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Stereotypes. Bring them up with a fan of any kind of media, be it movies, anime, or video games, and you end up in the middle of quite the heated discussion. The depressive hero, the damsel in distress, the so-called “invincible” villain -- you see them everywhere. So many people have turned the topic into one of the touchiest there is; it can bring forth a rant like no other. So why is it that these stereotypes sell so very well?


     First, we have to address the fact that there are numerous types of stereotypes. (For the sake of simplicity, we’re going to try to focus on video games for obvious reasons, but these can easily be applied to other forms of media as well.) First, we have our character stereotypes, like the ones mentioned above. Stereotypical character traits are generally the first thing to come to mind when the topic rises in conversation, but one also has to consider gameplay aspects, and even the story itself.


     Now, if I asked you to list off all of the typecast characters you could think of, there would probably be a flood of responses. The most common one I hear is the famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy, known far and wide for his “emoness.” The rants people start about him are borderline insane. And while he’s the most well-known “emo” main character in the gaming world, I’m sure anyone reading this could list off 5 more without even taking much time to think about it.

But just look at that face!  D'aww...
...Bleh.

     There’s just one problem. While the unnecessary depression of our hero is the first thing to come to mind, there are still other, even more common, traits. For every depressed hero I know of, I can name 3 overly egocentric villains (or antiheroes). It’s something that a lot of people don’t really notice, but why is the bad guy always so confident that he’s going to win? Why do we never get the evildoer who’s slightly unsure of what he’s doing, and therefore takes extra precautions to make sure the protagonist can’t reach him?

     From there, I would also like to point out a very dangerous topic: female characters. Unless you’re absolutely dying to listen to a 3-hour-long rant, never, under any circumstances, bring up the topic of female characters in the presence of a female gamer. I will even admit to being guilty of this admittedly annoying habit, but it’s a very difficult one to resist. After all, what few girls we get that aren’t completely helpless aren’t there for us to be proud of, but for the boys to look at. Not only are they dressed for fan service, they also hold entirely unrealistic proportions. Apparently, there are only 3 types of girls: the ones in need of saving, the boring ones that are just there to heal your party and stand in the background, and the ones who can accomplish more than the boys in clothes that reveal a little of everything, topped off with high-heeled boots.


     I could go on about characters, but that would defeat the purpose of pointing out what so many refuse to pay attention to: stereotypical aspects of gameplay. I’m referring to the features you see in every game you play. For example, you always have some form of inventory. But where are all of these items kept? Laura Croft can apparently carry a crowbar in a book bag with no problem, and Link can hold bombs, sticks, masks, bottles, slingshots, bows, and arrows all in the small space between his shield and his back. But when he removes his shield, there’s nothing there. Any explanation for this? Well, aside from the fact that Laura wouldn’t look quite as good with a piece of metal hanging out of her book bag, or that Link would be quite the inefficient fighter with 20 bags holding his equipment weighing him down, not really.


     Not only can games defy logic, but they can also annoy the player to the point of intense rage. Why? Because, apparently, only the protagonist can get anything done. You’ve just finished a fight against a fearsome dragon that supposedly took about 3 hours. You return, safe and sound, to the villagers who asked for your help. And then, in the next scene, you’re asked to deliver a message to someone’s mother on the other side of the country. Because, you know, they’re too busy building a chicken coop to do it themselves, but you can take time off from saving the world to take care of it, right?

Because, you know, he's blind and can't come get them himself.
...Or something along those lines.  I don't think the developers even know.

     And of course you’re saving the world. After all, what else is there for a good tale? You have to be saving the world if you’re to be a main protagonist. Even though you have amnesia for reasons that have yet to be explained, you know that it’s your responsibility to make sure nobody in the world ever gets hurt. Not to mention the fact that only you can pull it off. Of course, the battle between you and your enemy was prophesied by an ancient group of people thousands of years ago, and against anyone but you, the enemy is invincible.


     As you’re on your merry world-saving way, you absolutely have to come across an enemy that ends up on your side after you defeat him. And there’s always a traitor in the group as well particularly if there’s a king in charge of the country; keep a close eye on his second in command. Oh, and by the way, when you reach the end, the enemy won’t actually die; he’ll just be locked away for “eternity,” which is more so just until you’ve been dead and gone for awhile. Then he’ll be resurrected and your descendants will have to start all over from scratch.

So simple, even a caveman could see it coming.

     So I’ve spent quite a while talking about common stereotypes. Now for the real question: If people hate these things so commonly attributed to their games, why do they continue to buy them? As a general answer, it’s very hard to say; it’s easiest broken down into parts. The character stereotypes appeal to different people. I know plenty of girls who simply obsess over anyone they find themselves feeling sorry for. There are even more who are more than ready to bow before the antagonist, for the same reason the jerks always get the girl in the movies -- it’s “sexy.” Which is the same reason the girls are always the way they are: if nothing else, guys will buy it. It’s an established fact: sex sells.


     Gameplay and Storyline stereotypes can be grouped into one for the sake of answering the question of why people get the games, despite seeing what they’ve been complaining about for years coming a mile away. It’s simple, really: everyone wants everything to seem familiar. Many people have quit a game simply because they didn’t understand why things worked the way they did, and even more did so because the story was “too boring.” But it wasn’t so much that the story was boring -- it just wasn’t what they were used to, and they simply aren’t comfortable with change.


     Anyone can tell that as long as it sells, the developers are going to keep using what they’ve got to make money. That’s their goal, after all. So for those who want to complain about their precious games being destroyed with stereotypes, I ask why you haven’t been trying anything outside of a certain genre. There are plenty of games out there that don’t typecast everything -- you just have to find them. And sure, you might find that you still have to save the world from an egocentric villain. But at least your hero is actually confident in his abilities for once, and his female love interest isn’t showing off every curve her body has. There probably aren’t any games out there that don’t hold at least one stereotype, but at the very least, we can find some that meet us in the middle.


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