10 Gaming Cliches You Couldn't Live Without
7. The Silent Protagonist
The Cliche: The protagonist who doesn't speak a single word throughout the game, largely because the developers lacked the time, money or sheer inclination to work it in.
Half-Life's Gordon Freeman is by far the most iconic silent protagonist, though there's also Grand Theft Auto III's Claude and Doom's Doom Guy among countless others.
Why It's Awesome: When it's done right, a silent protagonist can actually enhance a character's intrigue and mystique, case in point being that it makes the three aforementioned characters seem far more like no-nonsense bada**es who don't have time for idle chit-chat.
This can also force developers to cut down on expository dialogue between the player and NPCs, because a five-minute, one-way monologue from NPC to player would just come off as awkward.
And finally, so much video game voice acting is so terrible that this is often just a basic mercy. The famous adage goes, "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."