Theme-y Thursdays: Love and Companionship

Since last Thursday's theme surrounded isolation in games, today I am going to be talking about the polar opposite: love and companionship. While it is a great feat to be able to create a balanced main character, what truly makes a world come to life are the memorable companions and personable non-playable characters (NPCs) you interact with. Many great characters and personalities are easily overlooked, but if they are bad than everyone notices.

Image Credit: AlexVan

NPCs have been described as notoriously boring and flat, a direct reflection of how real interactions feel when dealing with cashiers, salespersons or strangers. Yet, even the lowest character can become personable if written correctly. Just as, in the real world, you shoot an understanding glance towards the overworked and underpaid cashier, all it takes is a momentary glimpse of shared humanity for there to be an emotional connection that lasts far longer.

In a world where you, as the main character, are always upon the center stage, the small interactions with other characters whose existence is entirely scripted gives you that sense of freedom that your "9 to 5" cannot. There are a lot of things that you can experience by speaking to those NPCs, even if it is just that one recycled line you have heard a dozen times. Imagining a level of normality within your game that you do not get to experience as you do amazing things is always humbling.

However, NPCs and actual companions are entirely different. While one type of character can lurk within the background with little to no backstory or personality, a companion in the same boat will immediately become hated by the player. 

Even though they are not in the spotlight, great sidekicks can become just as well-known to a franchise as the main character. While Mario is extremely popular, seeing him within a game without Luigi, Yoshi or Peach just feels wrong. This is because we connect with these characters as much as we invest ourselves within the lead role, picking favorites without a second thought.

Creating an emotional connection with fictional characters is just another side effect of becoming invested within the story and experience. Just as we cry during movies or throw books across the room in a blind rage, staring in shock at a cut scene when your companion sacrifices themselves for you just shows how truly good storytelling can have a lasting impact on your emotions. At this point, these creators know just what it takes to reel us in as consumers of their wonderful products.

Now, I want to hear what you guys think about this topic. Who are your favorite NPCs or companions? Have you ever reloaded a previous save just to see if you can keep that companion alive, because you don't want to go the rest of the game without their cheesy commentary? I always find myself liking secondary characters much more than the main characters I play, which may just be a personal preference.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and thanks so much for reading.

SS