Your games a reflection of yourself

[VenusEclipse]

After I play a game and then I see the creator talk on the boards or when I go to their website, I never get surprised at how they're like. It's like I already know them by playing their games.

Then I thought, how much of a person can be reflected in the game itself?

The writer has to write what they're comfortable with, and so this can reflect their interests. Then you get into the artist and what kind of art they draw, and so on.

[JustAnotherMe]

Yeah, I can feel the same as you. But I don't know about me. I'm making a romance horror game, while I like romance and horror, but I get scared easily. Ah, but then again I think that I want to make a game that could scare me, then I know it will be able to scare many others XD (Then I think you might know me if I (pray) release my game even just with a demo)

But isn't it will be different if the maker trying to get co-writer to write together with the maker? I mean, I use co-writers, see their ideas and use them in necessary places. And I'm really open about critiques, so I guess I might completely change something if it makes sense. Then, would it still be mine?

[Michiyo6918]

I also agree with you. I usually put myself in the MC's position when I'm writing a story (boy or girl is the same to me). In the VN I'm making right now, there's a scene where the MC and her love interest go to the restaurant. I make her chooses Sprite for the drink because I love Sprite, and then after my friend finished that demo, whenever we go to McDonald or some random restaurant, she always looks at me every times I call for me a Sprite =]] That's so hilarious.

And yeah, if there is two person making the game together, that'll be different.

(Sorry for my bad English, I just write what's on my mind )

[Applegate]

I think any writer pours his or her own experiences and memories into the stories they write. The way you look at life and have experienced life affects the way you write, I think.

[Omnificent]

I think FA:NG is a reflection of both myself and what I see in the people around me. It's the most personal thing I've ever written, which is a little frightening when it comes to showing it to folks I know, but a little liberating at the same time.

A lot of my sense of humor went into the demo, and while there's going to be a lot of that in the full version, it's also been a way to work out other things. Reflecting on my past, my regrets and turns my life could have taken. Friends lost, friends gained, all the experience I've gotten from being part of various nerd communes for 10+ years, growing up, what people prioritize in their lives. I'm still trying to figure out the right balance between humor and darkness, and I don't know if I'll get it right in the end. But it's encouraging whenever someone says they can relate to it in some way.

[evility]

To me this almost seems like an intuitive thing. Inevitably, when you pour your heart into a piece of work, whether it's writing, music, or art, you're letting out a part of yourself. With writing, especially, you just can't help seep out some of your inner thoughts into words. You simply can't write in sincerity if you don't relate the writings to something you have seen, or heard, or experienced. As game-makers we must be very attached to our projects, and to continuously BE attached to our projects, we have to feel what we write acutely, and put part of ourselves out there with the strikes on the keyboard. It's the case with any type of work a human does, really .

[Sapphi]

Then I thought, how much of a person can be reflected in the game itself?

A lot, I think. I mean, we can only know our own thoughts, so any characters we write will symbolize a part of us, right? Obviously you could argue that if I write a story about Eugene the Gun-Slinging Garbage Man, I'm not reflected since I have never been a garbage man nor slung any guns. I can research that stuff. But the moment Eugene becomes a real character is when he experiences those same human experiences we all do. When he goes to pick up the garbage at the house of the girl he desperately loves but who doesn't even know he exists, he gets very, very, sad. And I can write about that all day long, because I experienced it for years.

[HigurashiKira]

I partially disagree with that statment since if that were true I would possibly be thought of as a sociopathic killer there really wouldn't be that many interesting stories. I think that maybe the author's interests and mood get reflected in their work, but not really themselves. (ex. Umineko changed after Ryukishi's close friend BT died, this was reflected in the change of focus in the story)

Though, characters are another thing; there's a reason Author Avatars exist.

[Camille]

I partially disagree with that statment since if that were true I would possibly be thought of as a sociopathic killer there really wouldn't be that many interesting stories. I think that maybe the author's interests and mood get reflected in their work, but not really themselves. (ex. Umineko changed after Ryukishi's close friend BT died, this was reflected in the change of focus in the story)

Though, characters are another thing; there's a reason Author Avatars exist.

This, haha. I hope people don't play BCM and think that I'm someone who is in love with her own brother and secretly plots to kill people or something. O_O I guess I do draw from experience for some of the scenes, though.

[evility]

Yeah, I guess I need to clarify myself a bit more XP. I wanted more of an emphasis on the style; the writing style inevitably betrays a part of the writer.

There's certainly no way that the plot one comes up with can define one's personality. Case: Nabokov, Lolita.

[Auro-Cyanide]

*Eyes her cast of Bishies*

I have nooooooo idea what you are talking about. Pfft, interests.

Ahem.

[Sapphi]

Well, you guys raise a good point, since I am writing a story where the main character is a serial killer...

But all the same, I feel like I can only write a developed character whose ambitions make sense to me... So his philosophy follows my train of thought. But I have multiple trains of thought which conflict and debate in my head, so don't think I'm going to go out and kill people! Actually, because I am constantly debating things in my head, my characters tend to embody the various sides of those debates.

Or, maybe I'm going about it entirely wrong... What I mean is, I can't write what I don't already understand. At least in the case of my character, I can understand why he might think killing people would be acceptable.

[LateWhiteRabbit]

Haha. Yes, almost anything creative betrays a part of the creator, be it preferences, thought processes, or favored subjects and themes (which can in turn tell you a lot about the creator of the work as well).

If a supreme being exists and created humanity, the themes and actions of humanity probably reflect a good deal of what that supreme being is like. The whole, "He made Man in His own image" thing.

I saw this reflected a lot in art school with artists' sketchbooks. It was almost embarrassing to look through them - they are a lot like a writer's diary, only in a visual medium. You could tell a lot about an artist from dozens and dozens of their drawings and sketches, especially since a lot of the drawings in a sketchbook are just for their satisfaction. You can tell what subjects they like the most, and (the embarrassing part) even sexual preferences. You'll see men drawing mostly women, and women drawing a lot of men. You'll notice repeated physical characteristic preferences chosen for those drawings that the artists obviously find attractive. For instance, the majority of women a certain artist draws might be blonde, with upturned noses, and a petite size figure, etc.

A creator's inner mind and personality are truly revealed when they have a large body of work published. Over-arching themes and subjects stand out, like the author or artist really had a message they wanted to get out, and it repeats itself in different forms throughout all their work. This can get embarrassing sometimes, because the creators themselves may not realize they are so fixated on something until someone points it out to them. It can get weird and awkward when you can start to identify what particular fetishes a creator has due to a preponderance of evidence.

I partially disagree with that statment since if that were true I would possibly be thought of as a sociopathic killer there really wouldn't be that many interesting stories. I think that maybe the author's interests and mood get reflected in their work, but not really themselves. (ex. Umineko changed after Ryukishi's close friend BT died, this was reflected in the change of focus in the story)

Though, characters are another thing; there's a reason Author Avatars exist.

This isn't really about being or not being something, but the fact of writing about a sociopath killer revealing something about the author (you for instance). It doesn't have to mean you're a sociopath or a killer, but if you often had characters or stories like that, it might indicate you found something appealing about the subject. Maybe you desire to break free of societies rules, and relish writing a character who does what he wants. Do the killers always only target bad people? Maybe you've been hurt or wronged in the past, or someone close to you was, so you have a desire to see people punished.

Just examples, but there are LOTS of reasons an author might write about a sociopath killer. But it could also just be for the story. Really, like I said, you need a certain volume of work to really establish a pattern that definitively points to things.

And I don't think we are talking about Author Avatars as much as we are talking about Author Appeal. That is a TV Tropes link - and I am truly, truly, sorry (see you back in a few days) - but it is extremely relevant to the thread discussion.

[lordcloudx]

I agree. My stories are indeed a reflection of myself and I am consciously aware of this. In fact, I view writing as a form of self-expression where my deepest desires and most vulnerable feelings can be freely exposed to the reading public. In general, though, the main protagonist of my piece is not really an accurate depiction of how people view me IRL. In any case, this is also part of the reason why I am sensitive towards my works -- I think any author with pride would feel the same. (The last statement is not meant to provoke discussion. Please do not elaborate on this -- or feel free to do so, but exclude me from the ensuing discussion.)

[Wright1000]

I don't know about others, but in most of my games, I like to give the protagonist a personality that is completely different from mine.
He/she may have the same views, though.