Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
able sequence of
Half-Life 2
. In this legendary first-person shooter, prior
to being given any ability to shoot or otherwise attack an enemy, the play-
er/avatar is barked at and condescended to by various Combine guards.
One of them even knocks a soda can to the ground and then orders the
player to pick it up—which the player must successfully accomplish in or-
der to progress, cleverly integrating a simple tutorial on how to pick up
items in the game.
By the time the player finally gets a hold of a weapon, he—like the player
character Gordon Freeman—almost surely loathes the Combine guards
and can't wait to mow them down with extreme prejudice. The narrative
and game design conspire at that moment to create a situation where
Gordon/the player has every reason and opportunity to do just that. And
voila
, we have payback and some very satisfying ludonarrative harmony.
So again, what the Hero wants and what the audience wants should be
as closely matched as possible. Otherwise why would we be rooting for
him? Identification with the main character and alignment of desires is im-
portant in all stories, but especially in games.
Change and Growth
The Hero usually starts the story in a state of dissatisfaction, formlessness,
and/or incompleteness, and during the course of events is changed and
grows to a more satisfied, evolved, and/or complete state.
Luke Skywalker is of course an obvious example that jumps to mind, but
there are countless others. Think of your favorite movie heroes and look at
their situations and emotional states when we first meet them. The frus-
trated, desk-bound Mr. Incredible in
The Incredibles
; the aimless, irre-
sponsible Neo in
The Matrix
; the trapped, cowed, and suicidal Rose DeWitt
Bukater in
Titanic
; even the bland, lonely Sarah Connor in
The Terminator
.
In fact, pick three of your favorite stories. How many featured Heroes
who were fully satisfied, fulfilled, and complete before the onset of the
main conflict? It's not unheard of, but more common is the Hero with
plenty of room for improvement.
Of course, the Hero isn't the only character who changes over the
course of a story. But in general she's the one who experiences the
most
significant
growth. In fact, if you're ever unsure of who the Hero of a par-
ticular story is, look for the character who
changes
and
grows
the most.
That's probably your Hero.
