Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →A game can be compelling even when its characters feel thin, awkward, or inconsistent because character writing is only one part of how games tell stories. Mechanics, level design, sound, pacing, the surrounding world, and the player’s own choices can all make a game expressive. They do not automatically fix weak characterization, though: when a protagonist’s actions repeatedly clash with what the story says about them, that contradiction can become a flaw—or part of the experience.
What makes a character feel badly written?
“Badly written” is a reader’s judgment, not an objective category. A character may seem underdeveloped because their dialogue is flat, their motives are unclear, or their behavior changes without a convincing reason. But a game’s characterization does not live in dialogue alone. Insomniac writer Mary Kenney has described details such as a character’s bedroom furniture, music, weather, and available player actions as storytelling tools. As she puts it, “Every element in your game is telling the story.” (Sony Interactive Entertainment)
That wider view helps explain why a game can work even if its central character does not. The environment can establish a history the script barely explains; a mechanic can make a character’s skill tangible; and a player’s actions can create a personal connection that dialogue alone would not. The relevant question is not simply whether the character is well written, but whether the game’s different ways of telling the story reinforce one another.
How can gameplay strengthen or undermine characterization?
Gameplay gives a protagonist a body and a set of actions. That can make characterization feel immediate: a player learns what the character can do, what the world rewards, and what choices are available. It also creates a design constraint. Ubisoft narrative designer Navid Khavari has said that “gameplay needs often will outweigh the character’s needs.” In other words, designers may need encounters, abilities, or repeated actions to keep play engaging even when those elements complicate the intended portrayal. (Ubisoft News)
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
#1 Best Overall
The tension becomes most noticeable when the player repeatedly does something the story says the character opposes. Ubisoft’s narrative design interview gives the example of a hero who says they hate violence and then shoots recklessly. The issue is not that a game contains combat; it is that the story and the actions the game asks of the player may seem to describe different people. Critics have raised a similar concern about Nathan Drake in Uncharted, whose charm and lightness can sit uneasily beside the large number of people the player kills. Game director Bruce Straley explained that enemy encounters also served the need for engaging core mechanics and player investment, and that character arcs had to be considered alongside pacing. (GameSpot)
This kind of conflict is often called ludonarrative dissonance: a perceived mismatch between what a game’s story communicates and what its play makes the player do. It is a useful description, not an automatic verdict. Players will not all experience the same action-character gap in the same way, and a contradiction may be intentional. But if a game repeatedly asks the player to act against a character’s stated values without acknowledging the conflict, the characterization can feel less coherent.
Rank #2
How can a game make the player part of a character’s personality?
One way to reduce the gap between player and protagonist is to let the player shape how the character responds. In Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy is designed in relation to the natural world, machines, combat, and stealth—not just as a voice in cutscenes. Guerrilla’s lead narrative designer John Gonzales described her as tough and intelligent, but also vulnerable, with a desire to belong that conflicts with resentment toward the community that rejected her. Choice points let players decide how Aloy reacts, so they can express a response through her rather than only watch a fixed reaction. (PlayStation Blog)
Player choice does not guarantee strong characterization. Choices can feel arbitrary if they do not fit the character or have no meaningful effect. But when reactions grow from the protagonist’s established tensions, agency can make the player an active participant in how that character comes across.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Why can saying less make a character feel more present?
More dialogue is not always better. The Dead Space remake gave Isaac Clarke more involvement in events and problem-solving, while its developers also considered whether too much speech might make him feel disconnected from what the player was experiencing. The balance is to let a protagonist respond meaningfully without having them narrate every moment. Writer Jo Berry described the goal as “the holy grail of game writing, to make the player and the character as in-sync as possible.” (Electronic Arts)
Silence can preserve room for the player’s own reaction, especially in a game that relies on atmosphere. But silence alone does not create depth: the character still needs to feel connected to what is happening through their actions, presence, or the world around them.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How do structure and pacing help storytelling survive repeated play?
A game’s story has to fit the rhythm of play, including repetition. In the villain-focused DLC episodes for Far Cry 6, Khavari described a surreal setting that could make the villain’s surroundings and actions part of the characterization. The team also considered how the experience would feel after failure: dialogue varied after deaths, and visions could be skipped once players had seen them. Those choices helped keep narrative moments from becoming friction when players repeated sections. (Ubisoft News)
These examples point to several distinct ways games can support characterization:
Best Value
- Mechanics: make the protagonist’s abilities and actions fit their identity, or deliberately acknowledge a conflict between the two.
- Environment: use spaces, objects, sound, and atmosphere to suggest character beyond spoken exposition.
- Player agency: give players room to shape reactions when those choices fit the protagonist’s established motives.
- Voice and restraint: let characters respond enough to feel present without crowding out the player’s experience.
- Pacing: make story delivery work with the natural repetition and momentum of play.
Can a game be good if its story is bad?
Yes. A game can succeed through its mechanics, atmosphere, level design, or the choices it gives the player even if its characters are not especially compelling. But those strengths do not make characterization irrelevant. If the game’s actions, world, and dialogue all point in different directions, the disconnect can weaken the experience. A thin character can still work when other parts of the game carry meaning—or when the mismatch is purposeful and legible—while a richly scripted character can feel unconvincing if the player is repeatedly asked to act against them.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
