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One of the most important parts of any game is its protagonist, and the creator ofDragon Questunderstands this, as he has recently made a comment regarding the current state of the game’s protagonists and how they will soon need to change or disappear forever.
His main thought on this topic is that silent game protagonists are a dying breed due to video game graphics improving constantly throughout the years to the point they are too realistic for a silent protagonist to fit in, and sadly, he may be onto something.
Protagonists That Don’t Talk Seem to Be a Thing of the Past, According to Dragon Quest’s Creator
In the past, developers have decided to use silent protagonists in their games so that players can place themselves in the role of the hero and insert their own emotions into the words they read on the screen.
But now that games have better graphics, it is becoming harder to have a silent protagonist, as it looks rather strange to have an incredibly detailed character stand there with no reaction or emotion, and a simple text box beneath them.
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There are some games that can pull this off, with some small moments of speech from the protagonist, but it seems that this could be a thing of the past, as Yuji Horii, the creator ofDragon Quest, has commented on this topic, and he believes that due to graphics becoming more realistic, it just looks strange to see the main character standing there doing nothing, as “they will look like an idiot.”
According to anexcerpt, Horii talks about this issue and explains that there is now an unexpected challenge when creating games due to graphics improving constantly.
Why Are Silent Protagonists So Popular in the Gaming Industry?
Back when gaming first began all those years ago, developers felt that having a silent protagonist would allow players to fill the role of the hero a lot easier, but now with 3D graphics rather than 2D, it is becoming increasingly harder to make that a reality.
Since the entire point of gaming is to allow players to take on the role of the character they are playing, it would make sense to create a quiet character in which players can take on the role to the fullest.
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This has always been to provide a full sense of immersion to the player as they fully immerse themselves in the world and the character they are playing as.
In the firstfew major installments ofDragon Quest, characters were displayed as sprites and didn’t have facial expressions, making it easier to immerse yourself in the game you were playing. But now that we can see every freckle on a character’s face, it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue this practice of game development.
What do you think about the tradition of using a silent protagonist? Do you agree with Yuji Horii that silent protagonists are a thing of the past? Let us know in the comments!
Liam Magee
Gaming Writer/Editor
Articles Published :534
Liam is a writer who loves to spend his time gaming, streaming, playing board games, and just talking about games in general. He will play pretty much any game you put in front of him, but he absolutely loves soul-like games the most, or anything story-driven.
