作者：Alice Rendell

在过去一年多时间里关于游戏中缺少女主角的争议越来越激烈，尽管这并不是关于角色设计的唯一争论焦点。当我们着眼于排行榜上大多数主流游戏，它们大多都具有类似的外观和行为。当我在8年前开始研究游戏设计时，我记得曾与讲师和同学就游戏角色的话题展开讨论。那时候我们真的迫切需要“不再有更多相似的内容”，我们也强烈鼓励不要重复呈现我们在过去几年里一直看到的一些经典角色（游戏邦注：如忍者，陆战队员等等），而是专注于一些有趣，真实且“可靠的”角色。每个人都带有缺陷且绝非完美。角色应该也能呈现出一般人的特质。

虽然5年过去了，但是该话题仍然存在，尽管最近出现了一些新面孔—-如来自《行尸走肉》的Lee和来自《最后生还者》的Ellie，但是游戏主角的外观和行为似乎仍未出现过多变化。我们仍然拥有许多挥舞着刀，抢等武器的过度男性化的英雄角色。同样地，缺少可靠的女性主角仍然备受争议，即大量过时的美女仍然主导着游戏市场。通常情况下能够同时代表男性和女性的角色非常少见，带有不同种族，性别和文化的角色要么就是非常老套，要么就根本不存在。这便引起了一个问题，即这是否真的是玩家想看到的？或者我们只是长久地用类似的内容去满足他们，创造某种形式的消费者/创造者角色循环。

我们想要的是什么？

艺术和媒体中完美人体标本的代表并未针对游戏，这甚至不是一个新问题。就像在古希腊，人们会制作代表上帝和女神的雕塑，呈现其神圣的容貌和天体，或者代表外在完美的运动员。不管怎样他们这么做都是为了表示对于美的追求。这与我们现在所创造的游戏角色没有太大区别。17世纪的达芬奇也以此描绘出了《Vitruvian Man》，这是一张呈现一个非常完美且五官对称（几乎是所有人类的外观典范）的人的杰作。

我们不能忘记世界上的大多数宗教都将一个理想的人型对象奉为“崇拜物”，并询问他们如何达到完美。这种行为已经渗透到我们的社会，发展和潜意识中了。我们总是会受到“美”的吸引。我们会将运动员当成偶像是因为他们很强壮，能够帮助我们活下来。我们之所以崇拜英雄也是因为他们给了我们生存的意义。

实际上为了做好一切，西方社会正朝着完美的市场营销进军。如今，你不仅需要拥有完美的体格/发型/牙齿等等，你还需要拥有完美的工作/汽车/房子/对象/孩子，而我累死累活的也只是为了能够出现在少数合格人员名单之中。如果从这一角度来看，这种对于完美的追求似乎过分放纵了，但这却深深融入各种发展中，如完美再现，生活在社会运行的环境中以及普通的生存本能。所以游戏是真的采取不同的方式还是它们可以去模仿这种对于完美的潜意识追求？如果这是游戏需要是不同的原因，难道完美不应该只是提供给公众他们想要的内容？对此我的回答是：不，我们不应该这么做。也许存在一切对于缺陷的潜在的固有渴望，但我不认为你将找到许多否定广告业正在伤害人们（我们马上就能联想到带有身体问题的青少年少女们）的人、只是因为人们可能下意识地想要看到完美的呈现并不意味着这真的就对他们有帮助，而我们就该去迎合他们。我们不能忘记有时候在产业中游戏玩家比以往任何时候更加多样化，而我们应该抓住机遇与他们一起发展。毕竟随着时间的变化雕塑也会发生改变，即从古希腊的美少年变成绝妙的贾科梅蒂的雕塑，所以没有任何理由能够解释为何电子游戏不能源自它们的古希腊时期。

水管工人要去哪里？

但是所有的这些完美角色样本是在什么时候真正出现的？一些最早且最具有标志性的电子游戏角色并不是你们所谓的完美的象征。如果换做在今天我们是否还能创造出马里奥这样的角色？我真的未曾看到一位发行商会说“嘿，这里有一个穿着工装裤，吃着许多蘑菇的肥胖的意大利水管工”—-“棒极了，我敢保证前方肯定有大量的利益等着我们。”实际上，许多早前的电子游戏角色将我们引向了一些较为奇怪但却很新颖的角色。不管是《大金刚》，《蚯蚓战士》，《马里奥》还是《猴岛故事》，创造性的角色设计总是更具风险但却也更加有趣。但是面对着3D时代所带来的图像成就，开发者们都开始追求更逼真的游戏，而独特的角色似乎也逐渐消失在我们眼前。一些较无趣且柔和的角色取代了有趣，多彩且较为古怪的角色，并逐渐成为了独立角色的特征。角色变成了一些更加田园风的英雄，即带有上帝般能力的形象。Chad Concelmo的一篇文章描述了电子游戏中的现代面孔是如何变成带有棕色头发和胡须的白人。他这么写道：“我只是疑惑为什么在今天的主角中已不存在多样性了。没有谴责。没有戏剧化的结果。我很好奇为何在几乎每一款主要的现代行动/冒险游戏中的主角都具有差不多相同的外观！”

现在，尽管Concelmo主要专注于这些角色的外观，但同样的情况也可能出现在他们的个性中，即经常出现的是一些阴沉，且极端劳累的形象。《神秘海域》的Nathan Drake和《最后生还者》的Joel等伴随着个性的角色不再只是进行执行各种跳跃等行动。这与18，19世纪的标志性游戏角色具有很大的区别，似乎游戏想要变得更具有视觉现实性。

转变

从一个全面视角批评了电子游戏角色后，我必须强调并称赞那些取得进步，特别是在过去一年时间里有所发展的角色。最近来自Telltale Games的《行尸走肉》便拥有许多有趣且现实的角色。不仅主角Lee不再是个普遍的白人，他还拥有一份正常人所具有的教职工作。他的伙伴Clementine也被描述为一个脆弱的女性，但绝不是一个到处惹是生非的坏小孩。这留给这两个角色更多的成长空间（伴随着故事的发展），而不是让他们在一开始就非常强大。

The Walking Dead(from gamasutra)

来自最新的《古墓丽影》的Lara Croft也因为具有弱点和现实性的描述得到了赞许。她在武器运用的变化不只是对于玩家的一种情感旅程，同时也让我们真正感受到自己的贡献，因为当我们在前面两个章节遇到Lara时，她就像一个真实般的人物似得。脆弱，迷茫且会受到惊吓。

去年最畅销的一款游戏《最后生还者》不仅具有非常棒的故事，同时也具有很优秀的角色。其主角Joel尽管是一个长着棕色头发的白人，但却不再是我们所熟识的群体领袖般的英雄。当我们看到他失去女儿时，我们看到了他的脆弱，而当他与Ellie一起展开旅程时，我们看到了他的温柔与友爱的一面。伴随着这些内容以及在某些章节中Ellie的出现并见证着她经历了同样的脆弱性，以及一些勇敢的行为，我们能够感受到游戏的主角更具真实性，并且角色间的关系也更加可信。

Joel and Ellie(from gamasutra)

这些角色类型都很棒，并且不仅变成了更加深刻且全面的角色，同时也更加配合故事的发展。但尽管这些进步是处于正确的方向，但这并非一次巨大的飞跃。从身体上看他们仍然是强大，吸引人且外观好看的角色。他们大多还是白人，尽管在《行尸走肉》中的主角并非如此。我们仍需要采取更多的改变。如果Joel只拥有半边手臂的话Joel和Ellie的故事会变成怎样？如果Nathan Drake虽然还是个聪明有魅力的形象，但却缺少了吸引力会怎样？如果Lara在《古墓丽影》中是个肥胖的形象并被迫经历类似的惨痛遭遇，不过没有了一开始健壮的体格会怎样？这些都是今天的开发者未曾尝试的角色设计风险，而我真的认为他们应该想办法尝试看看。

结论

在某种情况下也许这些群体领袖般的英雄和强壮的少女能够满足人们的需求，但也就只是这样了。如今的游戏玩家变得更加多样化，我们必须面向的是大部分玩家而不是少数群体。尽管上述的例子呈现的是一些更有趣的现代角色，但可能并未将更多玩家考虑在内。非白人主角几乎是不存在的。同性恋和变性人也很少。甚至在游戏中很少出现长者的形象，除非是作为帮助其他角色而存在。在今后几年里我希望像《回家》和《Papers Please》等最近的游戏（真正呈现出了“少数的”角色）所掀起的涟漪能够进一步扩散而变成世界性的AAA级开发，我们也能够因此看到更加有趣且可靠的角色。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转功，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

The Perfect Game Character

by Alice Rendell

Over the last year or so the debate over the lack of female protagonists in games has been an increasingly present one and although fair it is not the only battle regarding character design that should be fought. As we look across the board of most mainstream games the step from one game lead to the next is not so far, with many either looking or behaving similarly. When I began studying game design 8 years ago I remember debating game characters with my lecturers and peers. At the time there was a real cry for “no more of the same” and we were strongly encouraged to not just regurgitate the typical game characters we have been seeing for years (like ninjas, space marines etc.) and focus on interesting, real and “relatable” characters. People with flaws and imperfections that exist in everyone. Characters that represented the average joe and the slightly alternative and non-majority joe too.

5 years on and the topic is still a valid one despite the recent addition of some absolute gems – such as Lee from The Walking Dead and Ellie from The Last of Us – main game protagonists seem to look and act the same as most of the others out there. We still have an abundance of overly alpha-male action heroes wielding swords, guns or *insert massively overcompensating weapon here*. Similarly the lack of credible female protagonists is still a valid debate with a large number of damsels, uber-action chicks or plain old fashioned big-busted beauties still dominating the market. In general the representation of both male and female characters is limited, and characters with diverse ethnicities, sexuality and culture are either heavily stereotyped or non-existent. Which leads us to the question, is this actually what the players want? Or have we just been feeding them the same thing for so long that they have just accepted it, creating some sort of consumer/creator character loop.

What do we want?

The representation of the perfect human specimen in art and media is not specific to games and is not even a new issue. Back in Ancient Greece the citizens would make wonderful sculptures which either represented gods and goddesses with their divine features and heavenly bodies, or athletes that represented the peak of physical perfection. Either way they were displaying beauty, perfection and idolism as a goal to aspire to. Not very far away from what we do now with game characters. This was enforced later in the 1600s with Leonardo Da Vinci’s representation of the Vitruvian Man, a diagram displaying the symmetry and perfection of man almost as a blueprint for all human beings.

And let’s not forget that most religions all over the world hold up an “idol” as the idealistic representation of human beings and ask them to strive towards that perfection. It is built into our social, evolutionary and subconscious being! We are attracted to the “beautiful” on an assumption of healthy merging of DNA for pro-creation. We idolise the athletic because they are the strong hunter gatherers who help us survive. We aspire to be the heroes because it gives meaning to our existence.

In fact western society is geared towards marketing perfection in terms of… well everything. These days not only do you have to have the perfect body/hair/teeth etc. but you also have to have the perfect job/car/house/partner/kids and I am exhausting myself just listing the main few. This strive for perfection when looked at from this perspective can seem a bit over-indulgent but it is imbedded with all sorts of evolutionary undertones such as perfect reproduction, living in socially functioning environments and just plain old survival instincts. So are games really doing anything different or are they just mimicking this subconscious desire for perfection which is innate in most humans beings? And if this is the case why should games be different, shouldn’t we just give the public what they want? My short answer to this is; no we shouldn’t. Maybe there is some underlying, primitive desire for flawlessness but I don’t think you will find many people who disagree that the advertising business is actively harming people (young teenage girls with body issues springs to mind). Just because people may subconsciously want to see perfection doesn’t mean it is actually good for them and that we should pander to it. And let’s not forget that we are at a time in the industry where game players are more diverse than ever before and we should take the opportunity to evolve with them. Sculpture has, after all, evolved over the years from athletic greek adonises to weird and wonderful Giacometti statues and there is no reason why video games can’t come out of their Greek period.

Where did the plumber go?

But when did all these perfect character specimens actually start happening? Some of the oldest and most iconic video game characters are not exactly what you would call the epitome of perfection. Would Mario even have got made today? I genuinely can’t see a publisher saying “hey here is a fat Italian plumber dressed in dungarees who eats copious amounts of mushrooms” – “awesome I have no doubts we’re in for a bucket load of cash”. In fact many early video game characters led us to some brilliant, wacky and original characters. From Donkey Kong to Earthworm Jim and Mario to (one of my personal favourites) Guybrush Threepwood, the creativity of character design was more intended and risky and ultimately more interesting. But as the graphical accomplishments brought in the era of 3D, the race for the best photo realistic games became a competition in it’s own right and the pool of unique characters seemed to diminish. Fun, colourful and slightly quirky characters got replaced with less interesting and muted ones, which in turn became more and more like what was already out there and individual character traits and quirks got lost in the masses. Characters became more idyllic heroes, perfect athletic specimens with god-like powers. This article by Chad Concelmo describes how the modern face of video games seems to be white, male with brown hair and stubble. He states:
“…I am just here to wonder aloud why there isn’t more diversity in the main characters of today. No accusations. No dramatic conclusions. I am just genuinely curious why almost every main character in every major modern action/adventure release has to look EXACTLY THE SAME!”

Now although Concelmo focuses primarily on how these characters look it can be argued that the same applies to their personalities which are often shades of the same traits, with surly and brooding often making an appearance, along with tortured and burdened. Even Uncharted’s Nathan Drake and Joel from The Last of Us, who are credited with being characters with personality still only take a small shuffle forward from the rest of the pack rather than a substantial bound and leap. This is quite a shift from the iconic game characters of the eighties and nineties and it seems that in an attempt for games to become more more visually realistic, we lost the realism portrayed both visually and innately in people.

The shift

Having criticised video game characters from a generalised point of view I have to highlight and give credit to the ones that are making steps, particularly in the last year or so. The recent Walking Dead by Telltale Games has an abundance of interesting and realistic characters. Not only is the main character Lee not a generic white male, but he (once) had a normal-person’s teaching job. His sidekick Clementine is equally as interesting being portrayed as a vulnerable young girl who is in no way a super-badass kid. This gives both characters much more room to grow as the story progresses than if they had both started out powerful.

The remodelled Lara Croft from the latest Tomb Raider installment has been praised for her vulnerable and realistic portrayal as a “normal” person and I am very much inclined to agree. Her metamorphosis from weapon wielding badass was not only an emotional journey for the player but was one where we felt like we truly contributed, all because when we meet Lara in those first two chapters she behaved like a real person. Vulnerable, confused and terrified.

One of the best selling games of last year, The Last of Us, was highlighted as not only being a brilliant game and story, but for having strong characters as well. The lead, Joel, despite being another stubbly brown-haired white male, was not your average alpha male hero. We were shown his vulnerability immediately when we witnessed the loss of his daughter and then travelled his journey with Ellie to watch him soften and love again. With this and the addition of being able to play as Ellie in some chapters and watch her go through similar vulnerability, teamed with acts of bravery, made the game’s main characters feel more real and their relationship was more believable.

These types of characters are great and are definitely making steps forward for not only deep and well rounded characters, but also for narrative in general. But even though these steps are in the right direction it hasn’t been a huge a leap. They are still physically strong, attractive, beautiful characters. They are still predominantly white even in The Walking Dead where the main character is not. There are still further steps we can take. What would Joel and Ellie’s story have been like if Joel only had half an arm? What if Nathan Drake was still as athletic, clever and charming as he is now but much less attractive? What if Lara was (dare I say it) fat in the last Tomb Raider and forced to contend with the same traumatic experience but without that athletic head start? These are the types of risks in character design that are not being taken today and I strongly feel should be.

Conclusion

At one point maybe these alpha males and turbo girls were fulfilling a need but not any more. The players of games today are as diverse as ever and we must represent, not the minority, but the actuality of players. Even though the above examples show some more interesting modern day characters many players are still not being represented. Non-white lead characters are almost non-existent. Gay, lesbian and transgender even less so. Even the elderly are almost never included in games unless it is to come out with some old wise tale to help the character on his way. What I hope happens over the next few years is that the ripples made from recent games like Gone Home and Papers Please – who really do represent “minority” characters – will spread from their indie corners into the world of AAA development and we will start to see even more interesting and relatable characters.(source:gamasutra)