The elements of Game Design, Story and Character

I think it’s not enough to just give any character a name, dress sense and accent like many older games. Films create a story about the protagonist prior to the scenes, so it feels that they have had a past, and have actually lived before you meet them on camera. This makes characters appear more believable, therefore the viewer is far more likely to interact and identify with them. This is a key factor of successful movies, books and games. The character also has to have a likeable element for the audience to respond positively to their actions. This even applies to villains or anti-heroes if they are the narrative character. Even if they commit crimes, the storyline or history usually justifies the characters’ decisions. For example, the popular series Grand Theft Auto features criminals as the main characters. However, in Vice City, this can be linked to Tommy’s desperation to recover money for a more hateful character, as his life is at stake. This kind of emotion used in films shows a weakness in the tough exterior, indicating that they are only human (or equivalent), so the audience can sympathise with them once again. In films, these natural human emotions and actions can be broadcast in a number of ways, such as using flashbacks to hint at their past hardships or to trigger the audience’s own experiences. There must be parts of the script that allows the actor to show these points; else the character will come across as a lot colder and harder to emote with.
Also, the character needs to have some visual clues about them that makes the audience react to them in the intended way. A good character needs to appear safe and trustworthy by what they wear, their friendly demeanour and such, whereas an enemy should appear aggressive physically and verbally. For example, Training Day featured two police officers, but it is clear who is corrupt and villainous by their language and aggressive approach to other people.
I personally am drawn in by exciting plots that reveal the protagonist’s true colours, some that have been concealed by other unsuspecting characters. This usually allows me to become more intimate with their thoughts and reasoning for their actions. A good example of this is Sin City, where the character narrates their thoughts in their head, away from the ears of others. For example, this lets me actually understand the protagonist’s [Bruce Willis] reasons for how they are in the film, whereas the girl [Jessica Alba] is confused and unaware of why he is so distant to her.