character or characterisation....?

Since i have been able to see stories cartoons and games fro what they are i find myself wondering what a character ould have looked like from the designers point of veiw if he/she didnt have a solid plotline for a character. basis for a character can change an image into a beleivable actor. for example condemned is played as if you are the character - 1st person - and you walk through the game encountering foes but without the characters plot - slightly diranged police officer - the game would be nothing more than a mindless first person beat em up.
a person can become attached to a certain character if the character is beleiveable and has characteristics that make he or she more realistic un like games such as oblivion in wich you create a random looking character than takes part in a scripted world with no real emotion or characteristics.
Games creators look for psychological floors in the gamers psychi to exploit to their will and build a character people can gather emotion from by playing that character in either a good or bad way. (villain or hero). when i played tomb raider for the first time all i could think about was breaking her legs, i couldnt help myself, that crunch sums up my favourite experiences of that game and maybe just maybe this was an intention on the designers part. go on you know you want to. let her fall!
As a keen game player waching a character fall to their death is only part of the fun i want to see them screaming and clawing to try and save them selves. wouldnt you be scared if you fell a thousand feet to your death? teh acting doesnt just stop at mindless script and occasional one liners, an indeapth character diologue and characterisation makes people more attune to liking or disliking a character. weather it be looks or acting, a character needs that somthing special or a an indeapth look that shows just a faint bit of emotion to bring them to life.
Depending on the game, a character doesnt have to rely on any script at all. acting and appearances says it all, tekken is a clear example of a game that doesnt require script just as tom and jerry doesnt in cartoons or laurel and hardy do on television.
I am a sheer fan of horror mysteries because i cant help but want to either be scared or be visualy challenged by an overload of different characters in different situations of suffering or iscolation. books to me cant just contain dialogue for character building or i get a little bit bored and disreguard the rest of the book, this is why i prefer stories in games as i can see here and almost touch a character while the character building takes place then get into the story wothout a hint of bordom. id much rather take a part in a story than read someone elses thoughts. Although, im not the sort to run off to the cinima if a book is fatter than the palm of my hand.
Reading a book to me is much like having a narrator (honestly now, do you like having someone talk through a movie) i prefer to see the story unfold without having to read what somone else is feeling, after all its my experience not theirs.

"if it aint broke don't fix it"

As a child the earliest user interface i used (that i can remember) is the ever so special keyboard. some peoplebeleive its complicated but its getting used to it just the same as other interfaces. user interfaces such as tv remotes and microwave keys that people use on a daily basis follow the same path even though they are not designed primerily for games but user interfaces doesnt have to stop at hand held objects. the pc operating system and mac operating systems were carfully developed to suite the markets need for a user interface. the mac interface is far superior in aesthetics and erganomics where as the pc is the most widly used thus does a user interface matter to us so much. after all we will get used to it in time and grow to love it. like the keyboard or pc OS.
Apple macs have the aesthetic qualities that most if not all other user interfaces do not have as it uses psychology to feel more user friendly - dragging rubbish into the bin at the bottom right, as if sweeping off the desctop - where as pcs just crash when we attempt to drag and drop somthing.
Ever since i can remember, having a control pad in my hand made me feel at home and in the future this wont change for me or the next generation because they are coming into a generation of key boards and mice but consoles will always be peoples first choice for games even if the pad is changed or removed.
In the future people will always be interacting with machines through some sort of user interface and at the moment the joypad and keyboard seem best suited for the job. "if it aint broke dont fix it".

WoW...pfft!

Aa strong storyline is what makes a game worth playing as well as nifty visuals but characterisation in that game is what keeps me hanging in to the bitter end. ive tried to create characters before and found it to be dificult without having some refrence or background and many people agree that this is a nesessity or key to teh door that is the story. the character must have links are deep roots to the story or other characters that do. a strong story requires other things. enclosed a character i created using a time period, background and genre.








I like to think im not a person playing a character but i am the character, creating that atmosphere can lead to a person feeling that part rather than just watching it. i enjoy a game to an extent that i try to play it as best as i can but i do understand that a game player does make the story happen through a sereis of events however the realisation of this all depends on the games designers choices from the get go. do u realise your playing a part before or after? does the game scare you to a point that you will never play it again or did u just play it for teh sheer need to complete the second in the sereis for example.
What is the point in living someone elses fantasy if you dont experience it the way he or she wanted you to experience it, just the way they have.
Many designers say they do agree that a story is essential then add some poor attempt at one towards the end but alot of games are designed to get you hooked such as MMORPGs. mo money for the creators but many popular games such as zelda or metal gear solid do have appealing story lines that make us want to play everyone of teh sereis and we damn sure gonna pay £50 to play these because we want to rather than need. games like call of duty or medal of honor take there place either from a major point in history or a sideline of that such event and thus we want to take part in the story or relive it. maybe its just for sheer fact of shooting germans. games like these have a story for those that wish to see it but also can be played by skipping every cut scene just the same.
To me a story is essential even if it is repetitive because all games by merit have to be at the most, slightly dissimilar in some way and i get the satisfaction from playing new characters in new situations with the occasional plot twist and great ending.