You are not yourself in a game?
In a lot of games you get to play as a character, often you can customize this character and it probably won't surprise you that a lot of people make this character look like themselves or at least something like that. But does that also mean that this character is a representation of the player? Today I want to take a closer look at the character creation and representation connection. In other words, are you the character you play or not?
Why would you make a character that looks like you?
To some people this seems dumb, because if you could create any character you could make then why would he or she have to look like you? As much fun as it might be to create this super amazing looking character it can also be fun to make a character that looks like you and go on an adventure with this character. Of course it doesn't have to look exactly, for example when I play as an elf in Dragon Age Inquisition then he might look like me but I'm not that slender and I definitely don't have pointy ears. But that's fine, it's just to give me the feeling that I play as a character that could've been me if I lived in that world. That doesn't mean I only make characters that look like me, that would be silly, but sometimes it's fun to play as yourself in a game. For example beat up a lot of enemies in a game as a character that looks like you, now that is actually pretty cool! But in the wrestling games, for example W2K18, you can create whatever you want and I also do that a lot. I think only one character looks a bit like me and the others are all completely different. The character that looks a bit like me was for the my career mode, other than that it's way more fun to make ridiculous or over the top type of creations. Maybe there is a bit of vanity in play when you make a character that looks like you but for me it's more simple. If I have to play a game for several hours, especially a game like Mass Effect or Dragon Age that can take up over fifty hours, then I'd rather play as a character that looks like me than a completely different character. You have to be invested in your character because how else are you going to make it through all those hours with that character on your screen? But it's nice to experiment and try out different looks every now and then, so it's not like I have a million characters created in games that all look like me, now that would be weird!
You are not the character you play in a game?
Obviously, but at the same time it's a bit weird to say. Because eventhough the character is in a game it is you because you control the character and make decisions for the character, so in a way it is you even if the character looks nothing like you. I guess it depends on how invested you are, because if you honestly don't care about the character and what happens to your character then you're not really invested in the game and so your connection with this character is pretty weak. But if you are invested in the game and truly care about the character you play as then you have a pretty strong connection, even if this character looks nothing like you. For example in the Witcher 3 I felt a strong connection with the character and I was invested in the game, eventhough Geralt looks nothing like me. So your character doesn't have to look like you to feel a connection with your character. But your actions, what does that say about you? Well you could say that someone that burns down a town and kill everyone is a fucked up person, but in a game things are a bit different. Because you know it's a game, at least I certainly hope so, which means that whatever you do isn't real. I know that I would go on a killing spree in Saints Row if I had a terrible day, all the chaos and destruction would make me feel better. Not that I would have a desire to hurt people but it was a good way to blow off some steam, something that some games allow you to do. A game where I love making a character just like me, in the Sims, is where I'm usually nothing like myself. Eventhough the character looks like me, often acts like me and has the same star sign as me this character is usually a way for me to do things I would normally not do myself. For example flirt with a strange woman that I meet when going out, if you know me then you'd know that I'm not that forward and wouldn't do something like that so fast. Another bad habit is that I cheat a lot in the Sims games, it's a really bad habit but I keep doing that somehow. I guess I really don't like being with the same sim for that long. In real life I don't cheat, if I would really be tired of a relationship I would break up with her first before seeing someone else.
Games let you be someone you're not?
Exactly! This is why I love playing games! You can be someone you're not and most likely never will be. For example I will never be the hero that saves the day, not the guy that will survive against all the odds and I will definitely not be the super attractive guy that has to beat women away from him with stick (figure of speech of course). But in games I can be all of that, which is why gaming can be that much fun. You can be a hero or a villain, do some good things or do some bad things. The choice is really up to you. So no you're not the person you play as in a game, but it is a way of you to explore parts of yourself. I know that I've gotten more social through games, as weird as that might sound because some gamers are known for not being that social, and I learned not to give up that quickly. But eventhough you're not truly the character you play as in a way you are, because the choices you have to make in the game are yours and with that you decide the fate of the character and also direct the story in a way. Does that sound familiar? It should because that's pretty much how real life is. You make choices and those choices affect you and those around you. But no matter how much of yourself you put in a game it will always be a game and not real life, hopefully you keep that in mind.
Why would you make a character that looks like you?
To some people this seems dumb, because if you could create any character you could make then why would he or she have to look like you? As much fun as it might be to create this super amazing looking character it can also be fun to make a character that looks like you and go on an adventure with this character. Of course it doesn't have to look exactly, for example when I play as an elf in Dragon Age Inquisition then he might look like me but I'm not that slender and I definitely don't have pointy ears. But that's fine, it's just to give me the feeling that I play as a character that could've been me if I lived in that world. That doesn't mean I only make characters that look like me, that would be silly, but sometimes it's fun to play as yourself in a game. For example beat up a lot of enemies in a game as a character that looks like you, now that is actually pretty cool! But in the wrestling games, for example W2K18, you can create whatever you want and I also do that a lot. I think only one character looks a bit like me and the others are all completely different. The character that looks a bit like me was for the my career mode, other than that it's way more fun to make ridiculous or over the top type of creations. Maybe there is a bit of vanity in play when you make a character that looks like you but for me it's more simple. If I have to play a game for several hours, especially a game like Mass Effect or Dragon Age that can take up over fifty hours, then I'd rather play as a character that looks like me than a completely different character. You have to be invested in your character because how else are you going to make it through all those hours with that character on your screen? But it's nice to experiment and try out different looks every now and then, so it's not like I have a million characters created in games that all look like me, now that would be weird!
You are not the character you play in a game?
Obviously, but at the same time it's a bit weird to say. Because eventhough the character is in a game it is you because you control the character and make decisions for the character, so in a way it is you even if the character looks nothing like you. I guess it depends on how invested you are, because if you honestly don't care about the character and what happens to your character then you're not really invested in the game and so your connection with this character is pretty weak. But if you are invested in the game and truly care about the character you play as then you have a pretty strong connection, even if this character looks nothing like you. For example in the Witcher 3 I felt a strong connection with the character and I was invested in the game, eventhough Geralt looks nothing like me. So your character doesn't have to look like you to feel a connection with your character. But your actions, what does that say about you? Well you could say that someone that burns down a town and kill everyone is a fucked up person, but in a game things are a bit different. Because you know it's a game, at least I certainly hope so, which means that whatever you do isn't real. I know that I would go on a killing spree in Saints Row if I had a terrible day, all the chaos and destruction would make me feel better. Not that I would have a desire to hurt people but it was a good way to blow off some steam, something that some games allow you to do. A game where I love making a character just like me, in the Sims, is where I'm usually nothing like myself. Eventhough the character looks like me, often acts like me and has the same star sign as me this character is usually a way for me to do things I would normally not do myself. For example flirt with a strange woman that I meet when going out, if you know me then you'd know that I'm not that forward and wouldn't do something like that so fast. Another bad habit is that I cheat a lot in the Sims games, it's a really bad habit but I keep doing that somehow. I guess I really don't like being with the same sim for that long. In real life I don't cheat, if I would really be tired of a relationship I would break up with her first before seeing someone else.
Games let you be someone you're not?
Exactly! This is why I love playing games! You can be someone you're not and most likely never will be. For example I will never be the hero that saves the day, not the guy that will survive against all the odds and I will definitely not be the super attractive guy that has to beat women away from him with stick (figure of speech of course). But in games I can be all of that, which is why gaming can be that much fun. You can be a hero or a villain, do some good things or do some bad things. The choice is really up to you. So no you're not the person you play as in a game, but it is a way of you to explore parts of yourself. I know that I've gotten more social through games, as weird as that might sound because some gamers are known for not being that social, and I learned not to give up that quickly. But eventhough you're not truly the character you play as in a way you are, because the choices you have to make in the game are yours and with that you decide the fate of the character and also direct the story in a way. Does that sound familiar? It should because that's pretty much how real life is. You make choices and those choices affect you and those around you. But no matter how much of yourself you put in a game it will always be a game and not real life, hopefully you keep that in mind.
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