Most likely the first time you picked up a controller you played a hero. The first game plots were mostly hinged on a simple good vs evil, no complexities, just a simple "This is who you are, go beat the bad guys" affair. Plumber, Knight, Hedgehog, it didn't matter what shape they took - once narratives appeared in games, the heroes emerged. Usually they were brightly coloured lone wolves, easy to recognise on the early game systems as they stomped, stabbed or ate their way to the end of the game, and most of the time you filled in the personality with whatever basic information you were provided with. Nowadays the heroes are more alive than ever, with added depths, complexities and backstories they never had in those early days. From the fan-favourites like Mario and Sonic who are still finding new fans, through into three dimensional classics like the Master Chief or Lara Croft, right up to new emerging heroes like Joel from The Last Of Us, they are now more defined, more vibrant and brimming with life. Thanks to technologies like motion capture and voice acting, it's helped add layers that were impossible in those early days, ensuring they're still thwarting danger as they always have.
