"C-C-Combo-breaker!"

Speech Conventions in Video Games.

(May Contain Spoilers)

Hello, my friend. Stay awhile and listen." – Deckard Cain (Diablo)

If you were to ask what medium that the average person perceives video games them to fit into, they'd probably suggest that the world of gaming falls into a predominantly visual medium. And they would be right, to an extent. After all, they’re called video games, not audio games. Although, with innovations in the way that games are created and developed, thanks to the leaps and bounds allowed for within Moore's law, games are becoming more, and more realistic with every year that goes by. This leads to two things:

1: Higher fidelity games. (A wider, deeper, denser visual experience within the game, thanks to higher polygon ratios, more realistic character models and bigger, beautiful worlds.)

2: Interesting “player-character” communication (Commonly through the use of dialogue and in many cases, monologue.

As interesting as the first point may seem, we're only interested in latter, because I’m a strong believer the characters, the things they say, why and how they say it, and the stories that they tell are really the heart of any video game. The raw stuff that sticks with you for the rest of your life and really gets to your core. But let’s look at the method in which the characters do this!

"I am Andrew Ryan, and I'm here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? 'No!' says the man in Washington, 'It belongs to the poor.' 'No!' says the man in the Vatican, 'It belongs to God.' 'No!' says the man in Moscow, 'It belongs to everyone.' I rejected those answers; instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose Rapture.”- Andrew Ryan (Bioshock).

Circa 1996, the video game industry was graced with titles such as the first 3D Zelda, which housed deep and interesting characters who had a lot more to say than most of your typical, one line characters which you'd find in earlier titles, who’s main purpose was to progress the story, and would oft repeat the same phrase for days on end without budging until you finally proceeded onwards with the plot. Whereas these new and humanlike characters react to the world around them; their speech and script would change depending on what YOU did in the world, or how YOU have presented face towards them.

Another purpose of the dialogue in video games is to directly address the player, while still maintaining illusion of immersion placed over our heads from the start of the game, and in many circumstances to aid in the progression of the story. "Yes, Dovahkiin? How can I help you?"

Actually, some could argue that there is an increasing trend of filler characters and personalities in modern game titles whom solely serve as venders of small talk, "My cousin's out fighting dragons, and what do I get? Guard duty." – Guard (Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)

This form of speech has its link to the real world. You know, those one dimensional people that we don't really know well enough to have a full conversation with, but we are just aware enough of their mere existence that we humor them with meaningless, scripted phrases "How are you?" "Nice day isn't it?" "What have you been up to this week?" "Did you hear about that dragon attacking that poor little village?” Scratch that last one unless you're big into dungeons and dragons.

“Alright guys, let’s Mosey” – Cloud (Final Fantasy VII) On the topic of illusion and characters attempting to perpetuate a stereotype through their dialogue and monologue, such as Uncle Deckard from Diablo successfully fulfilling the role of the wise old man who had a tendency to waffle about the past and his experiences “Ogden had a rule about minstrels that went back 20 years to when Baerna ran the inn. Baerna was a cruel inkeep but a fine cook. Not a soul in Westmarch would disagree.” Even with the correct context, his dialogue is still largely waffle and inconsistent due to the fact that his memory is fading and he is slowly becoming an unreliable narrator. But even this, adds to the trending theme of immersion, which you’d probably understand to be rather important by now.

Developers really love to push stereotypes and create characters true to real life, such as Old Man Deckard and Co, but another really effective tool of creating character through speech is the use of lexis. Examples of this can be found in characters that are solely made to fit into the role “Need a drink; you go to the Bee and Barb. Stay out of the Ragged Flagon, Stay out of the Ratway." Guard (ESV) who due to his knowledge of all of the local bars, it would create the impression that the character who uttered it would be a raging alcoholic.

But when all is said and done. When the dust has settled, it’s safe to say that the different conventions, such as chatter, lexical talk and direct address are all methods used by the developer to tell a story, bring a world to life and create a grand sense of immersion. Some games do it better than others, but video games are a young medium of entertainment, and with every year that goes by, the more interesting the games become and I hope to see this trend continue long into the future!

“Stay frosty”

Rio Daubney

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Scanned by iCritical.