Are you playing as yourself when you play video games?

When playing a video game, how are you embodying the character onscreen? Are you playing as yourself and making decisions based on how you think you'd act in a given situation, or are you acting as the character as it's written for you?

Maybe the answer is that it's a combination of both, or maybe it's something else entirely.

[drizzom]

I don't self insert ever. I create a character according to my personal preferences that I believe would fit in the universe the game is in.

[LordoftheCritics]

Aaaaan you just inserted yourself.

[drizzom]

No. Not the same thing. I dont pretend that "I", using my own identity and name, am in the game as a character. That is what "self" insert is. Instead I create a fictional character that fits within the universe of the game I am playing. There is a difference.

[LordoftheCritics]

You dont have to even need to use your own name and look. That would be very self in the spectrum of inserting yourself.

But every choice is from you. You have no choice but to insert. Even when watching a film and reading a book (especially reading) you are self inserting.

Its pretty much unavoidable.

Now how much of it loops itself back and affects your future decisions is different. Like you chose armor and look at some point,. You chose to craft A over B for stats and maybe look etc and then future choices are affected because primaries are made. Its complex stuff but no one can avoid it.

Its an age old thing. Stems from humans inserting themselves into stories becuase thats the only way the reality of the story can make sense and become a reality in the mind.

The minimal insert scenarios are the stories that are not relatable whatsoever.

[Nacho_Z]

If it's an RPG then morally I'm a more heroic version of myself. I can't bring myself to inhabit an 'evil' character as fun as it probably is.

[SurgicalMenace]

I have the same issue. I never play the antagonist.

[thejigisup]

How did you feel about InFamous?

[NicSage]

I played good first always, only played evil for the trophies. I played sloppy and didn't care much for the evil side.

[Flawlessmic]

I always prefer for the story and character to be set by the devs, i know its why rpgs are loved that u can creat ur own but then i find the story is usually lacking.

Witcher 3 had the perfect blend of the devs set the story and the character but also gave us some freedom to define geralt. Mass effect did this pretty well as well.

Im not a fan of the silent protaganists and things like that, story and the character is such a large part of why i play games and just find it lazy when devs rely on us to kind create the character in our head.

I realise im in the minority here so im not hating just stating that i prefer to be taken on the journey the devs have invisioned rather than my own.

I still love all those game but wouldve loved them even more if ur player actually had a voice and character.

Effetively i want to be taken on a mostly curated journey, not create the journey.

[Germaximus]

.

[HeliosHex]

If there's a hot female in a game like 2B iam playing as a perverted voyeur trying to do upskirts and put them in provocative situations. If it's an rpg usually ill make a female for the same reasons if you can make a hot one like in saints row. I like eye candy. Now if the protagonist is a dude or I can't create a hottie I usually embody the character and do what I would do if I was actually in that world. Like in elden ring I made a dude and helped all the npc instead of killing them. Fighting games I'll choose a hottie if there's one just to enjoy her hotness if there's none I'll choose a fighter guy I'd most like to be example being Ken from sf.

[Flawlessmic]

Lol

[RedDevils]

It's okay if you're into pixel, no judging.

[HeliosHex]

@reddevils not pixels. Polygons. Preferably no sharp edges when they bend down. Pixels is so 80s dude, where you been.....although that hottie from blades of vengeance was hellah thicc.

[sourOG]

Sometimes. If I have a choice to make decisions I would make as “myself” I do sometimes, honestly. I have cared enough about characters to move my moral compass lol. Generally though, I pick the ahole option because it’s funny.

As far as looks go, almost never use a character creator to make myself. Skate or something like that yea but an rpg? Nah. The “they need to look like me before I can be immersed” frame of thought isn’t something I have ever understood or subscribed to. But I prefer a cool art style opposed to photo realism anyway. I want to see weird trippy shit, not play as myself.

[Junkrad2022]

I guess in games we have a change to do good and be nice

[lellkay]

Nope

[BlackDoomAx]

A blend of both, but it really depends on how is the game created/developed. When it's lacking storytelling/good writing, I act like I'm the character; I fill the void. If it's really well written, like say Disco Elysium, I put myself in the character's mind. But the later are generally more rare, and usually masterpieces.

[Redrex7000]

I guess....?
even when the character has their own story and personality

[DeusFever]

Not usually. I’ll go for a “no kill” option if I can but I’ll also make decisions that will maximize level progression and steal everything if that is an option. I’m basically playing some kind of altruistic sociopath.

[metalgod88]

If I can create a character, I try to create something similar to my own persona, but of course my persona only. The way I play depends on the game. I'm not an evil person, but sometimes, it's cool to do evil things and see how things play out >=)