It's My Character, and I Need It Now!

Variety is the spice of life. It may be just a saying, but it is also true. Meeting someone new at an event can be exciting, learning a new skill can be fun, something new can enhance the otherwise dull walkthrough of life. The games we play only confirm this fact, as many games offer a diverse cast of characters, and everyone has different tastes.

Many fighting games, whether it is Super Smash Bros or Tekken, offer a wide variety of characters, each with their own moveset to further their individual appearance. Mario, for example, has a far different moveset from Captain Falcon. While Mario uses objects like capes and fireballs, Captain Falcon uses a series of punches and kicks. Players of these types of games may choose characters they like or characters they are good with. If a player is more comfortable with Jin's moveset, but really like how Kuma looks, they may still choose Jin, simply because they will have a better chance of winning. This type of variety has both good and bad qualities for this reason. On the positive side, it opens a whole new dimension for gameplay, since no two players play the same, giving the game an incredible amount of variety. However, this can also discourage players from being who they really like, or even trying something new. A friend of mine only uses 3 characters in Super Smash Bros, and he refuses to use anyone else because he is not good with them. He may like other characters from different series, but because he does not know their quirks, he will not use them. Another issue with these kinds of games is balancing. If you read one of my previous posts, Gamer Circus Presents: Balancing Act, or have played games with "broken" characters, you may understand the importance of balancing in a game. In short, if a character is far better than many other characters, players may be discouraged from playing the game, since they have little chance of winning against an opponent who has a better moveset, and in turn, the upper hand, before the match even begins.

However, some games, such as Monopoly, only offer variety on a cosmetic level. A player has no advantage choosing the dog or the shoe. Players of these kinds of games can whichever character they like the best. Similar games include Mario Party, or Fuzion Frenzy, which are mini-game

oriented, and no player has advantage over the others. This type of variety helps with the issue of balance, as everyone is equal at the start of the game, and a player's ability is what "makes that character good". The problem, however, lies in the lack of depth for these characters. The cast of 6 in Fusion Frenzy all have the same running speed, strength, etc., so choosing Jet over Dub won't offer any advantage. However, it also will make the choice of character mean nothing, the character selection becomes a matter of "What is your favorite color?"

What's important here is the factor of choice. No matter which of these games you play, you are given choice of your character. Although it may seem trivial, choice is important to players. If we were going play Monopoloy and I made you be the thimble, without giving you any say, you might be upset about the "dictator" I would be in the game. Even if from there on, you could do what you wanted, the lack of choice would leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Whenever variety is present in a game, it is vital to include the power of choice, no matter how insignificant those choices it may be.