Freakishly similar looking protagonists

Is it just me or does the video game industry and its audience have a strong preference for a certain kind of hero? I didn't know that there was one universal face that video gamers responded to so well (as a whole). I wonder what percentage of gamers when given a character customization options choose this kind of person.

Each picture shows a different protagonist from a different game

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AlexMason.png

alanwake.jpg

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Nathan-Drake.jpg

Sam_Fisher_SCC.jpg

solidsnake.jpg
 
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They also are almost all American and speak English. I think the subject you're noticing is socio-national stereotypes in specific genres.

In heaven, the cops are British, the lovers are French, the food is Italian, the cars are German, and the whole thing is run by the Swiss.
In hell, the cops are German, the lovers are Swiss, the food is British, the cars are French, and the whole thing is run by the Italians.


:void:

But it's not true for the video game audience as a whole, and it stretches well beyond that specific genre as well. Look at a certain manga we all know and love (coughBerserkcough) for example.
 

Dar_Klink

Last Guardian when? - CyberKlink 20XX before dying
I wouldn't really put Snake or Adam Jensen in there myself, but yeah, bald, gritty, 5 o' clock shadow. Generic action heroes abound!
 
Dar Klink said:
I wouldn't really put Snake or Adam Jensen in there myself, but yeah, bald, gritty, 5 o' clock shadow. Generic action heroes abound!

Jensen_augs_noshades.jpg

solid_snake.jpg


Snake and Adam Jensen are an interesting case.

These guys look the same right down to their slightly convex nose bridges, wide angled ear slants, eyebrow densities, and lip thicknesses. The major difference would be their cheek concavity. I've seen more difference in 2 renderings of the same character between sequels. When I look at these two protagonists, I almost feel like the artist's specifications were sent by a team of psychologists with extended focus group research. Alex Mason and Alan Wake look like 2 men with similar profiles, but these guys come extremely close to being the same person with a different haircut.
 
I'm not complaining--for the most part, anyway. Snake and Jensen are pretty hot (it's a shame, too..I couldn't get into Deus Ex). :slan:

As for similarities? Yeah, I see it. You could say the same thing for the more recent JRPG male protagonists. Or most male JRPG characters in general. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but does anyone remember Kuja from Final Fantasy 9? Up until the end of the third disc or so, I swore up and down that dude was a chick, and was just the victim of a major translation error! :magni:
 
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