The playable characters in Borderlands 2 are pretty much silent, and that is something that Anthony Burch, a writer for the game, regrets.
In an article he wrote for Kotaku, Burch explained that he and the rest of the writers thought silent protagonists work better in games because it can create a more immersive experience.
This kind of characterization works, in theory, because if your character never says anything you (the player) disagree with, you’re more “immersed.” You’re not at risk of your protagonist saying something that you personally disagree with.
However, after some focus groups played Borderlands 2 and disagreed with the silent characters, Burch realized the writers had made a mistake. He explained that everything else had a backstory in game, and that made the lack of story and dialogue for the protagonists seem out of place.
These focus testers were irritated because, in a game full of colorful characters and gags and monologues long and self-indulgent enough to give an editor an aneurysm, there was a weird black hole of nothingness where our player characters were concerned.
Burch ended by saying that he assumes Gearbox, who he is no longer working for, will strive to put more story behind their playable characters in the future, and he pointed out that the Pre-Sequel had much more character dialogue, something that the fans liked.
But, what do you think? Did you like the lack of stor for the protagonists in Borderlands 2, or do you wish the game had more of it?
[Source: Kotaku]
