I've been a busy bee these last few weeks, a busy bee indeed, and therein lies my excuse for why this first blog post has taken so long to grace the site. By way of an apology, I thought I'd share with you exactly what I've been so busy working on...
Alongside my editorial role for AppGamer, I've also been putting together a dissertation based on emotional attachment in gaming. More specifically, I'm looking at the bonds that players form with NPCs (non playable characters) and examining the techniques that make these characters so successful.
My research involved plastering gaming forums and communities with a question that would lead me to the three most emotionally effective characters. After reading through hundreds of pages of posts, it became apparent that Agro (Shadow of the Colossus,) Yorda (Ico,) and Alyx Vance (Half Life 2) are the most emotionally investable video game characters of all time.
I would imagine that if you are reading this blog, you too are interested in games in one form or another, and so I ask -- do you agree with these results? If I had asked you what video game character you formed the strongest bond with, what would your answer be? My dissertation is still far from finished, so hit the comments below to have your input.
