Video game characters, like Hamlet or Jane Eyre, have become iconic through tragedy and perseverance. Pac-Man, Mario, and Sonic are some of the most popular characters in gaming history. Characters serve as inspiring and identifying figures, representing players’ dreams and desires.
Since the invention of video games, certain characters have become iconic in the gaming world. Like Hamlet, Jane Eyre, or Holden Caulfield, these characters have worked their way into players’ hearts through tragedy, perseverance, and occasionally a shared inability to leap over a lake full of crocodiles. Recognizable by millions around the world, popular video game characters have established a decades-long tradition of occupying the mind and occasionally touching the heart.
Famous video game characters don’t need to be people or even animals; sometimes they may simply be a blurry circle with a mouth. Pac-Man is often regarded as the epitome of the classic game, with its simple representation and basic function. Pac-Man was one of the first games to feature an actual avatar depicted, making Pac-Man one of the first popular video game characters. He was advertised as attractive to both male and female players, although Mrs. Pac-Man was later introduced, with a small bow on her head to distinguish her from the original.
A generation in movies, TV shows, and card games, the pudgy, mustachioed Mario is arguably one of the most popular video game characters in history. Mario was originally unnamed, appearing as the hero in the Nintendo arcade game Donkey Kong. According to urban legend, the character was named “Mario” after a Nintendo office owner in the United States, who resembled the chubby plumber from the Mushroom Kingdom. Since his inception, Mario has appeared in more than 200 games and is often considered the official mascot of the Nintendo Corporation.
Mario’s longtime rival is a tough guy covered in spikes and an uncanny ability to spin very fast. Sonic the Hedgehog was the flagship game for the Sega Genesis ® system and its fast blue main character quickly became an icon. Since then, Sonic has appeared in dozens of games and even had his own TV show and comics. He has gone head-to-head with Mario in several games, though the rivalry has died somewhat since the invention of cross-platform gaming systems.
Some famous video game characters are known for the effect they have, rather than their normal appearance. In the seventh installment of the hugely popular Final Fantasy game series, a young and innocent female character named Aerith Gainsborough was killed by the game’s villain, Sephiroth. The death, which occurred in the middle of the game, was considered a total shock by many players, and more than a few will even admit to crying in response. Many later lists of top gaming moments include Aerith’s death as a major accomplishment point about the emotional capabilities of video games.
Characters often work in video games as they do in any other medium; they are intended as both inspiring and identifying figures. They are cooler than us, stronger than us, and at times, a completely different species from us, but yet they indulge our fantasies of what we could be when presented with an adventure. Famous video game characters are a sign of many things, including excellent marketing and compelling game designs, but they can also serve a higher purpose. For many players, the beloved icons represent their dreams and desires and allow interactions with their own possibilities.
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