead redemption a try. Give GTA IV a try. Believe it or not, the video game market is not as stagnant as you think. Certain genres are, certainly, but definitely not the entire market.

a) I don't think you read the whole post before replying.
b) I've played all the games you listed except The Sims. I'm not saying they don't exist. I'm saying they're a tiny minority.
c) GTA IV and RDR are both the kind of game I'm ranting about. (RDR was pretty good though.)