Creating A Likable Video Game Hero
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- In the past I have looked at how games create likable companions and villains, so now it is time to talk about creating a likable video game hero.
Twitch: / razbuten
Patreon: / razbuten
Discord: / discord
Twitter: / therazbuten
Edited by Jesse Guarascia: / guarascia
Likable Companions: • Creating a Likable Vid...
Likable Villains: • Creating a Likable Vid...
Endslate Song: Retro Gone Viral - Taokuoh
taokuoh.bandca... - Ігри
Ay! First off, I started streaming recently over on twitch, so come hang out some time www.twitch.tv/razbuten Also, follow me on twitter @theRazbuten.
I am currently working on the next Gaming for A Non-Gamer. This one is going to be a little more similar to the very first one in that it features my wife (also known as the lady I live with) playing multiple games (if you were paying close attention in this video, you may have noticed one of them). Beyond that, I've got a handful of things in production, and they will come out at sometime eventually. I appreciate you all so much, and I hope you enjoyed this one.
I love your videos man
Maybe add a space before that closing parentheses...
@@digicraze thank you...christ on a bike
i think you shouldve talked about gta5 because there you have 4 main protaganists
He a devil man in Russia long age
“Spider-man”
Ay, who’s that?
“...from spider-man”
Oh, NOW I know him!
You’re welcome.
Razbuten You have my undying gratitude
i mean if he said spider-man from 2001: A Space Odyssey would you know who he was talking about?
Yes
jik Of course, Spider-Man had a great role in that movie
"hearing the same voice lines over and over again can be really annoying"
"damn youre ugly"
"winds howling"
"how do you like that silver"
A storm, dammit!!!
WHAT NOW YOU PIECE OF FILTH
Nevermore “wolves hunt in packs arisen”
@@davidchavez1330 Their kind hates ice and fire both!
"looks like rain" is my personal favorite
And then there's DOOM SLAYER, the one guy who's constantly showing off his dominance.
Ah uh the only one? Duke Nukem would like to have a word
@@randomlineofletters he was kicking gum and chewing ass in the past for sure, but now he's pretty lame tbh.
Doomguy in DOOM4 is one of the rare FPS protags who can be likeable without 3rd person cutscenes or dialogue.
He manages to express so much personality with only his arms, legs and the camera.
Don’t u mean his DOOMINANCE?
@@_-Lx-_ you can even see that he isn't just some roited out badass killer and that he has morals after eons of not seeing humans. In an elevator Hayden talked about how everything they did on Mars was for the greater good, doomguy looks down at the dead body next to him and I believe smashes one of the things Hayden talked to him through
Animations are so key. In BotW when Link does a dope backflip dodge, it makes him feel like a badass. Like you're playing a character capable of getting shit done. If you believe the character is capable you are more likely to trust that character, in turn making them more likable.
I think Link is an amazing example of character building in a silent protagonist. When you pay attention, Link has a lot of personality but it never gets in the way of him associating with the player. Plus, the very fact he is silent is explained as part of his character and so there is never any need for him to talk (and I really hope he never does). I have more connection to Link than I do any other non-customisable protagonist because Nintendo has done a brilliant job of establishing him as both a character and the player.
Yeah this big time. Every time when I play RDR2 and my horse decides to collapse because it stepped on a little rock it makes me so dissapointed of it. ECSPECIALLY IF IT'S DURING A CHASE
smash-cut to him tumbling down a moderate incline
@@android19willpwn But he does it in style ;)
Link's the king of protagonists imo
I had no clue that Spiderman added a Razbuten suit! Congrats!
We've made it
Razbuten cool
“It really makes you FEEL like Batman”
Dunkeys gonna eat your soul
Grumpy Sylveon Nah, he’s not hungry, he doesn’t like pizza
Nope, you are nitpicking and biased, I win bye bye
Classic Joe
Classic Z-boy
I play my real life from a first-person perspective and don’t see myself that often. Is this why I don’t like me?
aaaaaaaahahahahaha nailed comment XD you good sir, are an artist
No. Its why you don't hate yourself enough
hah normie playing from a first person I play from third person
Congratulations, you played yourself.
...Okay, I know this is a joke, but like...what if that is actually true though?
Excellent video, and subject, mainly because it's something that's always evolving as more games get made. Not to mention, the power of preference.
It was very interesting to hear you talk about Wolfenstein: TNO, and how its endearing to see BJ be so down to earth when one expects him to just be a muted murder machine. Because I preferred Old Blood where you never leave his eyes until the very end. Not only did it make for more consistent presentation - with story segments always being in-engine - but it also made me feel like I really got into the character's head and relate to what he's feeling whether its uplifting or demoralizing. Though there's almost certainly cutscenes in TNO that would be more difficult to present effectively in first-person, so it's very much a matter of what the game's goals are.
:O no replies yet,Hey!
@@mayman4255 Hey!
Oh boy, please tell me you two are fans of eachother's content
A lot of amazing points made. But I think theres also an argument (and hopefully future development) for main characters who make you feel the way they do. Best example is Spec Ops: The Line, with the spiraling morality of Captain Walker accumilating in the white phosphorus section. You WANT to get these guys after this hard section, like Walker and then you are horrified about your actions, like Walker is.
This has quickly become one of my all time favorite channels
Same
Baby Yoda, that is very kind of you.
Same and I’m not even a gamer
Same
When I saw the title, I immediately thought of Kiryu from yakuza 0. He is one of the most likable heroes in any game and i think everyone who played the game will agree. The main story shows his motives of what it means to be a yakuza but the side missions humanized him. Which in turn made me like him even more.
I instantly thought of Joel. One of my favorite characters in any game. I feel like what made me like him so much is because he is not really a good guy or a bad guy. He's a survivor. And I feel like that fits the theme really well. He did bad stuff but he did it to survive, and throughout most of the story that is all anyone is trying to do. Add in the fact he is broken by the death of Sarah, and the made whole again with Ellie it feels so good. And then we come to the end where he is faced with *that* choice (I don't wanna spoil it for those who haven't played it) I feel like his decision fits with his character really well, and I think most people would do the same if they were faced in the same situations he went through, and while it is not a moral choice, it felt very much real.
He might be rough around the edges and push away anyone who's looking to help him, but he also really wants to get overworked foreigners pizza and try and help Kamurocho stay true to its roots.
Thanks, I hate him. I find him irrational and impulsive. He lacks charisma and intelligence. I'm only on chapter two of the first Yakuza game because I just started playing it but I'm not feeling the protagonist at all.
@@GhostSamaritan did you play the games
What do you think about him now?
Just curious
@@hardikdave1211 Well, I also kind of disliked Kiryu until the end of Kiwami 2. His fight with Ryuji made me realize how honourable Kiryu is. And then, I really started to almost look up to him in Yakuza 3. Seeing his gentle and less stoic side mixed with him always wanting to do the right thing and not giving up, made me realize how much of a great protagonist he is
The trilogy of videos is complete from one of the most likable UA-camrs.
I like how you color coded the hero, villain, and companion videos
It reminds me of the legend of zelda
Link(hero) - green
Zelda(companion, kinda) - blue
Ganondorf(villain) - red
I just really had to mention this
Yeah, I love how they turned out too. The original companions video had a different thumbnail, and then when the villains one came out, Jesse (the guy who edited this vid) came up with a really cool concept for these thumbs.
same for halo
Chief (green)
Cortana (blue)
Covenant (redish purplish)
In spirit tracks zelda is a game long companion, so it works :)
"hearing the same voice lines over and over again can be really annoying"
Counterpoint: *I AM FERDINAND VON AEGIR*
There’s a mod where every character’s voice lines are replaced by this.
I'm Captain Basch Fon Ronsenburg of Dalmasca!
“Hyaa, I think that enemy got - the point!”
"I NEVER LEARNED HOW TO READ!:
"Hey, listen!"
My favorite game protagonists are Niko Bellic, kratos from god of war 2018, Dante from Dante's inferno, John Marston & Arthur Morgan and more I can't think of right now. I think what makes a great protagonist is seeing them go through great struggles. Great video 👍
DAMN ITS YOU
The amazing essay man is back
3:55 i mean, its weird, concidering how everyone spends their days in first person you would think they would get better at showing how someone expresses themselves introspectively from a first person point of view, DOOM (2016) did this best, almost all his body language showing that gives him character is usually when he is on his own, not around others, makes his actions geniune, and once you get to know how he acts alone, seeing him get to act the same around people in the gameplay trailers for DOOM Eternal makes me excited, he is honest, trustworthy.
Everyone who experiences emotion from a first person point of view, experiences that emotion internally. They don't take cues from the way their hands move, because they already know how they feel. First person games that express emotion with the character you are controlling is very much a third person experience, within a first person view. In order to properly convey each emotion in first person, one must separate themselves from themselves.
@@michaelnello9459 im talking about literal first person perspective, as in, you are seeing things as the character does...that does not mean your reaction to what the doom slayer does will be the same, so the game needs some way of communicating whats under the surface without ham-fistedly telling you. Have you played a video game before?
@@RhysClark97 I don't know where you're getting the nerve to be passive aggressive with me. I agree with your first comment, and added onto it by giving context for the "weird." That's all I did. Thanks for being rude.
Most games that show what a First Person character is thinking independent of the player use some kind of inner monologue. There's very little body language there. The video talked about how verbal alone is a very limited way to present a character, and how games that do it well have to resort to shifting to third person during important scenes. And if you use that for more than plot progression, you end up constantly hearing the same mix of voice over clips repeatedly. It would help if there was some kind of mood meter, but not many games have those outside of life sims because they don't serve significant mechanics within other genres.
Taking a page out of life sims' book, an action game could have an icon showing what the character is thinking about. Maybe it's helpful hints like an item needed to pass a puzzle, or they might think about a health potion when their HP is down, or about a certain NPC they have a good or bad relationship with. This would also help with the inner monologue issue since a player could know the character's preferences and priorities without needing to hear/read "Ouch, I should heal." over and over.
*fistpumps Doomguy doll*
If Razbuten is a playable character
then he'd be my most liked Video Game character
😭
Spider-Raz
See even by the end I found Joel to be a protagonist I liked because I understood his actions and his goals. That may be because I empathize more with his needs than the needs of humanity overall
While I didn't play the game, Joel's decision to do *anything* to save his (substitution) daughter is perfectly understandable to me. Hell, I'd do the same. I really can't empathize with the *"unredeemable"* comment in the video.
I moreso have a problem with the fact that he let the surgeons take her away to do god knows what without going with her to make sure there wouldn't be any funny business.
@@PsychOsmosis well one they knocked him out before hand secondly Ellie does ask joel how they're going to do it and guessed that they would simply draw some blood from her and that would be it
Same. I never saw Joel as unredeemable. In fact it was quite the opposite. By that point in the game, I knew exactly what Joel would do to protect the people he cared about and completely agreed with him. My immersion would have been shattered if you WEREN’T given the option to kill the doctors.
@@reeceburns8077 Thanks for the information, I wasn't aware of that!
@@PsychOsmosis all good
This guy really out here uploading bangers
I just want to say that your choice of avatar gave me a big smile. Long time since I saw that gem - or that Jen. ^^
@@bobiboulon the dark crystal is great
I think one of my favorite video game protagonists ever has to be Arthur Morgan from RDR2. Watching him go from a bastard to somebody who tries to do the right thing in the face of his entire world falling down around him is really endearing, and being able to read through his journal and understand his thoughts and know what he is going through makes it that much easier to relate to him. Plus, he's a stud
For me, Luigi is an AMAZING example of this! He is VERY CLEARLY depicted as a SNIVELING COWARD, yet he is CONSTANTLY shown having to fight the things he fears most, not for a princess, like Mario does, but FOR MARIO, for his BROTHER, BECAUSE he cares THAT much about him. The third game REALLY ramps up the stakes by having his other friends be kidnapped as well, showing that his love for others goes FAR beyond family members! While Mario DOES care about Peach, and vice-versa, we don't know enough about EITHER one to really form a connection, aside from both being nice people.
One video game protagonist I fell in love with was Pit from Kid Icarus Uprising. He was given a voice and a personality thanks to Sakurai. Pit was an upbeat character similar to Kirby. He was a captain skilled in various weapons and was no longer limited to archery. However, the thing that makes me relate to him the most is the fact that he has a disability like me. Pit's biggest issue for him, is that he's an angel who can't fly on his own. He needs the power of flight bestowed by Gods to help him fly. and even then, the power only works for a set time.
Knowing Pit's disability helped me relate to him as I have a disability that has affected my life too. While mine is a mental disbility compared to Pit's physical one, I still feel some of the same struggles he would be facing. In a way, he helped me realize that I'm not alone.
You should give Disco Elysium a pass over, I feel like you'd be just the person to love that sort of stuff
Asher C-W the devs have really turned me off on that game. I don’t want to give my hard earned cash to communists.
@@21swords76 I mean, you do you, But why? Do you think you're in ideological lockstep with everyone who makes games you like? Would it keep you from playing dead cells if you knew it was made by an anarcho syndicalist workers co-op? I don't get it
@@21swords76 I think you'll really like the ending of Disco then
@@21swords76 that's quite sad...
@@21swords76 damn i did not know that! was kinda on the fence about buying that game, now im sure i will
Thank you for taking the time, not only to upload great videos, but also to add the subtitles. :)
stella from spiritfarer really has stuck with me, her story and journey helped me through a lot of stuff and i love how she’s connected to each of the spirits in different ways
Everything you said about small character animations just gave a voice to something that I felt but didn't really know how to express. The moment I really fell in love with Joker from P5 was in the first palace, when I noticed him fixing his glove as he ran down the halls. Such a tiny detail did so much for characterization.
You forgot some surprisingly crucial points to making a character endearing:
- Optional things the game allows you to do. Even if you don't have to do that, simply having the option to do it says a lot about the character, be it stealing candy in Undertale, setting random stuff on fire in Psychonauts, or throwing chicken in Zelda.
- The context the game was made in. I think part of the reason why Samus is so popular is because she was one of the first female video game heroes. Even though she's silent and you can't even see her face for most of the game, she's iconic. The same goes for characters that have nostalgia attached to them, sometimes what makes you like a character isn't the isolated game, but the surrounding experience of it.
- And finally, projected character. Okay, this one is a little more complicated, but for that reason, I really wished we'd gotten to it in the video. Player characters are inherently versatile. Even something like Ace Attorney, where we see the entire inner dialogue of a character and only have control over his deductive skills and a few select decisions have some versatility because there are some choices in the game that can go more than one way. Other games take this to an extreme: Think about Chell from Portal. She says nothing, ever. The only moment of character we get from here is in the tutorial, when she jumps upon being asked to do something else, cue confused Wheatley. However, this little hint, mixed with some other bits of the game not primarily about Chell and the popularity of it ended up building much more vast interpretations of her. Stuff like her love for the companion cube, which comes from simply the fact that the game tricks the player itself into getting attached to it (more like, most players were happy to go along with it, I suppose) and then the entire fanlore that built upon little things like that. When there's enough fanlore, just little hints towards character traits can go a long way. In other games, the player experience alone can project onto the protagonist. Before Borderlands 2, all we got from Lilith was a bunch of voice lines and the general sense of badassery that all the main characters have in this game, but depending on how you played her, you might have grown a different image or idea of her.
To make a long point short, never underestimate how much further players and fans can take a protagonist. Since players control the protagonist, they inevitably build upon them, sometimes spawning universally agreed upon ideas, and sometimes creating an individual idea (the best example probably being the Twitch Plays Pokémon protagonist, who is considered a different entity from the Pokémon protagonist in general, yet was built upon him by controlling him).
I am so grateful that the lady you live with introduced me to the wonderful thing that is your channel. I'm now being recommended lots of your older videos as well as getting notifications for all the new ones. 10/10 wish I had money to throw at you, I'll just watch the ads instead. 👌
Bless you.
Great video! Though honestly I'm surprised you didn't mention or even show Persona. The protagonists in those games really are great and, in my opinion, some of the most well handled "blank slate" characters ever.
Especially Jokers snarky humor and bragging.
I loved playing as Nico from Gta 4, Noble 6 from halo reach , Lee from the walking dead and Connor from AC 3
That's the exact topic I was thinking about a few hours ago before watching this.
I was thinking about Hollow Knight, how the playable character is mute and without any personnality, and how it makes sense in the game.
But the sequel will be about Hornet, which will be totally different ! I can't wait to see how it's going to be ^^
Which also reminds me of Bioshock : I loved the games, but when I first played Infinte, the protagonist having a voice and a name threw me off at first.
I even disliked it for a little while before finally accepting it as the plot went on. Now I see why he became a likable character to me : because of the story and his background.
I really enjoy your content, you often make me see games and game mechanics differently.
Thanks for that ! :)
The animations in hollow knight give the protagonist quite a personality IMO.
Your videos are always so well done and well thought out. Thanks for trying to keep UA-cam's general video quality high while so many other channels pump out awful click bait content.
Me waiting 8 minutes and 43 seconds to see a mention of Ezio
IT WAS WORTH IT
X2
Loved it! Your Analysis of things is very good you point out really good points and you really bring us some material for thoughts, and I really enjoy your voice and tones in the video! I had a lot of fun watching this!
Arthur Morgan, the only protagonist in a game who made me cry, And that's speaks for something!
Never thought anyone would beat John marston but arthur did that for me.
Kostas Spirou Yea, it sucks that he didn’t exist in rdr1 and they didn’t talk of him.
I love your videos. You explore unique topics that few make videos about, and you provide great in-depth analysis. I also like how you use lots of game footage to keep the visuals interesting and how you use a game's soundtrack while you're talking about it. The attention to detail is astounding. Thanks for making excellent videos.
Honestly I'm surprised you didn't mention it, but even for set characters one of the best ways to get me to like them is to just have options. Even if a game doesn't have a character creator, if it lets me choose to play as a woman instead of a man I'm going to connect so much more deeply than if I'm forced to play as a guy for the entire game. I've actually found that seems to be a big part in how I engage with games, and it also makes it so I can mostly only enjoy games with blank slate character creation protagonists.
I’m surprised you used John instead of Arthur in that example. John’s a good main character but everything really bad he does happens before you hit “new game”. Arthur does bad things throughout the whole game and because of that, his redemption at the end hits home a lot more because you were there during the bad.
The difference is that I have beaten RDR 1 and not RDR 2, but probably a fair observation
man these videos are good that you make. the ideas are rally interesteing
Max Caulfield is one of my favourite protagonists of all time, just from the sheer relatability and sympathy. Her, and The Knight from Hollow Knight...
My favourite video game hero is the Arbiter from Halo, as you see him exiled, betrayed and then redeemed, all while showing a clear character arc to bring him into the path of goodness.
You're so underrated, for this quality of content you deserve over a million. You're on your way though!
i gotta give props to the master chief of halo, he's a faceless, almost emotionless, almost voiceless character and yet.. he was incredible.
Love your videos man. You’ve quickly become one of my favorite video game youtubers
“Heroes with no real personality”
*Shows Byleth*
Yup
Same goes for Robin and Corrin. Player avatars in FE have never really worked that well IMO.
Arthur Morgan. Well written character with a great redemption arc
You know it's a great video when there's Luigi in the thumbnail
The quality of your videos is just amazing.
5:40 i agreed with every decision joel made in the story, never once did i feel like if i were put in his shoes with his life, that i would make a different chioce
It just makes you a selfish man. Whether you choose to accept your corruption, like Joel did, is up to you though.
@@alzhanvoid I completely disagree the world had been selfish, everyone had been selfish, the world had given Joel no reason not to save the life of the one person that hadn't been selfish.
@@alzhanvoid also I think making the conscious decision to end a child's life to save your own is also selfish.
@@RhysClark97 He isnt saving his own. Hes making the decision whether to let the world die or let his happiness die. He chose the world.
That world could have had dozens of ellies in them, and dozens of people struggling like he is, trying to make the best out of a situation, yet he chose to let them all die, to save his happiness. If that isnt selfish, maybe you should be questioning your own mind first.
@@alzhanvoid no, he is choosing to stop letting ellie feel guilt as though she deserves the pain and suffering her friends got, its why his decisions follows her entire speach about how why it should have been her, parents choose their childrens happiness before their own every time...it is not for anyone to decide to let a child die for their own benifit
in all your videos you speak from the heart of those gamers who've actually witnessed the golden age and peak of gaming history. we'll get back to it i hope,..
Thankyou for adding"spoilers for the Last of us till 6:36". It saved me.
I LOVE THAT YOU USED FOOTAGE FROM GEIST!!!!!
It's one of my favourite games of all time and hardly anyone knows about it. If you have a Gamecube or first Generation Wii, go play it, it's amazingly weird and cool!
Those were some really good points! I'm actually writing a story for a game I'm developing, and your discussion was very insightful.
Bro, I fucking love this channel. It’s sooo good and honest
It's not exactly a story game, but I still feel like Overwatch really did do a great job of making each character feel distinct. They obviously a lot of work into the hand and weapon animations, and the way that characters like Sombra or Lucio or Zenyatta move their arms really gives you a sense of their personality.
I appreciate that you put a Paperbag over Spiderman's head to symbolize your relation to him.
I really felt like Spider-Man
How about the appeal of characters who goes from being a blank slate to a outstanding individual? Like a kid growing up into an adult or a completely alien character who has to start fresh and develop from the beginning?
I've always wondered what people feel like for a baby to grow up into an adult. This doesn't have to apply for games, like Aang in the Last Airbender. He was a cheerful little rascal who later on matures and develops an awesome character.
The original Fable actually has a system fairly close to this despite the limited hardware of the time. You didn't start as an actual baby, but a very small child. I'd love to see a fully realized version of this lifelong path of a character realized with modern hardware.
If you think about it, ezio's journey fits that the most, he started from a fairly rebellious kid to being the best assassin of his time, in all the assassin's creed franchise and even most games, he has the most developed character, granted they made 3 games for his story. Or we could argue they made 3 games precisely because he was a great character.
Free guy in a nutshell
brah, your videos are literally SO good! you deserve 10 million subs or more!
let me know if you find that many, I'd love to have em.
Thank you for soo many good and interesting videos, love you
When a character has traits people can relate to them self it makes them likable. I think companions are easier to like because you want a friend like that.
I do think a protaganist with a clearly defined personality is needed only with games that have a story that is developped and complex. For other games, the protaganist is not necessarily a character in the sense of a person, but rather the extension of the will of the player. I do think it is the case mostly in games where you can create your character
This is very good my friend well done
I see your well crafted video and thought and raise you DOOM 2016. “They are rage, brutal, without mercy but you, you will be worse”. The mc never speaks never gets a heart wrenching moment hardly does anything except in a few small scenes. You learn nothing about the character unless you delve deep into the lore. All in all it’s the most basic thing ever and yet it works so well because the first line sets the tone. You are the villain in this story. You kill demons who can’t get behind that? You don’t need justification. They are demons, rip and tear. The first 10 minutes of a story the reader or player or movie goer is open to new ides and is building the world in their head you can get away with a lot of change at the beginning but later on as the person has a strong view in their mind of the world then it’s almost impossible. In doom it tells you from the beginning who you are and what you do and never ever strays from it. It was the best game I ever played and one of the few I actually wanted to spend money on in the first place.
The way that Nathan Drake spastically gesticulates at walls when he walks near them as he enjoys Human Music.
One thing I personally would like is protagonists with distinct personalities in games with romance options. A lot of people use them for self inserts but I wish I could watch an interesting romance story instead of a game trying to push me into a weird fake relationship that doesn’t engage with interesting ideas because it wants to be as generic as possible to appeal to most players.
Likable character: Walking up to an thalmor soldier, they say something offensive, as i go in third person, turns the camera around...to see a stone faced dragonborn. with the expression of "I'm going to pretend i didn't hear that"
I was going to disagree somewhat with this video, but as it went on,I ended up agreeing with every point you made. You spoke every thought that's been in my head for ages about this topic. Especially the empathy thing. Wow.
Excellent video series 😁. Only places I disagree are with Joel being unredeemable and those sleights at Nathan Drake
Your merch i ordered arrived in the UK earlier in the week and Im really pleased with it :)
Oh shit hey a new Raz video. I get excited when I see you’ve upload, I love the effort you put into your videos. Just wanted to mention that. If you somehow managed to see this hope you have a great day!
I see it. And I am having a great day. Thanks and I hope things are going well for you too.
so hes saying it made him... FEEL like spiderman
RAZ!! I missed you man. Feels like forever. Glad to see your upload
Glad to be uploading!
Oh yeah! You got my main man Luigi on the thumbnail!
travis touchdown is one of the best protagonists
3:06 Not the free out of nowhere Sonic 06 roast 💀
Love your vids Raz! Keep it up bro!
I wonder if an effective connection between the player and protagonist can be established by openly acknowledging that unique relationship. Like... a protagonist with their own fully-developed personality, who for one reason or another is in control by some "unknown force".
I don't see how it could be done in a way that isn't meta, but I feel that there's a lot of interesting territory to explore there. It can create new opportunities for unique scenarios, driven by the uneven nature of the relationship and the difficult communication situation that it creates. It would definitely involve a number of delicate balances, and I have no idea how to effectively pull off such a feat, but I feel that something like that would carry potential.
That card to warn for spoilers was genius
wow, i didn't really see joel at the end of the game as an unredeemable character, but i guess that largely depends on whether or not you saw what he did there as wrong, idk
i spent that entire section actually verbally saying "i dont want to do this",i tired to kill as little as possible and if i did kill it was in the most painless, obvoiulsy that was at odds with what was happening on screen and during cutscenes
but i felt his pain and why he was doing what he was doing and how desperate he felt and tring to talk the woman out of killing ellie
I'm very upset at UA-cam for not giving me the notification for this video. Amazing content as always!
You know, regarding the last of us, there is a very good video (I forget who made it) that explains very nicely why the ending and joels choice in it is actually the right decision
Joseph Anderson gave a pretty good reasoning in his video. He argued that the Fireflies are so inept throughout the game that why would Joel every trust them not to botch it? With that said, I do not think that the game presents Joel's actions as being driven by that reasoning. He is being selfish (which is understandable, I dunno fully what I would do in the same situation), and then he goes on to gaslight Ellie.
With that said, if you see him in a different light, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that.
@@razbuten it might have been his video
_"...and then he goes on to gaslight Ellie."_ *_-THAT'S HORSESHIT!-_*
...ahem, that's just like you're interpretation man. Joel and Ellie both know neither of them are idiots. If the Fireflies had _'stopped looking for a cure'_ then they wouldn't have knocked Ellie out and prepared her for surgery - _whether or not they took the time to tell her beforehand._ Even if they didn't do her that small courtesy then why would she have regained consciousness in operating pyjamas?
When she asks Joel to swear _"that everything you told me back there"_ was true they both know it's a lie he and has to double down on it.
It took a long time for that penny to drop for me.
Does it make Joel a saint? Sure it doesn't.
Is it gaslighting? Hell no.
BONUS RAMBLE
You can infer a lot more about Ellie knowing all of the above and her actions be something of acknowledgement of that and admission of her not having (or being able to form/have) a firm stance on whether she would have given her life willingly or without regret - she's quite grown up, _for a kid._ Maybe she woulda died willingly for that cause whether it succeeded or no...
_But cast your mind back to the conversation after she runs away where she chews Joel out for wanting to abandon her after being the only rock she could cling to in a world of autobots who die_ *_far_* _too easily._
@@EggBastion I mean, what you describe here is gaslighting. It is telling someone a lie that the other person obviously knows is a lie, but the liar keeps affirming it until the person starts to question what is and isn't real. Now, if you wanna argue that Ellie is able to cut through the gaslighting and not be held down by it, that is perfectly fair. After the game, she could distance herself from Joel (the trailers indicate that they are separated at some point), but we really have no idea, so I am excited to see what TLOU 2 brings. But Joel lying in the way he does fits into gaslighting.
@@razbuten
Conspiratorial/consensual gaslighting? But, nobody's questioning what's real. They both know it's a damn lie - the only 'complicity' is Joel _complying_ with being put squarely into check.
Until the sequel proves otherwise, like I already couldn't look forward to that enough *_: P_**
Ah! A person's video who lives with his lady. Good to see you.
I'm 34 yo and played tons of games from all genres. But I've never cared for a protagonist as much as I did for Senua from Hellblade. It's the one and only game that brought tears to my eyes.
You...you dissed my boy drake. Nathan’s sick and not forgettable! Well for me anyways
He also hates Sonic, I was just like “bruh”
DH56 I cant really remember but he said that cause of how you control the character I think, which I do agree with. The controls were not great in some games
I feel like your point about likeable heroes because they only apply to SOME people is pretty on the mark.
Case in point: I'm watching this video, but only when I saw Alloy, Max Caufield, and Mae Borowski did I pop the biggest smile. Everyone before then I hadn't really responded to despite playing many of those games
The analysis of Joel is stellar
Left elbow reveal at 300k subs?
I will consider it.
@@razbuten Guess that's not happening ... or is it?
@@pijays shit
I think the disconnect with the generic male protag with brown hair is that they're trying to be as unoffensive as possible. They almost never do morally questionable things and as a consequence make it impossible to truly put yourself in their shoes. It is the Toyota design philosophy. Make choices that bother people the least. While that does work for their goals of avoiding controversy, it's impossible to invest a part of yourself in them. It's also a reason why when devs try to include a different type of protagonist and have them do controversial things, it inevitably garners at least a small amount of controversy.
One of my favorite things to do in games is to stand still for a long time to see how the character reacts.
I would say that the best of all points if view you described is a 3rd person protagonist, visible in cutscenes, where you can choose character traits from the beginning using a contextually appropriate scenario. The hero's traits then get in the way of their progress, but they are eventually redeemed by making up for their flaws.
I just wish more people liked Sonic.
Woah! Back the fuck up! Nathan Drake is a fantastic character and one I really love.
I surprised no one made the joke about "the exaggerated swag of a black teen"
Good stuff man, therapeutic. Subscribed immediately after your analysis with your lady you live with 😂, like many others.
This is such a good series
Lots of good takes here, my OCD is pleased that the trilogy is complete.
Seeing Dante from DmC on the annoying protagonist side of the argument made sense, but not seeing DMC5/4/3 Dante on the likable protagonist side made big sad
Title: Creating a Likable video game hero
Thumbnail: Sees Spider-Man.
voice lines are exactly why I love the Scout from Team Fortress 2, he's an asshole, I'M an asshole, we're both assholes, and the moment I get my hands on a hat you bet your ass I'm painting it lime green
I think Sly does a good jub at creating likeable protagonists, especially in the second and third game, where you can choose between multiple, with their own respective playstyles.