In the past couple of Lord of the Rings Online expansions, I’ve noticed that the writing team has kind of created a breakout character that’s become really endearing to myself and others. What’s funny is that the character is a goblin named Viznak who fancies himself a new king in Mordor while playing a rather funny sidekick to the good guys. Sure, he’s a bit of a Gollum stand-in, but I’ve greatly enjoyed his presence and felt my interest in the game perk up when he makes an appearance.
A well-written character in a video game can be like that, of course. Our worlds are full of forgettable cardboard cutout characters, but every so often there’s an NPC that we connect with or find fascinating. These engrossing characters may be the headlining stars of the narrative or throwaway quest givers, but their common thread is that some writer put a lot of obvious effort into making this NPC more real.
What is the best written MMO character that you’ve encountered in-game? Please be more specific than “the entire cast of The Secret World,” too.
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
