From the viewpoint of the entertainment industry, video games used to be nothing more distractions. Interactive computer programs for nerds and kids. But over time, they gained legitimacy. We may take offense at Ebert saying the video games are not art. But think about it for a minute. The very fact that the debate is happening is an indication that the obsession of me and every other TAG member is a force to be reckoned with in mainstream entertainment. Video games are becoming an art form as powerful as motion pictures. They can tell powerful stories and can communicate with an audience the way no movie ever could. There are several aspects of video games that allow them to reach a new level of depth and immersion in storytelling.

The first aspect that comes to mind is the design choice writers and developers make with regard to the presentation of the protagonist.

According to Webster, a protagonist is the principal character in a literary work. The experience of the protagonist is the vehicle through which the environment is explained and experienced. I would argue that the protagonist in a video game is unique. In a video game, the player controls the protagonist and therefore to some extent controls the story and experiences in the environment of the story. The developer must make design choices that determine how much control the player has over the story and environment. The easiest way to explain some of these choices is through examples.

Mass Effect

In the Mass Effect universe, the player is given a significant amount of control over the protagonist. The idea is to immerse the player in the story by giving him or her the ability to customize the experience of the protagonist within certain limits.  The player can customize the appearance of the protagonist, and while the actual mission structure within levels of the game is fairly straight forward, the player can choose how the protagonist treats other characters and reacts to situations in the game. There are also key moments in which the player can make the protagonist make choices that have a permanent affect on the story by choosing to let certain characters live or die.

Red Dead Redemption

This is possibly the most interesting example. The player has free reign in the game world. The player can shoot, stab, lasso, and beat up anyone they see in the game. This gives the player full control of their behavior. This stands in stark contrast to the dialog and cut scenes in the story, which are not in the players control at all. This creates a somewhat disjointed experience in which the behavior of the protagonist in the cut scenes can be the complete opposite of the way that the player has chosen to play the game. When the player enters into a mission however, certain rules of behavior and morality are enforced that make the character behave more inline with the protagonist as presented in  the cut scenes.

Gears of War

We look at  GOW to analyze the idea of an expressive protagonist. Marcus and Dom have constant dialog throughout the game. Their personalities are completely determined by the developer. The protagonist is who he is and the player is left to decide whether he likes the protagonist. The player has no options to customize the experience and no real choices to make or influence over the course of major events. The goal is just to survive the story.This creates a feeling of controlling the protagonist as the events in the game transpire rather than a feeling of playing the role of the protagonist. This can be an advantage if the player likes the personality of the protagonist, and a flaw if the player cannot relate to the protagonist.

Halo

Halo features the (nearly) silent protagonist. Master Chief is a protagonist of few words. It is interesting to contrast this example with the example of GOW, because the style of game play is much the same. There are no options to customize the experience and no decisions to be made that affect the outcome of the story. The goal is still to survive the story. However, the decision to make the protagonist mostly silent leaves it to the player to create the personality of the protagonist and even assume the role themselves (in the gamers mind) if they choose. This can either frustrate players because they do not get to truly know the protagonist they are controlling in the game, or make them feel empowered as they assume the role themselves and fill in the silence of the protagonist.