A game character can be cruel, irritating, selfish, or hard to root for and still be well written. The useful question is not whether you like them, but whether their motives, voice, contradictions, and changes make sense—and whether the actions the game asks you to perform fit the person its story presents. Those are practical ways to examine a character, not a definitive test: judgments about writing still involve interpretation.
Separate likability from writing quality
Disliking a character tells you how they affect you; it does not, on its own, explain whether the writing works. A writer may prioritize a character’s function, perspective, or emotional effect over making them broadly appealing. Justin Keenan, writer and narrative designer on Disco Elysium, said his first concern when creating a character was not whether a mass of players would like them. That is one writer’s perspective, not proof that every disliked character is successful. Game Developer’s 2021 highlights from a GDC podcast with Keenan discuss his approach.
Try describing what the character is doing for the story before deciding whether the writing is weak. Are they meant to provoke, unsettle, frustrate, or expose a conflict? Then ask whether the game gives that effect enough context and consistency to feel intentional rather than accidental.
Ask what the character wants—and why
Look at the character’s aim in a particular scene, then at what the game has shown about their investment in the surrounding conflict. An unpleasant action can be legible if it follows from a motive, fear, loyalty, or interest the story has established. If the character exists only to deliver a quest or push the player to the next plot point, the writing may feel thin even if their behavior is consistent.
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Obsidian narrative designer Nitai Poddar emphasized motivation, dialogue, and personality; co-game director Leonard Boyarsky cautioned against flat characters who exist only to advance the plot. Their GameSpot interview about NPC development offers a useful distinction: a character’s plot function need not be their only investment in the world.
- What does the character want in this scene or arc?
- What reason has the game given for that want?
- Do they care about the conflict beyond the immediate task they give or receive?
Check whether voice and behavior belong to the same person
A recognizable voice is more than a distinctive accent or catchphrase. Consider the character’s concerns, tone, choices, and recurring reactions together. Do they feel connected to the same personality, even when circumstances change?
Former BioWare narrative designer Sylvia Feketekuty described grounding dialogue in what a character worries about, complains about, or gets excited by. She also said a writer should establish a character’s hopes and fears before deciding how a major choice will change them. RPGamer’s May 2026 interview with Feketekuty discusses voice, exposition, and character arcs.
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That principle helps distinguish a deliberately abrasive voice from dialogue that feels interchangeable or disconnected from the character’s apparent concerns. A character can be unpleasant and still sound like a specific person; exposition or plot demands that repeatedly erase their perspective may make them feel less coherent.
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People can want incompatible things. A character may crave acceptance while resenting the people whose approval they seek, or feel loyalty and anger toward the same group. The important question is whether the game lets you understand that tension through their choices, dialogue, or history.
PlayStation’s account of Aloy’s creation describes her as wanting to belong to the community that treated her as an outcast while also resenting it. That conflict is not automatically a writing error; it can make her reactions more layered. The PlayStation Blog’s 2017 account of Aloy also discusses player-selected reactions.
By contrast, a shift in attitude may feel unearned if the game has not established the competing desire, fear, or belief behind it. Ask what each side of the contradiction is, and what evidence the story gives for both.
Judge character growth against the starting point
For a change in behavior to feel like development, the story needs to give you something to compare it with: an earlier belief, habit, fear, hope, or unresolved tension. The change does not have to be predictable, but its starting point should be visible enough for the later choice to mean something.
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This is especially important in games built around player-generated or procedurally assembled characters. Watch Dogs: Legion narrative designer Brendan Hennessy explained that characters without known histories had little foundation for growth, leading the team to provide authored story anchor characters. Ubisoft’s account of the game’s Play-As-Anyone narrative design describes that constraint.
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When an arc feels abrupt, compare an early scene with the later decision. Did the game establish the ingredients for change, or does the character seem to adopt a new position only because the plot needs it?
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Compare the story’s character with the character you play
In games, characterization comes from both what the story says and what the player must do. A mismatch can be revealing: the narrative may describe a cautious or compassionate protagonist while the required gameplay repeatedly demands reckless violence, for example. The mismatch does not automatically prove poor writing—games have mechanical constraints—but it is worth asking whether the story acknowledges or uses it.
Ubisoft narrative director Navid Khavari has noted that gameplay needs can outweigh a character’s needs, and discussed how a character’s perspective can shape a game’s world. Ubisoft’s interview with Khavari about the Far Cry 6 villain DLC provides that perspective. For a close read, set the character’s stated values beside the actions the mechanics require, then consider whether the story makes that tension part of the experience.
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Use the same evidence for competing interpretations
If one reading is “deliberately unlikable” and another is “poorly written,” compare them against the same scenes rather than relying on whether the character annoyed you. These questions organize the evidence; they do not produce an objective score.
| Question | Evidence to examine | What it may help you assess |
|---|---|---|
| What motivates them? | Stated aims, decisions, and investment in the local conflict | Whether their unpleasant conduct has a reason in the story |
| Do they feel recognizable? | Dialogue, concerns, tone, and recurring reactions | Whether voice and behavior belong to a coherent character |
| Are their conflicting feelings legible? | Competing wants, fears, beliefs, or loyalties | Whether contradiction is being dramatized as complexity |
| Does their change have a foundation? | Early characterization alongside later decisions | Whether development grows from what the game established |
| Do they contribute beyond plot delivery? | Their interests and choices outside advancing a mission | Whether they have value as a character beyond their function |
| Do mechanics fit the characterization? | What the story says they are like and what the player must do | Whether gameplay supports or undermines the portrayal |
A useful conclusion can be mixed: a character may have a compelling inner conflict but an uneven arc, or a consistent voice that clashes with required gameplay. Naming the specific strength or failure is more informative than treating “likable” and “well written” as synonyms.
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