When you play a dating Sim, do you play as 'yourself?'

[Midi]

I was having a discussion with a friend of mine. We were deciding on if the 'Player Holder' character in our game, should actually be a character or her own, or sorta limit her so the player feels more placed.

Personally, I don't really play as 'myself' but my first go around I play 'honest to myself', if that makes any since. Like, I'll choose the answers I would normally, see who I come out with, and then try to win for everyone else.

How do you guys like playing your games? Do you want to feel more like you're inserted into it, or don't mind the character's own personality showing up now and then?

[Auro-Cyanide]

I play as who the character is, but I generally keep my values. I tend to make descesions based on 'what the character would do' rather than what I would do. Which makes sense. I'm hardly going to be rushing into battle or anything like that in real life, but in a game I can because that is who the character is. Even in games where you pretty much create a character (Mass Effect/Dragon Age/Skyrim) I still create a persona to go with it. This character has grown up in a very different world from me, so of course they aren't going to be like me. They are likely to share my core values (I'm unlikely to play as a bad guy0 but they do a whole heap of things that I wouldn't do and that makes a whole lot more sense when you are steping into a characters shoes instead of trying to make everything fit you.

I think if you let the palyer be self-insert it's extremely hard to allow for all types of people. The amount of times I've seen people get to a choice screen and sigh because they hate all the choices. That's because there is no immersion for them to think like the character thinks because they haven't seen set up to do so. Specific characters also have just as much a range of choices just like we do as people (if they are well written). Plus, if you have any kind of plot, a specific character will help you deal with it a lot better.

So generally I prefer to be set up as a character so that I can see the story from their point of view and make choices in reflection of that.

[Victoria Jennings]

It depends on the experience I'm going for. In Persona 3 Portable, I was really into it, because there were a bunch of pointless choices, and the character never actually spoke (well, she did in battle, but meh). Made me feel like I was the character, and I really had fun with it.

On the other hand, I have plenty of fun playing games (in general, not just VNs) where the MC is a totally different person from me. It just gives me an additional character to (hopefully) love. :D

[MysteriousArtistX]

In a typical game with character creation/customization I do. I base them off me in some aspects but let them kind of branch into their own monster. But in a VN and dating sims, no.

VN's don't really provide that kind of versatility, the best you can get to playing as "yourself" is as you had said "playing honest to yourself" where you make the decisions you would make irl and see where it goes. With sims, if you have no real control over how the character looks etc. then it's basically the same restrictions as in a VN.

At least this is how I feel in my personal play-throughs :]

[Blane Doyle]

Personally, unless the game is meant to be "self insert here" without any real dialogue (P3P is a good example, I love to imagine myself as the FMC, and Magical Diary) I do not enjoy playing games as "myself". I would prefer to play as the character written in the story, honestly, since most of these stories have a protagonist with a semblance of a personality. But a horribly bland one, and no options given to give you a different one.

Though I HAVE found a few games where I don't mind imagining myself as the MC, male or female. It's fun sometimes, but annoying others.

So... sort of a 25/75 in favor of preferring the character to be their own person and playing as them for me.

[Deji]

I do when the character doesn't have much of a personality. It's fun

But I appreciate it when the MC has a character on their own too (:

[Dim Sum]

I was having a discussion with a friend of mine. We were deciding on if the 'Player Holder' character in our game, should actually be a character or her own, or sorta limit her so the player feels more placed.

Personally, I don't really play as 'myself' but my first go around I play 'honest to myself', if that makes any since. Like, I'll choose the answers I would normally, see who I come out with, and then try to win for everyone else.

How do you guys like playing your games? Do you want to feel more like you're inserted into it, or don't mind the character's own personality showing up now and then?

Both are same.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_(psychology)

Like playing games that force these emotions and make me confront/reject them:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... tsMonsters

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GIFT

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... hatYouHate

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... etMeBeEvil

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... Revelation

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... Therapists

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... sOwnPetard

If missing, I read walkthrough and try to go around walkthrough while keeping progress path.

Sadly not many dating sims force these so it's issue of "Game, can you keep me as myself as I assume I am or as you assume I am?"

Ex: Playing this game for first time. Haven't experienced dating sim like this sadly. http://www.playalterego.com/

[teacup]

Oddly, I never do.
If the character is a blank slate like in Persona, I make up a character for them, but don't imagine them as myself. I make choices that will get me the ending I want or will get the most amusing result.
I don't like being myself. That's a big reason why I play games. Lol. I like to feel like I'm reading a good story, not like I'm the main character and this is my story.

[Victoria Jennings]

this is my story.

*barely resists urge to make FFX reference* ; w ;

(also omg, june, holy crap I need to finish that game)

Back on topic, another good series for self-inserts is Dragon Age. The only choices you're technically given in conversations is choosing between the tone of voice and wording you want. There are three conversation styles: honest (?), sarcastic, and... douchebaggy. *cough*

Though technically, that's an RPG, so idk. Might be interesting to see a similar system implemented in a VN (I think someone was doing that on here...?).

[Fungii]

I always tend to go for the goody two shoes playthrough.
Because I end up feeling horrifically guilty every time I do some kind of dick move.

(Unless it's an otome, in which case I'll say whatever I can to make the dude I want like me)

[Mirage]

I really hate playing a game that told me the main character is me. Like the default name is "you" lol.

[azureXtwilight]

I don't, basically I play as the character while trying to get the best outcome possible in the story XD Basically because it's not my story, as teacup says. I also try to pick some answer that will produce amusing reactions for the fun of it~

[Midi]

I really hate playing a game that told me the main character is me. Like the default name is "you" lol.

Omg, that's a peeve of mine as well. Let me put my name, or a name in general, oh game programmer.4

I always tend to go for the goody two shoes playthrough.
Because I end up feeling horrifically guilty every time I do some kind of dick move.

(Unless it's an otome, in which case I'll say whatever I can to make the dude I want like me)

That's exactly how I felt playing Hatoful Boyfriend: Hurtful Boyfriend Version. Like, I had to get one of the characters killed to get with the guy I was originally wanting. And I'm just like SOBCRY I'M SO SORRY I'LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU NEXT ROUND.

That's a big reason why I play games. Lol. I like to feel like I'm reading a good story, not like I'm the main character and this is my story.

I think most of us can agree on that. Which is also why I Role Play, let me step into someone else's shoes, see through someone else's eyes. Because sometimes, it's better not to be me~

[PrettySammy09]

It depends. I think I make a decision about what kind of person my character is when I start the game and make decisions based on that. Like, it really depends on the game. Sometimes I'll play a really Lawful Good character and then sometimes I'll be totally Chaotic depending on what kind of mood I'm in/what kind of story I want to tell.

As for VNs/Dating Sims, I think I align myself more with what I want to do (like which character I like best) than what I think is "best" for the character or whatever. I rarely enjoy Dating Sims where the character is a blank slate - it usually doesn't make for very interesting character interaction.

[cookiestruck]

Play as the character, of course.. if it has personality. But, when it doesn't I prefer to play according which guy I want to get Uh.. yeah.. that it, I guess.