Ask Gauss

Sunday! Here we are just sitting around waiting for Walking Dead and wondering where our weekend went. Before you get all crazy wondering about it let's take a look at this week's questions.

Do you feel Villains are more important than the heroes in modern gaming?

The hero has always had the most development in any game you have ever played. Why? Because they are the one you send the most time with. Their development seems slow, while a villain who has a lot less screen time has to be more memorable whenever you see him. With modern gaming story telling has become much better so these memorable moments are becoming more and more spectacular. When you think about it though it has always been this way. Sephiroth is recognized as one of the greatest villains ever in gaming. Just think for a moment how much he actually appears in Final Fantasy VII. He is just more memorable because Final Fantasy VII's story was just way ahead of it times in terms of development.

Do you ever just get an itch to play an old game, then binge it?

All the time. This happens a lot with older RPGs with me. I will be playing a new game and it makes me think about something older then I just have to. You just get into and everything you do reminds you of your first playthrough. How difficult it was to how easy it was this time around. Also makes you think about how much harder games were because you only had you to do it versus now if you really wanted you have the internet to help you along. So no you aren't weird, that is unless we both are.

So why no Reader Post?

Well did you see the Uncharted trailer?

There you have it questions for the week. Hope you all got something out of it in some way or another. Now you have my permission to enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Destruction Is What Makes Life Worth Living

So I figured I would expand on yesterday's list with a little explanation. What truly makes a villain a good villain? This seems like a simple question, but really is quite complex. I would argue it is much more difficult to create a great villain than a hero. 

Heroes? Well heroes simple do good based on normally a single line of motivation. Villains? They need a more complex driving force. More so than a complicated backstory designed to give him depth, a villain needs one thing: presence. When center stage, all eyes must be on him, and when absent, the looming threat he possesses must be noticeable in every corner of the world.

Sure some villains are evil just for the sake of being evil. The Joker is probably the best example of this sort of villain, but what do we truly know about him? Not much really and that is the most intriguing thing. What was it that made him this way? What really is his motivation.

To me a true villain has to be truly evil. They can't have any good motivations behind them that happen to cause harm on others. Illidan is the prime example of this type. Truly he has the best intentions and wants to be the hero but his process is what makes him appear to be the villain. While comparing this to someone like Sephiroth and he just wants everyone to die because he believes it is the right thing to do. In his eyes no one deserves to live.

The most interesting thing about villains to me is always what brought them to that point. No one is evil just because they are evil. At least no one who is a villain you love to be up against. It really is the motivations which keep us on the edge of our seats waiting for more, waiting to know "why". I have found myself disappointed in games for the very reason that question wasn't answered. You want to know you want to even for a second want to see things from their side and be in their shoes. 

The greatest villains are the ones we remember. Which haunt us, and will always strike fear just with the simple mention. We remember them because of what they put us through and we won't forget them because of what they went through to get to that point.