young heroes against older player-characters

[Eden]

This is just something I have wondered about for quite some time...
If you pick up a game, mostly RPGs, because that is the type of game I am playing almost solely, you can play as the young boy (sometimes girl) that falls in love and rescues the whole nation/world/universe while you play along the love-story.

I don't want to mock about the mechanics most games inherit, but about the character you are supposed to identify with. I am aware what age and gender the "ordinary video game player" has and that giving you a 19 year old boy as hero is supposed to connect the player and the character more. Then you are given more or less friends and fighting or story partners: The girl you will love eventually, another hot chick, an old goat, an animal or non-human creature and other persons. Okay, I admit that this is mostly true if we are talking about Final Fantasy, but there are many other games too that work this way...

MY question is: Would anybody aside from me prefer playing with an older guy or woman instead of some young person? I am only 20, but I prefer the coolness some older persons can create in games, books or movies than most of the stuff young people can come up with... What do you think?
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The Fool

[Flamo Bringer]

Haha! as always, good point Eden! :)

yeah, sometimes i do also thinks about playing some older characters...
like for example Max from the Maximillian Knights in Suikoden 1 and 2 or could be Crowley...
i'm not talking about making them Tenkai and making it in Suikoden, no... it's just an example so we could know more about older people instead of young people saving nation, falling in love with a hotty and stuff...

*spoiler*and maybe it could be made in Suikoden 6 which i think is cool*end of spoiler*

[uwangski]

Does age matter? Does gender matter? Is that what you're trying to say?

I don't mind, whatever age or gender the main character is. If the story requires an old geezer for a main character, then fine. I heard an MGS game has Snake somewhere in his 40's or something (I never actually played the game, so I'm not sure) - it's because by plot, he will have to age. It will be weird if the game was supposed to be years after another game, while the characters stay the same through the years, without proper excuse (e.g. Luc and Sasarai).
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[Ryusei]

I for one would like to see a game wherein the old cliche of having a young, inexperienced teenager would save the world from damnation be replaced by an older and matured main character. To tell the truth, I am a little bit annoyed by games sticking with this theme over and over and would like to have something new. Personally, in games, I like the older characters better than the younger ones.

[Rainrir]

I have an instant liking for most old geezer characters in games and stories.

Still, of all the old man characters I have known, the one with the strongest impression on me was Agrus Kos from the Ravnica Cycle of MTG Books. He is probably the coolest main to be in MTG Books for a LONG LONG time. He is a REAL old man, not one of those I-am-actually-1000-but-look-20 types. His inner unresolved struggle at the end of his life is realistic, as most of us never reconciled with our regrets.
His age clearly shows in the action, and his age-related ailments made him much more enduring and far cooler then those "young-ish" 400 year old elves.

I believe the fundermental problem with older leads is that the audience expects a old man to have "grown" and there should be no fundermental change in the "older man/woman's" way of life and beliefs.
Since we do somewhat project ourselves on fictional characters after all, I guess everyone secretly hopes that at the twilight of their lives they will not need to evaluated and change their beliefs which they held for most of their lives.

This makes the "generic" grown old character a very one dimensional character when it comes to development and will probably not be an very interesting lead. Almost,l every old geezer I come across will either

1) Follow the Hero, and have a very different world view. Probably dies in the end protecting/fighting for the main, finally believing again in the young'un's ideals

2) Same as 1 BUT becomes a villian.

3) Have the same outlook as the main, but with the added wisdom. He really serve a little more then a supporting character which affirms the main's beliefs.

4) At worse the character that annoyingly knows everything about magical stuff/historical stuff/etc. This types are really annoying. They don't even have personalities...and are just walking dictionaries...

Of course, there can always be room for more growth. We never stop learning, and that can apply for older characters as well. If done well, I believe that old leads can kick much more ass then young ones. Their accomplishments far greater and cooler when we consider their advanced age and various weaknesses due to time.

On a side note, Orlandu was cool. But Tactics don't develop characters beyond their recruit phase...FRANK from Shadow Hearts is a un-typical old geezer, who is starting something new at the middle of his life and have a very unconventional outlook for a old guy (think- he's the most hot blooded of the group...). Too bad , he fell into supporting role after a while...by playing his "weird guy" gag without much development....
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[AA]

I think it really depends on what the developers think that the gamers wants. If they want to really be the character then they will go for a a younger character with less of a history and back story so that you feel that this is the first adventure and you are doing it yourself, also with the demographics of video game players in makes more sense to use a teenager. Although the demographic is moving slightly upwards as games become more main stream and in some cases considered fine art.

An older character would be for those games with a huge story to tell, but one that is affected by the past, so what is the quickest way to link the past to the current time frame of the game? Well that would be the main hero, This can also aid lots of character development and inter character relationships.

[Decado]

I would prefer to play an older character. Someone like Geddoe would be much more to my liking, a person who has experience behind them to progress through the story rather than a pubescent teenager who ends up being able to take out tanks armed with only a big stick.
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[Masa]

Ah yes, I would definitely like to see some older blokes ocassionally. I mean, the only real RPG series with a mature protagonist is the Mario RPG games (how about THOSE apples). To me there's plenty you could do with an older character as opposed to some know-nothing teenager. Rather than being thrust into the middle of a conflict, you could pick up with a character neck deep in it.

Or more humorously, get a hero like Cohen the Barbarian who was destined to 'stop the evil from 1000 years ago!' he was born forty years too early, but is still the only one who can defeat said evil. That there would be good times.
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[Kain]

i prefer a young hero, almost all Rpg game i played the Hero is young. actually the storyline much interesting when using young hero. example like Radiata stories. the hero is young and the middle of the stories he develop so many skill and war tactic become a powerful knight

as for older hero, i dunno, they already strong and it kinda boring if u play .
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[Rainrir]

[Kain]

erm maybe your rite that geddoe part. the stories kinda interesting. well i say it depend of what kind of hero, not for age.
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[Kikito]

I somehow agree with the fact that older main characters would make for interesting games every once in a while. But I think this has more to do with the fact that the "young" hero has already been so overused up until now. I mean, let's look at the Final Fantasy series. Most of the games since about FFVI has a young guy or girl as a hero. I'm not entirely sure about Terra(FFVI) but at least in VII, VIII, IX, and X they were all youngster who follow the stereotypical path described by Eden.

One of the reasons I love Suikoden III so much is that you get to choose who your main hero is, and they give you a really varied pool to choose from. I mean, not every game lets you choose your main character like that. As for me, I chose Hugo first, but on my other playthroughs I've enjoyed a lot more choosing Geddoe, who is fills the role of experienced warrior.

Also, I've always liked using the "older" characters in video games, even if they're not the main character. Some of these are Galleon, Crowley, and others.

Oh, and what's this about older characters not being able to change or grow up? I think that couldn't be further from the truth. Even in Suikoden III we see Geddoe change as the Fire Bringer War escalates and he decides to take a more active role.

In the end I can say I enjoy the older, more experienced type of characters in video game because they usually bring something I enjoy to the game in general.

[Yvl]

Older guys/girls aren't as attractive, so it won't sell as well.

Or if you want to be naieve about sale purposes, it could be because the younger heroes have more life left to live and the ending leaves more to the imagination.
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[Tonberry]

Personally, I prefer younder characters (but at least 16 years old, please). However, it's good to mix it up every once in a while. It's nice to play as a mature character sometimes. Geddoe was great for that. I wasn't controlling dorky old immature Zidane or Lloyd, but someone who has been around for a while and knows how to present himself in most situations. It's nice to have that now and then. In fact, I wish that there were some young characters who show more maturity. I know that young people can be mature (I am an example, when I want to be). It would be nice not to have a main character who doesn't charge the last boss of the game when you're only two hours into the game, just because he is mad.

[kuwaizair]

ah, well I don't know where I stand. it would be nice to have a change, have a differnt hero insted of a "little cute boy" or "sexy young girl". But who wants to be a balding man? or a sagy wrinkly woman? You'd expect the younger character to be full of, (whats the word?) "life", to be peppy, exploritory, a wanderer. Open to grow when you'd expect them to be a whiney brat or stupid teenager. Plush the game was made for them, not 80 year olds.

I haven't played as many games as others here, so I can't think of a character who dosen't fit this. saying Vincent Valentine dosen't fit the gammit is a long shot, seeing how the nature of the character is a bit like a true rune holder(in some ways, another 27 year old who should be older than they are), But we want Link at 40, we want a Magic Princess who is 33.

how would one make a game like this? An RPG where the hero is older? and how old do you want? 24? 36? do we want magic sorcerors who ae 400 years old but look 60?

Live a Live is an intersting game that gives you various characters to play, I think In one chapter you start off as an old "kung fu master" but swap towrds the end for a younger but -chubby- guy who carries on the legacy of the fighting style. Don't know if that helps at all.

I guess old characters aren't expected to be "hero/main characters".
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