Emotional Connection

[DrakeWurrum]

New blog post is up!

http://www.arena.net/blog/the-emotional-connection

---------- Post added 2012-07-31 at 01:42 PM ----------

Found this line hilarious:

People are equally repelled by viewpoint characters that have no substance

When I feel that the player character seen up to level 20 has no substance beyond "I'm gonna save the day, and never do wrong!"

[Deleted]

Haven't read the blog post yet but this is the first thing that caught my eye:



It looks to be the light heritage armor you can get from the HoM.

[Roshar]

This may be common knowledge to long-time GW fans, but is Jeff Grubb in that interview the same Jeff Grubb who wrote The Last Guardian novel?

[Deleted]

This may be common knowledge to long-time GW fans, but is Jeff Grubb in that interview the same Jeff Grubb who wrote The Last Guardian novel?

yes he is

[Lucas Ashrock]

Agree with the blog content. Feel your avatar looking awesome, and with a particular face and body you created, helps to create a bond who keeps you play and play, enjoying the game every minute

[Deleted]

Agreed, an emotional attachment needs to be made with a character to actually come back to a game. OP, I disagree with what you said. First, we knew we'd be fighting dragons and stuff, but in terms of quests and speech, you choose your personality. Are you a peace-loving person? Then you can even level without fighting anything, there's plenty of gather and feed and other stuff events, and even inside most quests and events you get some option to either kill or do something else. I just watched a video today seeing how in the human starting area you can either kill worms, feed cows or grow crops. So the choice is there.

You also have your personality choice, you could be ferocious and have others start to fear you, dignified or charming and have people like you. Although it's not a huge point, it is a point in modelling your character.

Yes, it's true, you're the hero all the time, but it's your choice how to be the hero. In many games you're the hero... in fact in most MMOs you're the hero.
Sure some grey areas would have been welcomed, but don't know what to say, don't know if there are any, there could be.

[DrakeWurrum]

What I have a problem with is that my street rat thief supposedly spend a large portion of his life in a gang, and he's a perfectly upstanding citizen of the law, with absolutely no qualms about doing "the right thing" and absolutely no perceived turmoil over making choices that should be tough.
It's just... unrealistic. O_o

If we have a dark past, it should cause personality flaws! Every single one of the actions I've seen the player character perform has been entirely predictable by just thinking "What would a hero do?"
And by hero, I'm thinking, comic book superhero level of hero. Not "Mommy, that fireman saved me from the fire!" level of hero.

And then there's my Guardian. To an extent, the stereotypical Norn is exactly what fits the character, but some lines are just so ridiculously cliche that they feel out of place.


Basically, what it comes down to from my perspective, as that the emotional attachment I feel for my characters is coming from the stories I created for them in my head, not the story I'm being told.

[Ynna]

Basically, what it comes down to from my perspective, as that the emotional attachment I feel for my characters is coming from the stories I created for them in my head, not the story I'm being told.

I agree. In a way, the generic quest-text in other places offer more freedom to tell your own story.
I find it courageous that Guild Wars 2 tries to deliver a more intimate story than other MMOs, but I'm not sure if the MMO, as a medium, lends itself to this type of (guided) storytelling.

[rhinomatic]

Yeah I kind of wish they had taken the WAR approach - you aren't special, you're just a rank and file soldier fighting on the lines. Too many games make you part of history and then have to write you out because every other player was also the same part of the same history.

Instead of making you central to the story, they should have just made you a witness to the story, playing your appropriate part but ultimately standing aside so the real heroes can have their moment. That way it wouldn't have been as cheesy and would maintain continuity as far as the overall story goes.

I may be in the minority though. Maybe most people want to be the hero, even if the story ultimately fails to deliver on that.

[Cig]

Personally I feel the issue stems from the game hamstringing itself with the player-characters are inherently good with shades ranging from just before neutral to full on lawful good. My 2c.

I mean if you wanna mod it to be a bit more self-serving/bad, what your character says vs what he really feels/wants to do in a situation (whats in his head) can be two entirely separate things.

*edit: sneaky commas

[jac_Arcanis]

I think it's a great thing that they have the base overarching story for your characters yet give you the freedom to expand on them with other players and through interaction with NPCs. It feels like you can make the avatar your own.

[draykorinee]

I find it hard to get emotionally attached to a character in an mmo in the way I do with single player games, I never feel unique, it doesnt help when Im forced to fight alongside istabyoudead or whatever, the immersion just never seems to be there, its no different with GW2, the choices in storyline dont determine major choices that I've seen, as Drake said, I was a thief in a gang, why am i not running of stealing from npcs or whatever, why am i doing the same starting zone as every other choice. I'm not saying ANet havent done well and that there is some connection, but the interview clearly states, you are a hero, your choices matter little you can do no harm, so really no different from most other mmos out there, I certainly dont agree with above that you make your avatar your own, its still pidgeon holed in to the archetypal good guy.
I get attached to my mmo characters but never through an emotional storyline more like I get attached to them through the challenges I faced and the fun they give me as well as the time commitment. At least this blog isnt full of hyperbole like most of them.

[MyLifeIsRandom]

Basically, what it comes down to from my perspective, as that the emotional attachment I feel for my characters is coming from the stories I created for them in my head, not the story I'm being told.

I'm exactly the opposite, actually. Inside I'm the exemplary "goody two shoes" hero and love being able to go white knight.

[Ynna]

I'm exactly the opposite, actually. Inside I'm the exemplary "goody two shoes" hero and love being able to go white knight.

Yeah, and it's great that you can do that, but there isn't much variance. Everyone is a "goody two shoes" (okay, that's too simplistic).

[MrSerious]

Basically, what it comes down to from my perspective, as that the emotional attachment I feel for my characters is coming from the stories I created for them in my head, not the story I'm being told.

I agree. I have already decided my character will be a norn warrior, he's going to be a tough grizzled veteran brute with a total lack of regard to his own personal safety. I will play my character like that. I'll have a scar or two because he's been in a lot of battles. Even in skype I'll probably stick to my character's made up personality a bit (more if I've had a bit to drink) "Get out of my way you bunch of girls I've got this!!!" and probably die gloriously

So I have already created an emotional attachment because I have created a character in my head that has a personality and a background - the rest is up to the game to fill out.

I'm not completely against a bit of roleplaying in the game, chances are my character will always stop to drink at a bar in Hoelbrak. /yell "I'm telling you he was this big!!"

[Cyclone Jack]

What I have a problem with is that my street rat thief supposedly spend a large portion of his life in a gang, and he's a perfectly upstanding citizen of the law, with absolutely no qualms about doing "the right thing" and absolutely no perceived turmoil over making choices that should be tough.
It's just... unrealistic. O_o

If we have a dark past, it should cause personality flaws! Every single one of the actions I've seen the player character perform has been entirely predictable by just thinking "What would a hero do?"
And by hero, I'm thinking, comic book superhero level of hero. Not "Mommy, that fireman saved me from the fire!" level of hero.

And then there's my Guardian. To an extent, the stereotypical Norn is exactly what fits the character, but some lines are just so ridiculously cliche that they feel out of place.

Basically, what it comes down to from my perspective, as that the emotional attachment I feel for my characters is coming from the stories I created for them in my head, not the story I'm being told.

Pretty much this. The personal stories that I have played, no matter the race, the player character seemed paper thin and I was in no way attached to any character emotionally. It didn't help that the voice acting, overall, was a little weak. There might have been a few parts here and there that were OK, but nothing that drew me in. However, I'm not put off by this at all. While I wish parts of it weren't as cheesy or predictable, I never expect to become emotionally attached to a character in an MMO. You'd need much more dialog with much better writing and voice acting to even begin to get to that level. Syberia is the baseline for that (for me), and very, very few games have been able to touch that.

[Durzlla]

Personally I feel the issue stems from the game hamstringing itself with the player-characters are inherently good with shades ranging from just before neutral to full on lawful good. My 2c.

I mean if you wanna mod it to be a bit more self-serving/bad, what your character says vs what he really feels/wants to do in a situation (whats in his head) can be two entirely separate things.

*edit: sneaky commas

Yeah... just how i play the game vs how my character acts makes him look like a compulsive liar... like there was one part where i agreed to one on one honorable combat and then procceded to fight my aggressor by luring him through a total of 12 traps, and ganging up on him with 3 pets (2 hyenas and a raven)... totally not as lawful good as i seem lol....

---------- Post added 2012-07-31 at 07:56 PM ----------

I'm exactly the opposite, actually. Inside I'm the exemplary "goody two shoes" hero and love being able to go white knight.

yeah i'm not a goody two shoes... i'm the person who deceives people honestly, lures them through traps, gangs up on them, stabs them in the back with a smile, and shoots to maim.... hell i PLAY the game like that.... so it kinda just makes my character look like an utter douche who -acts- goody goody but in reality really isn't xD

[Malthurius]

I really felt invested in the story of my Blood Legion Charr and his warband. As a blood legion Charr my character starts off with a personal hurdle that gives him... "character". That's really much more satisfying than all the other stories that are just "OH, you're a hero! Let's give you some more hero stuff to do because you're a hero!". Blood Legion Charr get "You got our warband killed, go do grunt work meat"; not until you prove yourself a 2nd time do you get praised as a hero.

The first story arcs in the Personal story are just kind of lame; I remember really being interested in the arc that followed though.

[MrSerious]

In comparison to other MMO's I think they have done a pretty good job in attempting to give you an emotional connection. For example my emotional connection WoW to my toons was only due to the amount of time spent on levelling them, and which was my first toon to level. Also getting my paladin mount the old way was a connection, it was hard to replace it due to the work involved getting it.

SO what I'm saying it a personal story isn't the only way you can have an emotional connection to a character.

[Squirrelbanes]

If your having trouble emotionally investing in a goody-2-shoes human, roll a sarcastic asura or a surly charr. They're still good, but in different ways.

I haven't done much...like anything past the opening human tutorial...of personal story but even that was quite cliched. "The Goddess Dwayna helped you.....maybe you could help others? THANKS! I WILL!" Yh...
But that's just the way the game is.
At least the world itself is very engaging because it's so alive. I found I genuinely cared about helping NPCs and such. In other MMOs I just thought NPCs were bloody lazy. In GW2 it feels like the genuinely need your help which is great for character building.