An analysis of the player avatar protagonist in video game narratives

Video games depict various fantastic scenarios that players engage in. Fantasy has been a point of interest for humans for much of recorded history and fantasy fulfilment is an important appeal for people to play video games. The experience of such a fantasy can significantly enhance the player's experience in games. Players experience fantasy in games through its elements: Culmination of gameplay, narrative story and the design of protagonist character(s) are how this fantasy is relayed to the player. The design of these three parts is significant in shaping the player's fantasy and overall experience with the game's narrative story. There are several different methods through which these parts may be designed, but contradictions in design of core game elements can negatively affect the experience of the story, therefore hindering the player's ability to immerse themselves in the game's fantasy. In this thesis, the contents of various games including their design of the protagonist and narration of story are analysed. Gamers are surveyed via the internet in order to discover how different designs affect the players' role-playing experience. The objective of this thesis is to provide a guideline for creating an optimal fantasy experience in video game.