Wait, I'm him now? : Identification and choice in games with more than one protagonist

Abstract: This study examines correlations between player choice and identification in a multiple protagonist video game, seeking to determine whether a player’s identification with one or more player characters affects the way they make choices while playing. It discusses various definitions and types of identification as well as ways to create a successful narrative with multiple protagonists. The artefact created for the study is a text-based game with a branching narrative, where the player is required to make choices for three different characters, and a qualitative research method based on interviews with a small group of participants. The results show that players seek to identify with the player character even when there are more than one, and often use this as a basis for the choices they make, either by imagining themselves in the situation of the main character or by imagining that they are the main character. They do not usually base their choices while playing as a character on their identification or lack thereof with another, and regardless of how they made choices, most players made more or less the same ones. However, it did show that lack of identification made making choices more difficult for that character, which lessened their enjoyment of that storyline.