Why I'm Tired Of Silent Protagonists

A few days ago, one of our interns, O'Dell Harmon, posted an opinion on why he thinks there should be more silent protagonists. It got me thinking, and I think I'm done with silent protagonists. We just can't agree on anything.

I guess I should start by saying that I like several games that feature silent protagonists (Grand Theft Auto III, Portal, Dead Space, Half-Life), and I like a few silent protagonists, such as Link. But my affection for Link probably has more to do with my longstanding love for The Legend of Zelda series than it does for his strength as a silent character. My apprehension toward  giving him a voice might also might have something to do with:

But let's think about this for a second. When DIC Entertainment decided to adapt The Legend of Zelda into a children's cartoon in 1989, it felt the need to give Link a voice. Why? Because silent protagonists are terrible at telling compelling stories. Video games with silent protagonists always have to go to creative extremes to tell their story. Portal's Chell is accompanied by a stream of disembodied talking heads who narrate the game. Many of the characters in Half-Life jokingly reference Gordon Freeman's silence. And the silence of BioShock's main character (admittedly not entirely silent) added to the game's commentary on freedom and obedience.

Sometimes a silent character can be used to powerful effect, as was the case with Jack in BioShock. I also appreciated Isaac Clarke's silence in the original Dead Space. As a silent character, you had to wonder what he was thinking as he encountered alien horrors. But, in the second game, as Visceral Games continued to develop the fiction of Dead Space it decided to give Isaac a voice. Telling a compelling story with a silent protagonists is like writing a book without using the word "the." It's doable, but you're limiting yourself.

People argue that silent protagonists help us associate with the characters and feel more immersed in the game. But I would argue that good storytelling and powerful characters make us feel immersed. We watch movies with talking protagonists all the time and have no trouble imagining ourselves in their shoes. Were you less invested in Mass Effect's narrative because Commander Shepard talked? Did you find Heavy Rain less emotional because the characters spoke for you? Do you think Metal Gear's story would be any less ridiculous without Snake's raspy vocals? (Wait! Not sure about that last one.)

I think there is room in the gaming space to have a few game's with silent protagonists. For example both Journey and Limbo explored the themes of silence or communication in interesting ways, and I applaud them for it. Their narratives were actually more interesting because their characters didn't talk in a normal fashion, but these are unique cases, and few games tell this kind of artsy story.

I remember when I first learned that Square was going to include voice acting in Final Fantasy X; I was nervous. Final Fantasy's characters had always been silent, in a way. Though they had always delivered dialogue, I had always been the one to give them voice in my head. I was worried that Final Fantasy X wouldn't be as engaging if someone else was acting out the story for me. I was wrong. Final Fantasy X still stands as one of my favorite video game narratives, and that is partly due to the fact that it features a lot of solid voice acting.

I think video game developers might be scared to give their characters a voice because it's harder to craft a enthralling story; I worry that some developers take the easy way out when they make their protagonist silent. Silent protagonists feel like a cheap move to me. Don't write another silent protagonist because you think it will help players feel more immersed. Just write a better story.