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Still, whether it's stepping into the empty combat boots of a Hollow Persona or channeling the talents of a FFP, I still feel like I run up against a glass partition no matter what kind of character I'm playing. Simply put, I don't feel like I'm playing as myself. Motivation's always a prime imperative when it comes to understanding character but, in games, it's a tricky, hybrid component. It can be generated by the story or from the sense of self that the game imparts (which is separate from plot, and can come from dialogue or mood). The problem with using gameplay to drive motivation is that player choice in games is predominantly binary, with very little room for moral gray areas or bittersweet resolutions.
Videogames ask you to commit yourself to a virtual journey. Ultimately, what good character design does is give you a reason to see that journey through. The next frontier will be games that let you feel like yourself, that'll let you model your character's psyche along with his/her/its look, instead of making you choose amongst scripted decisions. Hey, if the something like
Superhero Quiz can ask you a bunch of questions and assign you a character that supposedly lines up with your proclivities, why can't the next game from Team Ico or Silicon Knights or BioWare take it even further?