Elements of Game Design Part 3
Think of the characters you've
encountered in books, TV and in films. What are your feelings towards
them?
Depending on the role and genre a well
portrayed character can make you respond in any number of ways. In the series
of book ‘The Mistborn
trilogy’ By Brandon
Sanderson
the main protagonist is a girl called Vin, now in the first instalment she
is described in depth as shy, alone, and terrified, she is within an inner
circle of a thieving gangs, and is used for bait while the crews make the
robberies, she is brutally beaten by the leader to keep her from leaving.
Within the first few chapters the
emotions brought up for Vin are incredible strong feelings of pity and sadness
towards her, the idea of a young girl being beaten near death just to keep her
in line is a disturbing thought.
However, on a lighter note, the main
protagonist in the popular sci-fi TV show Stargate SG-1,
Jack O'Neill produces a very different set of emotions.
In most episodes the Lieutenant
instils a likeability, you feel inclined to prefer him over other characters.
Other emotions include is humour, the whimsical styling's of the character
along side his individual personality provide a contrast from other character
as he pokes fun in situations.
As films go, Dr. Alan
Grant from Jurassic park evokes much more serious body language making the
viewer look at him as an almost
authoritative figure,
you would listen to what he has to say. As the story progresses and the tension
rises when the dinosaurs escape feelings of dread and fear creep in.
What techniques do you think are
being used to make you respond to these characters?
In books, I think it’s the level of
focus, where the levels of description lie in a passage of a book determine the
emotions a reader will feel.
In TV and films alike the emotions rely
much more on the performance by the actor, their facial and body movement alone
can provide enough information to gauge the scene and create distinctive
emotional palettes.
However external factors such as shots
that display dangers that the character has not yet notices but the viewer can
see also evoke powerful emotions.
How much is dependant on the
script? The acting? The appearance?
That depends entirely on the medium.
In TV and films it can be much less, it
all depends on what the actors can bring to the able in bringing the individual
roles to life within the scenes.
As previously mentioned their body
language can provide powerful emotional triggers for the viewer.
For books however the power and influence
of the actor depends on the writer and publisher, the emotional must be
conveyed differently though description to obtain the same results.
What sort of stories do you find
completely irresistible? Why?
In my opinion stories that can keep my
entertained over long periods have to have characters that the viewer will get
emotional attached to, will yearn for more from their favourites, and plot that
viewers can really get involved in, they can really delve
into that universe and feel like they actually know the character
personalities.
Personal recollection.
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