I've been thinking about protagonists in games and how they are almost always young at least under the age of 40. I think I know why that is, but I wonder if the game playing audience would be willing to step out of their comfort zone and play as an older person? Men already have no trouble playing females so playing as something other than yourself shouldn't be a problem right? Are we so afraid of old age or biased against older people that we wouldn't even consider it? I think it could open up new unique pathos in game characters and serve to fill a severely underrepresentd group in gaming.
I can't think of any game that has put old people on the forefront other than MGS4. It even ends with two old people beating the shit out of eachother. MGS4 sports the most old people.
IMO, what matters is that if the protagonist has depth and/or central significance. I think the closest matches I have played besides Old Snake would have been John Marston (38), Sam Fisher and Kane from Kane & Lynch (old enough). With Max Payne 3 coming, another might be added.
Between MGS 4 and Splinter Cell I'm noticing a discrimination against the elderly. The big game companies are trying to trick you into thinking the elderly are sneaky people who will stab you or break your neck if you let them. That's ageist! The elderly can star in a bravado-filled shooter extravaganza too, you know...
MGS4 is a start, but I was more thinking of an actual elderly person.
@FluxWaveZ:
Nier wasn't old. he was maybe 40.
I'm thinking of someone who has seen the world, had some grandchildren, is acutely aware of their mortality. Maybe someone like Scott Shelby from Heavy Rain but older. Gaming just seems so youth centric from the characters and stories to the settings even. I'm not very old myself but I would appreciate a new view and who knows? It may even entice some actual elderly folks.
Marcus Fenix has got to be getting older. Fourteen years in prison, and he had to have time to build up some sort of military reputation. Granted, it's the cliche'd "rise up ranks, knocked back down" reputation but he still had to have time to do that. He has to be in his late 30's at least.
Granted, this isn't really elderly per se, but it is kind of surprising to realize that you're playing as someone in his middle years.
Plus, you can make your characters in Mass Effect, Dragon Age, The Elder Scrolls, Saints Row, etc. look pretty old.
Left4Dead, to add to the list. Though a lot of these old folk, despite their age, can still function pretty much like every other sort of protagonist in their field so it really doesn't matter.
I think the Witcher is at least in his late thirties early forties.
Edit;
I'd love to play a spy game were the stealth action is you walking around a rainy London street in a Fedora and trench coat. Solving some kind of mystery. Where the main guy is in his late 60's. He may not be able to go toe to toe in a fight, but he can really outwit and is still quick on the draw. You know, like that difference in wisdom between the guy that tries to hot wire the car when he's in a hurry and the guy who says wait and pulls down the sun visor and the keys fall down. Or the guy who try's to kick down the door compaired to the guy who checks to see if the door is unlocked first and it is. It would be great playing that wise old guy who's been around the block
How many years passed again? It's not like his age is verified anywhere and he looked pretty much exactly the same as before so I didn't see him as an old man. Regardless I did enjoy playing as him and still think it was the right choice for western audiences. We're not as biased against the elderly as the Japanese youth are it seems.
The problem with playing as an elderly person is that
gameplay needs to be fun.
you need a character you can relate to.
If your main protaginast is a whealchair bound old guy who needs oxygen to survive. Then no one under 80 is going to relate to that predicament. It is also going to be pretty hard to focus gameplay around a guy who cant do anything.
Ezio was definitely close to what I'm thinking agewise but he didn't really play like an old man. He was just as vigorous and athletic as ever. He was only in his early 50s as well. In his time that would have been old but his actions and abilities spoke otherwise.
@Jams said:
I'd love to play a spy game were the stealth action is you walking around a rainy London street in a Fedora and trench coat. Solving some kind of mystery. Where the main guy is in his late 60's. He may not be able to go toe to toe in a fight, but he can really outwit and is still quick on the draw. You know, like that difference in wisdom between the guy that tries to hot wire the car when he's in a hurry and the guy who says wait and pulls down the sun visor and the keys fall down. Or the guy who try's to kick down the door compaired to the guy who checks to see if the door is unlocked first and it is. It would be great playing that wise old guy who's been around the block
This is more along the lines of what I'm thinking.
The examples given thus far except for that bizarre Armed & Delirious game feature people that are a little bit older but their actions and abilities are those of a younger man. Sam Fisher is not elderly. He's barely middle aged. The same goes for Ezio in Revelations. Snake's condition is not natural.
I think he mean old as Mister Burns old, Snake wasn't really "old" an old person cannot hold an Ak-47 , old guy can't climb towers and do parkour stuff ... no I wouldn't like to play as a "real" old guy.
If that elderly person happened to be a priest, who sort of lost his faith in God, but still kind of hopes. And the priest in question goes out and kills the fuck out of zombies...damn that would be a great game. Also, when I say elderly, i mean 50-ish.
If that elderly person happened to be a priest, who sort of lost his faith in God, but still kind of hopes. And the priest in question goes out and kills the fuck out of zombies...damn that would be a great game. Also, when I say elderly, i mean 50-ish.
Like Father Callahan from Salem's Lot/The Dark Tower? Yeah that would be pretty cool.
Bill from Left 4 Dead was one of my favourite characters in the last few years.
It all depends on the age and ability of the person you're playing and what game or story they're in, obviously. It's a pretty broad and pointless question.
That doesn't matter; dude's still basically an old man.
He's still young, he just aged fast. He does count though.@believer258 said:
Marcus Fenix has got to be getting older. Fourteen years in prison, and he had to have time to build up some sort of military reputation. Granted, it's the cliche'd "rise up ranks, knocked back down" reputation but he still had to have time to do that. He has to be in his late 30's at least.
Granted, this isn't really elderly per se, but it is kind of surprising to realize that you're playing as someone in his middle years.
Plus, you can make your characters in Mass Effect, Dragon Age, The Elder Scrolls, Saints Row, etc. look pretty old.
It was incredibly fun making Sean Connery jump off of Skyscrapers. It was too bad they didn't have his accent. I just used Zombie voice.
I don't care if I play as someone's grandma in a wheelchair with on arm and no hearing, as long as the game is fun. not playing a ggame because of a character is retarded
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