True emotional investment

[Shattered Dreamer]

I apologize in advance if this has been a topic before but a comment by Del Murder in another thread brought this thought to mind.

What gaming character, if any, did you all find you developed an actual emotional investment in? For me 2 characters come to mind, Solid Snake & John Marston.

[Jinx]

On Final Fantasy games where you get to name the character, I notice I definitely get more into the story if I've named them. I wouldn't call it emotional investment per say, it's just a lot more fun watching the names I chose, instead of stupid pre-rendered names.

[Hollycat]

Zack Fair. I nearly cried.
Unlike all the other final fantasy games where there are multiple protagonists with one obvious lead, Crisis Core focuses on one person over ten years of his life and how he grows and matures, maintains his bonds, and even to the end protects his honor. That is why Zack will always be my favorite character in any game.

[ReloadPsi]

I was really upset when I thought EVA was going to die in Metal Gear Solid 3, and I do nickname my Pokemon in Nuzlocke runs to create more of a "bond" with my party. Beyond that they're just playing pieces on a board to me and I don't really care for them.

[Pike]

What gaming character, if any, did you all find you developed an actual emotional investment in?

My pokemon.

Not even kidding.

I get attached to them like I would to real pets.

[Jiro]

I get attached to characters a lot easier than I imagine most of you do. Listing examples would be a fool's errand. But then you always get characters who you are meant to like and don't.

[Hollycat]

What gaming character, if any, did you all find you developed an actual emotional investment in?

My pokemon.

Not even kidding.

I get attached to them like I would to real pets.

I only get that way with the cute ones or ones I personally evolved over hundreds of battles. I give them back stories.

[ReloadPsi]

What gaming character, if any, did you all find you developed an actual emotional investment in?

My pokemon.

Not even kidding.

I get attached to them like I would to real pets.

I only get that way with the cute ones or ones I personally evolved over hundreds of battles. I give them back stories.

Both of you. Nuzlocke run. Now.

[Hollycat]

I always play nuzlocke. Except with eevee evolutions.

[Pike]

I'm too out of step with Pokemon for that. Last Pokemon game I played was Emerald, and I didn't finish it.

[Sephex]

I really got attached to the cast of FFIV, FFVI, and Chrono Trigger when I was a kid/early teens. As an adult, most of the cast from Metal Gear Solid would be a pretty normal example.

[Del Murder]

John Marston for me too. He was a very well developed character and since you see this great open world through his eyes it is easy to become attached.

I also had a strong connection with Crono from Chrono Trigger. Even though he doesn't talk, you do become engrossed from his story, from the very beginning when he wakes up in his mom's house. I really identified with him, probably because I'd love to go on an adventure through time.

[Madame Adequate]

The ships I design in any 4X that lets you design ships.

[Del Murder]

Oh! MILF's answer reminds me of my city I made in SimCity 2000. I made Gotham City and it was awesome. It had Wayne Manor, Joker's Hideout, Penguin's Museum and many other things. I loved that city so much that I turned off all disasters so that it would never be destroyed.

[edczxcvbnm]

I don't get emotionally invested in games. Sure, I think Marston is a great character and I wanted to follow his adventure but that is where it stays. Interest as an omnipotent diety over his world. I know not what comes next but he is but a puppet that dives over a cliff at my whim...which lead to a hilarious crash when I did that with a horse.

I will ponder motivations, the cause/effect relationships and the meaning/messeage that this all contains. Marston pretty much got what was coming to him. He tried to change but you can't change your past and eventually it will catch up with you. It was just the end of his story and I only knew a sliver of it which isn't nearly enough to get me emotionally invested.

About the only emotion I display in a game is frustration but I get frustrated by other assholes on the road so take that for what its worth. In all fairness, it is mostly frustration at the people behind the game rather than the game itself so I guess that is still outside of the game. Stuff like "I can't believe they just did that. THat makes no smurfing sense. He had no reason to do that! You could have accomplished the same thing and stayed in character with blah blah blah! troutty writers!"