Why is character important?

When playing a game the player feels as though they are the main character because they have control over their actions. This is very different from films where we are following the story as if we are one step removed and more of an observer. Video games cannot happen without the player taking control of the character, with films the story will still unfold even if we stop watching. If we stop playing the game the story stops too.

I find it really interesting that often when people play a game they refer to the protagonist by personal pronouns. It's as though they really feel as though what is happening in the game is happening to them. For example when being chased by an enemy in the game the player would say "It's chasing me!" I also found that watching and listening to people playing games that the only time that this changes is when the game or main character isn't behaving as they would expect it to. For example when trying to climb a ledge and the main character won't grip the ledge and climb up as they should the player uses the protagonist's name to express annoyance. I think maybe this is an indication that the player's immersion into the coherent world has been interrupted by the game not responding as it should.

The protagonist is one of the most important aspects of the game in terms of immersion, if the player does not identify with the character then there is no immersion into the world and no will to make their story happen.