10 Golden Commandments All RPG Games Should Follow

10. Give Us A Protagonist We Want To Spend Time With

RPG's are typically not short games: I don't believe I've spent less than 25 hours playing any RPG to completion anytime in the last decade. So in asking a gamer to dedicate this much time to their game, it is essential that the designers and writers create a protagonist that the player will enjoy spending this time with. One word can be used to describe a sure fire way to make this happen: charisma. The example of Commander Shepard in Bioware's Mass Effect series is one of the shining examples of this in recent times. Whether you choose to play as a male or female, and whether you play the game as a full on Paragon (good) or Renegade (evil), Commander Shepard is so well-written and well-developed, that guiding him/her through that universe is always a pleasure. You will cheer for Shepard when he/she is recovering medicine for sick refugees as much as you will when he/she punches a news reporter out cold. Shepard is a true hero, and even when he/she is deciding between the fates of entire civilizations, Shepard is a character that you will stand behind no matter what. This is someone you want to spend time with. Even if the game doesn't give you a charismatic hero, giving that protagonist an identifiable plight is an effective way to get the gamer the behind the protagonist early on. Final Fantasy IV, a sprite-based Super Famicom game that released long before the days of voice acting and detailed facial animations, brilliantly sets this up and remains a fine example in drawing the gamer in to the character's plight. During the game's opening sequence, Cecil, Commander of the Red Wings and the game's main character, violently steals a crystal that a group of innocent villagers were protecting. As he leaves with the crystal, he pauses, lowers his head for a few seconds, then picks it up and keeps moving. He is morally conflicted about the actions he's being forced to commit, and it is this conflict that drives his quest for the remainder of the game. It is a situation almost everyone can relate to on a human level, and we want to help Cecil break free of these chains that bind him. Bethesda's Fallout 3 also does a great job with this. Despite playing as a character-created protagonist that never speaks, the gamer relates to Fallout 3's character because of the father-child relationship that is established as the game begins. Your father is there at your birth, he's there when you take your first steps, and he's there at your birthday parties. So when he goes missing once you become a young adult, you want to go out there into that broken world and find him. Even as you get distracted by many subplots taking place around post-apocalyptic Washington DC, the true reason you are out there is never forgotten. Party-based RPG's have it a bit easier, as even if the protagonist isn't the most likable character, he/she can usually be redeemed if the supporting cast is strong enough to carry the weight. Tidus, the protagonist of Final Fantasy X and arguably one of the most annoying characters in video game history, is ably supported by some of the finest supporting characters the series has seen. And even the wooden, emotionless Grey Warden of Dragon Age: Origins was made to look good by the game's brilliantly-written and diverse cast. But whether we are playing as a single character or as a character leading a party, making these characters ones that we enjoy being around is crucial. It often makes the difference between the game feeling like an epic, memorable journey to somewhere special, and long slog that can feel like work.