(Poll) Main Character's Name Vs. "You" (And Other Questions)

General Discussion
1

This is something I’ve been curious about for a while, and I don’t think anyone has done a poll on this kind of thing (at least not in recent memory). In most games on this site, the main character is typically either their own named individual, and is referred to as such, or is simply referred to as “you”, acting as a sort of stand-in for the player. I’ve always wondered which of these people like more, and I wanted to do a poll regarding it. Also, yes, I know this is essentially just third person vs. second person perspective. However, I thought the question would be more fitting if phrased like this, specifically in the context of this site.

Most importantly, all of these polls should be considered only in the context where the main character gains weight. For this first poll, the answer should simply be what you generally prefer.

  • I prefer being referred to as “you” but I don’t mind being referred to by my character’s name
  • I prefer being referred to by name but I don’t mind being referred to as “you”
  • I only like being referred to as “you”
  • I only like being referred to by my character’s name
  • Other (specify below)

0 voters

Keep in mind that this poll should be taken mostly how the main character is referred to in the narrative - not necessarily how other characters refer to them. In the context where the main character is “you”, other characters might call you “adventurer”, or by a chosen name, not necessarily just “you”.

This poll is quite broad, though - thus I also want to ask a few questions that are specific to different contexts.

In the context that the main character is NOT nameable OR customizable - they are a totally predetermined individual:

  • I prefer to be referred to by my character’s name, but I don’t mind being referred to as “you”
  • I prefer to be referred to as “you”, but I don’t mind being referred to by my character’s name
  • I prefer to be referred to by my character’s name
  • I prefer to be referred to as “you”
  • Other (specify below)

0 voters

And to build on this - If a character is NOT nameable OR customizable, which do you prefer?

  • I prefer if the main character is a distinct individual - an actual character that I simply happen to be controlling
  • I prefer if the main character is less distinct and is lacking personality, so as to make it easier to self-insert
  • Other (specify below)

0 voters

In the context that the main character IS nameable, but NOT customizable:

  • I prefer to be referred to by my character’s name, but I don’t mind being referred to as “you”
  • I prefer to be referred to as “you”, but I don’t mind being referred to by my character’s name
  • I prefer to be referred to by my character’s name
  • I prefer to be referred to as “you”
  • Other (specify below)

0 voters

In the context that the main character IS nameable and fully customizable:

  • I prefer to be referred to by my character’s name, but I don’t mind being referred to as “you”
  • I prefer to be referred to as “you”, but I don’t mind being referred to by my character’s name
  • I prefer to be referred to by my character’s name
  • I prefer to be referred to as “you”
  • Other (specify below)

0 voters

Also, I considered adding “no preference” to all of these polls, but I kinda thought that it would be an option very rarely picked, and would mainly serve to bloat the length of this post further. Before I conclude, I wanted to just ask one more question, though admittedly it’s one where the results will probably be pretty expected.

  • I strongly prefer a main character that is already their own set individual, and is not customizable in any way
  • I strongly prefer a main character that can be fully customized and named
  • I prefer customizability, but I don’t mind a set main character
  • I prefer a set main character, but I don’t mind customizability
  • Other (specify below)

0 voters

And that’s about everything I wanted to ask. Apologies if this post dragged on a bit, but I wanted to be fairly thorough with my data collection. If there’s anything that you think should be changed about these polls, or if I made some stupid or obvious mistake with them, please let me know below. I can always edit the post, so if there’s any changes to be made then I won’t hesitate. Other than that, thanks in advance for the responses.

EDIT: Adding this after the fact, but I was thinking about it and I wanted to add one more poll that I think will help to get to the heart of the matter just a bit better. While this may be a bit of a retread of some past polls, I still think it’s a valuable question regardless.

  • I prefer the idea of the main character being me, or an extension of myself
  • I prefer the idea of the main character being a separate person to myself
  • I prefer the idea of the main character being “me”, but I don’t mind if they’re separate to myself
  • I prefer the idea of the main character being a separate person to myself, but I don’t mind if they’re “me”

0 voters

4 Likes
2

All four questions sound almost exactly the same - yada yada nameable customisable yada prefer don’t mind prefer don’t mind.
Could you rephrase the questions so that the different parts sound different? Give a one-sentence description of four games with player characters, or something. When I’m actually having the opinion you’re asking about, I’ve opened up a game, I can see what kind of game it is, and it’s calling me something or asking me what to call me.

1 Like
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While I’m not entirely sure which “4 questions” you’re referring to, since there are 6 of them, I’ve gone through and capitalized some of the words so the questions are hopefully a little more clear. Regarding them all being fairly similar, that’s sorta the point. The first poll is the main question of this thread, but I thought it was a bit too broad to accurately estimate people’s feelings. Most of the following questions are supposed to be slight variations on this question, so as to understand if people are generally changing their votes between them, or if they feel the same across all contexts.

I’m also not really sure what you mean by this. Do you want me to describe each different question in the context of how it would actually be applied in a game, or do you want me to give examples of different games that might apply to those questions (Or neither of the two)? If I get some clarification on this one, I’ll hopefully be able to provide what you’re suggesting.

4

Also, update, I added one more poll to the end of the post, since I feel like I wasn’t really getting to the heart of the matter in a concise enough way. Perhaps the original post is already a bit too long, but if people can actually stand to take a 40 minute survey (if you know you know, lol) then they can stand to answer one more question on a poll.

1 Like
5

That new question really does get to the heart of it for me. Personally, I never think of the main character as “me;” they’re either their own person I am guiding or a person-shaped vehicle I am using to explore the world.

(I do prefer “you” as it’s less ambiguous when the game is trying to get the player to do/notice something. But there are trade-offs in everything)

2 Likes
6

I said 4 because I miscounted. I looked at the questions and answers more, and I don’t know all of why they make my brain hurt. I can say something, though. Instead of saying:

  • prefer x, don’t mind y
  • prefer y, don’t mind x
  • prefer x
  • prefer y
  • other

They should should look more like “pick a number 1 - 5, where 1 is strongly prefer x, 5 is strongly prefer y, and 3 is indifferent”. That way, there’s less repetition in each question, which makes the repetition between questions less of an issue.

As for example games, the point ts to avoid having almost-identical questions back-to-back. Think of how you’d explain the setting, idea, and characters of a game to a friend to give them a quick idea for the feel of it. Give us that, then ask one version of the question about that game, rather than some abstract game. Then, give us another description but for a completely different game, and ask the next version of the question. This helps get around the “I literally just answered this, wtf” reaction. It doesn’t matter whether the game is real or made up.

Your question #6 is great, btw. Gets right to the point, easy to understand and have an opinion on, doesn’t repeat itself.

Another way to put it: At one point, you go “thus I also want to ask a few questions that are specific to different contexts”. Then you ask four more questions in the same abstract context. My suggestion is to give the questions different, specific contexts.

7

So for all of the ones that I answered “other” to, questions 2, 4, and 5 spesifically, I mean that I have no strong opinion on it. I just don’t mind second person that much. Doesn’t take me out of it, or bring me in more than say, first person.

1 Like
8

I feel this needs to be front and centre, not an afterthought to the first question, and the fact that it isn’t makes the poll data much less useful with people thinking of dialogue too.

Let’s say the PC is feeling tired, and the game needs to communicate that. You’ve three basic choices:

  1. I am feeling tired.
  2. You are feeling tired.
  3. [playername] is feeling tired.

Option 1, first person, can work but can also come across slightly oddly as it’s indistinguishable from a line of dialogue (unless your engine actively distinguishes dialogue from narration). It can also reinforce the distinction between player and player character allowing RP, but making self-insert harder.

Option 2, second person (the narrator is the first), is the convention for text based games and table-top RPGs for decades and most won’t even question it. It blurs the distinction between player and player character and allows either RP or self-insert play.

Option 3, third person (narrator is first, reader is second) is how it would be treated in a book where the reader is entirely passive and not in control of the game at all. It’s rarely used in a single player game as it pulls the player and player character apart entirely. It has its place if you need to do this, for example if the player character is comatose or having a psychotic break or if you have a “god game” where the player is controlling the environment rather than an individual. Table-top play where there are multiple players (readers) and player characters can make good use of this because there is a need to identify who is affected.

With all that in mind, the choice is really about the style of game you want to create. Picking something because it “polls well” will make the language awkward if it doesn’t match the style of game. For narration in a single player game the safe choice is the second person one.

5 Likes
9

I agree with this. While the context of each question varies, the poll options always form a spectrum ranging from “Lean strongly toward 3rd person” to “Lean strongly toward 2nd person.” They should be ordered that way too, rather than “Middle option, middle option, extreme option, extreme option.”

Also, “No preference” would fit perfectly in the middle of the spectrum. You already threw in an “Other” option, and so far, it’s just being used as a stand-in for “No preference” anyway, so why not just call it what it is?

10

Personally, I prefer prefer a POV-narration. I can see that not working everywhere and it is more of a change than changing “you” for a name (usually) but I feel more ‘inside the story’ that way.
I like “I” and name more than “you” because with “you” I feel like someone’s telling me what to do instead of telling a story or whatever. It adds a weird taste to any story in my oppinion