Why do silent protagonists still exist

[Revolsin]

Easily one of the most annoying tropes I've seen in JRPGs like Pokemon, DQ, Persona and RPGs in general.

Like it doesn't increase immersion at all, it just feels like I'm some mute that simply doesn't exist in any conversation. Dare say it's actually immersion -breaking- because our so called 'hero' doesn't contribute to anything.

The only situation it 'works' is stuff like Fallout NV where you get detailed responses and genuinely make your own character.

Otherwise though, developers please cut this trope off and build an actual character in its place instead.

 

[Sketchsanchez]

Muh immersion

 

[Nashira]

My understanding is that it's cheaper to produce and saves voice acting costs. Somehow it's a genre convention that survived the increase in budgets across the board

 

[theotherMittens]

Because they're awesome.

 

[Deleted member 35204]

People complaining about silent protagonists are more annoying than silent protagonists especially when they try to expose opinions as facts.

 

[Deleted member 33382]

Budgets. I'd rather suffer complete silence than deal with FO4s attempt at voicing a customisable protagonist.

 

[Dreamboum]

Because stories wants to focus on the secondary characters that orbits around the main character and are always more interesting.

 

[Lightning Lord]

Well... I can appreciate it. I happen to find it immersive, however. Some of my favorite games are Dragon Quest, Zelda, aand Persona, so perhaps I've just been conditioned to them growing up. I certainly wouldn't want to see it disappear.

 

[Staf]

Can't speak for JRPG but i vastly prefer them in WRPG (if done right).

 

[chipperrip]

Because of characters like the male freelancer voice actor in Anthem.


In general:

Nothing hurts good characterization like a bad VA.

 

[Diego Renault]

Because not every character needs to talk.
Because not every videogame needs to be a movie.

 

[Blade Wolf]

I personally prefer silent protagonist than some boring character that just won't shut the fuck up.

Because of characters like the male freelancer voice actor in Anthem.

Click to shrink...

Agreed. Everyone in that game needs to shut the fuck up.

 

[MilkBeard]

It's a style. That exists. Souls and Bloodborne have silent protags, for example. It fits a certain style.

Moving on.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

My understanding is that it's cheaper to produce and saves voice acting costs. Somehow it's a genre convention that survived the increase in budgets across the board

Click to shrink...

Getting dialogue from one voice actor is probably such a tiny cost compared to everything else that it's barely worth mentioning against game budgets at this point.

 

[Sgt. Demblant]

...

 

[Mendrox]

Why not both...like it's right now? It depends on your intentions and what game you are playing. Easy as that.

 

[Majukun]

because they are absolutely fine

 

[Zippo]

Because not every character needs to talk.
Because not every videogame needs to be a movie.

Click to shrink...

 

[Deleted member 10726]

Purely silent protagonists are kinda weird since you have this deep narrative forming around a hero who at best just nods.

Protagonists who just aren't voiced but you select which things to say don't really bother me too much since besides a lack of voice acting, they still speak with others in-universe.

 

[Deleted member 31873]

Maybe because... some people like silent protagonists?

 

[MarcelRguez]

I still don't understand how "immersion" became the be-all-end-all criterion used to evaluate games.

It's a stylistic choice, OP. For games with role-playing elements that don't feature dialogue choices (like Pokémon), a silent protagonist doesn't get in the way of players projecting themselves in the world of the game. For some, seeing the world through the eyes of a blank slate makes it easier to relate to it and its characters.

Besides that, different games benefit from different approaches. New Vegas is a much more dialogue-centered based than other games you mention. By definition, the Courier is not a silent protagonist.

 

[Mgs2master2]

Sometimes that is all that is needed. depends on game and context of it all.

 

[monmagman]

I think there is a place for voiced and non-voiced.
They gave Fallout 4 a voiced protaganist.....look how that worked out,lol.

 

[ridaxan]

Cost and laziness maybe? That has two be the two biggest factors I think.

 

[AgentLampshade]

To project a bit of your own personality into the avatar you play as. It has varying degrees of success.

 

[Deleted member 31092]

Do not disrespect my boy Link and my girl Female Pokémon Trainer like this OP, they are awesome.

 

[Nashira]

Getting dialogue from one voice actor is probably such a tiny cost compared to everything else that it's barely worth mentioning against game budgets at this point.

Click to shrink...

Main characters always have tons of dialogue, always the one with the most lines. They are definitely the most expensive character to voice

If game publishers can get away with it, they would like to cut costs. So here is a hole where it's okay to have a silent protagonist, so they run with it

 

[The Praiseworthy]

Yeah they have to go.. give me protagonists with personalities.

 

[Deleted member 32135]

Because sometimes it just works better. Earthbound games? Undertale recently? It allows for a bigger imapct of the world and the secondary characters.

 

[Ryuhza]

I generally prefer non-voiced characters when they're blank slates meant to be guided and designed by the player. Voiced if the character is an actual pre-established character with defined characteristics and the like. Sometimes I wish for the latter in place of the former, but I rarely ever wish for the former to be voiced. It really disengaged me from my protagonist in Fallout 4.

 

[danmaku]

It may be a style but I still haven't found a game with a silent protagonist that works. Even in Half Life it feels dumb (and it felt dumb even back then).

 

[Red Devil]

Spoiler

On serious note, it's probably because it's redundant. Generally in games that have relatively light plot (like most Zelda games) it's often unnecessary to see the hero react to situation that's already happening, so the developers just choose to keep that mouth shut so that the story can keep moving without stopping the player too long.

 

[Mercenary09]

Idk but it's very annoying especially when you do it in a game with a lot of story. Nothing takes me out of an experience faster than a NPC talking to me, asking questions, and my character never saying anything. Latest example being in Metro Exodus. It never works and just hurts your game so developers really need to stop doing it.

 

[oni-link]

I mean, I can understand not liking them, but do we really have to demand every single element of games are homogenised into a brown grey blur?

If a developer wants to use a silent protagonist and they think that best fits their game, then they should go with that

BOTW had a silent protagonist and did that hurt the game? No, it didn't. Would a wise cracking Link have made the game better? No, it would have been awful

This kind of thing is why we have threads like the one started by the guy who lost his mind after playing Neir because it had save points and no auto save

Not everything within the gaming sphere needs to be the same

 

[Wintermute]

i was watching someone play through metro on twitch, it was super bizarre how many scenes there are with people talking to artyom on the radio and him not responding and them just talking round it - further to that it was just kind of creepy how everyone greets him when he gets back to camp "oh artyom you're the best" "look it's artyom, oh artyom thank you you're amazing" and so on, all to a wall of silence.

it's deeply offputting.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

They are good in games like the Elder Scrolls where you have tons of dialogue but no voice.

I also like it in Doom. Doom guy has tons of personality even though he doesn't talk.

 

[Deleted member 1413]

Tradition.
Also a lot of games have you be by yourself and a protagonist talking to themselves is pretty bad

 

[King Dodongo]

I'd rather have silent protagonists than protagonists that constantly talk to themselves. but to each their own.

 

[ThreepQuest64]

Because "iMMeRsiOn" or the player is the hero something. I can't stand it. I need to bond with my character, for this, and to take him/her seriously, I need a voice and emotions (transported through voice if I can't see them because first person). I don't project myself, my own awareness and existence, into the character as I don't recreate my appearance in character editors. I control a stranger, a character like in a novel, or film, with the difference that I can create him how I want him to be (within certain boundaries). Choice of voice like in Saint's Row or Dragon Age Inquisition is awesome, but I get that this is big effort, even more so for RPGs. That's the reason why I'm still happy with just one voice. I just love to listen to good voice actors.

 

[fadedbones]

I personally prefer silent protagonist than some boring character that just won't shut the fuck up.

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I agree with this. Not every game pulls it off well. Chattery protags are an example, was looking forward to Dishonored 2 but compared to the first? Goodness shut up Corvo

 

[rochellepaws]

It's an interesting difference between players who like to self insert and those who like to roleplay. Some players like to see themselves as the main character and become frustrated when the protagonist isn't doing or saying the things they'd like, personally I'd rather roleplay as a well defined character every time and don't like the empty vessel characters either.

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

Self-insertion is a pretty big reason.

Silent protagonists are an absolutely viable creative choice. Has nothing to do with budget or technical limitations.

Just because you don't like it, doesn't make it a valid creative decision.

 

[Isayas]

Because they're awesome.

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This. I am sick and tired of gamers want everything to do what most games do. Leave it alone and play something else. I don't mind mutes at all. It would be awful that every character speaks it is a game.

 

[ket]

in the metro games it never made sense to have artyom be a silent protag during gameplay

 

[KillstealWolf]

Tradition.
Also a lot of games have you be by yourself and a protagonist talking to themselves is pretty bad

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This is generally why said games often have an Exposition Fairy to do the talking for them (See Navi, Tatl, the Ghost, Issun, Cappy, etc.) I don't know where people stand on them oftentimes people hate them due to them helping too much, that goes by on a game-by-game and character-by-character basis though (Midna and the King of Red Lions are often well liked, contrast that to someone like Fi for example).

I don't mind a silent protagonist... BUT only on the basis they have an "Actions speak louder than words" moment in the game, like everyone around them says it's a suicide mission to dive right in, and they dive right in despite that to save the day, specifically it has to be them making the call, If there is a "Are you sure you want to proceed?" Yes/No dialogue box at that point, I tend to like them less.

 

[Dr. Caroll]

There are complicated reasons the trope exists, and they differ between genres. The primary reason they exist in AAA games is pragmatism. Nobody can bitch and moan about the protagonist's vocal delivery or personality if they don't have one. It's a very unwise compromise. For some reason people love to forget that Half-Life was freaking NARRATIVELY DISINTEGRATING by the Episodes. They were having huge problems with Alyx turning into this vapid figure who fawns over the mute Gordon, and they were doing a terrible job of selling the blossoming romance between Alyx and Gordon because Gordon WASN'T A CHARACTER.

i was watching someone play through metro on twitch, it was super bizarre how many scenes there are with people talking to artyom on the radio and him not responding and them just talking round it - further to that it was just kind of creepy how everyone greets him when he gets back to camp "oh artyom you're the best" "look it's artyom, oh artyom thank you you're amazing" and so on, all to a wall of silence.

it's deeply offputting.

Click to shrink...

Homefront: The Revolution's silent protagonist was absolutely bizarre. That was three years ago. Deep Silver should have seen the problems with Metro, but for some reason they didn't step in. That's what makes Metro Exodus feel so wrongheaded. Homefront came out, everyone noticed that Ethan sitting there like a stunned mullet was incredibly bad for storytelling, and the DLC (including the one that's literally Metro but set in America) all feature a voiced protagonist. But for some reason Metro stuck to its stupid mute guns. It even has scenes extremely to Homefront's where you get threatened with torture and you say NOTHING.

because they are absolutely fine

Click to shrink...

Unless your videogame is trying to tell a story with any degree of moral/ethical/political nuance or character relationships of any kind. Then they're a disaster.

Also a lot of games have you be by yourself and a protagonist talking to themselves is pretty bad

Click to shrink...

Which is weird because talking to yourself is a fundamental human behavior. The more alone someone is, the more likely they are to talk to themselves on account of the problem where humans kinda go insane without anyone to talk to.

 

[Dreamboum]

ERA everytime they see a silent protagonist

 

[BassForever]

It's fine if it's done well like the Souls games, but when it feels like your character should talk but doesn't ala Persona 5 and DQ11 is hurts the immersion.

 

[Almagest]

I like voiced protags whose actions I can shape, like Commander Shepard.

Completely silent feels dead and unrealistic (unless you have many, many dialogue options that actually matter) and having their own personality and making all the decisions themselves creates a disconnect with me in an RPG.

 

[Acquiescence]

Agreed 100% with everything you've written OP. They're a relic of old-school game design and are thankfully becoming obsolete, but unfortunately still poke their head up every now and then. Currently playing through Dragon Quest XI, and it's a great game, but there are two major issues I have with it and that's the sub-standard music and the silent protagonist. A 100 hour plus JRPG filled with a cast of colourful, affable supporting characters, and yet the main character, the one dude you spend more time with than anybody else, is just a big beige-toned pile of nothingness. I'm quite a ways into my playthrough now, and there are cut-scenes appearing where characters pour their heart out to the Luminary (me), and he just stands there, without word or expression and barely reacting. As you'd expect, the emotional beats fall completely flat as a result.

People talk about silent protagonists and avatars being used as a means of 'self-insertion', but if you're not given the free will to do whatever it is you want to do, then how are you supposed to feel like you're inhabiting the main character? You aren't, it's just a shitty half measure that doesn't offer an interesting, full-fledged protagonist or the supposed immersion that comes with inserting yourself into the main role.