Why RPG names are important
A few months ago, I picked up Strange Journey for the Nintendo DS, the newest installment in Atlus’ long running Shin Megami Tensei series. SMT has gotten a reputation for its loose use of Christianity, ability to summon demons, and for just being too damn long to finish; but there is one important design choice that is often unnoticed. The main character has no default name.
Aside from the enjoyment you may get out of naming your main character Dickbutt, or naming an entire party after pronouns, names hold an important purpose in RPGs. Names provide an anchor between the player and the character, which increases the sense of immersion within the game. While most games involve playing a role to some degree, it is of secondary importance in all but RPGs.
That’s the reason why the connection you feel to Tales of Symphonia’s Lloyd is not the same as the connection you feel to your hero in Strange Journey. Video games are an interactive media, that are capable of involving the player in the storytelling experience if done right. Having this personal anchor to the character is important, even when the character being played has a personality and a voice.
This generation’s JRPGs are perhaps the most notorious for having you fill the shoes of a complete stranger. These characters have a name, a history, and most often a story that you can do nothing about. The end result is little more than an amalgamation of books and movies, with a flashy combat system thrown in between key events. While these types of games can still be enjoyed, there is nothing to personally tie you into the story. The player is reduced to little more than playing the director of a movie, or the page turner of a book.
WRPGs on the other hand have tried to handle this in a few ways. In Fallout 3, the player can create and name their character. This works well in execution because the player’s name isn’t forgotten entirely, despite the presence of voice acting in practically all dialogue. While the player’s name is never spoken, it will still appear in dialogue options and even some text based events. The player is constantly reminded of their anchor with the world, and overall it provides a very immersive experience.
However there is another game that offers the choice of name, but does not use it for immersion properly. Mass Effect’s star, Dickbutt Shepard, offers both a customizable face and the option of entering a first name. However, nothing in the game ever mentions the player’s first name, which for a time is fine when it’s out of respect of the player’s rank. However it falls apart when the alien they’ve seduced won’t drop the formalities in the bedroom scenes. Mass Effect instead reinforces that you are playing Shepard throughout the game, making any anchor you created with your name non-existent. The end result is like cosplaying, no matter how different you make yourself on the outside, everyone will still treat you like the nerd you were before you put on the costume.
Then we have MMORPGs. These massive games are probably the biggest supporters of the custom name. Typically a player’s character in a MMO can be named whatever they want, unless that name is in use by another player. However it is always a pain in the ass when the perfect name you’ve chosen has already been taken, and I feel it causes instant damage to the immersion effect when you’re forced to pick a different name. This problem has been present for years, but I know of at least one game that made an attempt to correct it.
Phantasy Star Universe came out just a few years ago, but it left quite an impression on me. I won’t get into the degrees of customization PSU had to offer, but I will touch on how it handled names. Rather than using the character’s name as their ID on the server, each created character was given an ID number. This meant that people who desired to play a character with a common name like Bill, could do so without resorting to Bill7642 or some other bastardization. The seemingly groundbreaking concept resulted in a server with a population devoid of even a single “xxSSJSephirothxx” ; which made the game that much more enjoyable and immersive.
RPGs rely on immersion more than other genres of games, and the decline of player names is hurting them in my eyes. The opportunity for some amazing experiences could go past us if this fact doesn’t become more realized. While titles such as Fallout : New Vegas and Final Fantasy : Four Warriors of Light are coming up, and will be offering what I crave ; Dragon Age II is taking design notes from Mass Effect by replacing the personalized hero with Dickbutt Hawke.
It’s up to us as consumers to help guide the developers along in what games should be, and should advance towards. We need to head towards a more immersive direction, and make more attempts to utilize the unique strength of an interactive media. If we don’t speak up, the only place you’ll get to be a hero is in your friend’s basement playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Check back every Thursday for more of Dave’s “Viewtiful!” columns.
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