“How do we identify with characters?”

Reading summary

Everyone has most likely heard of identification at one time or another. They probably think that that have a good idea on what it means. If asked people would probably say that they have identified “with the world of the film, or with a particular situation in a television program, or with the camera” (Smith 36). As Greg Smith points out in the third chapter of his book, are these examples the same as “identifying with a character” and do we even know what this means (Smith 36)? The first major section of the chapter asks the reader why identification matters. It explains that identification gives depth to the medium it is apart of and that it brings its viewer closer to itself. The form of media asks us to become participants in its world. The next section of the chapter focuses on “The spectator” (Smith 38). Here smith discusses that a pivotal part of identification is us, the viewer. That many techniques used by directors to include or shape identification are based on manipulating the how the viewer sees the world the director has created. Smith even discusses how directors will unconsciously or purposefully use identification to make female characters more feminine and that this is a reflection of the world outside of the film or show. Following this Smith explains that there are several components of identification. These components are “alignment,” “spatial attachment,” “point-of-view,” and “allegiance” (Smith 43-46). Alignment is how much focus is spent on characters. The more focus the greater the alignment. Spatial attachment gives us information we would know if we are where the character is. Point-of-view lets us see through the characters eyes and tells us how they perceive the world. Finally, allegiance is when we make a moral judgment of a character based on the information we have been given and decide whether to side with them or not. The last section of Smith’s chapter is about the limits of identification. That pieces of media may ask you to identify with multiple characters simultaneously. That this can become complicated very quickly. Some directors will even purposely break the immersion of the audience to keep them from getting caught up in a realistic story.

Outside example

The first thing that popped into my head while I was reading the chapter was video games. I thought about the games I have played and how in most of them you are playing as someone in the game. This game character may be a person in the story or it may have been a character you you created. Many of these games that I have played are also in the first person perspective. The most recent game that i have played that fits this description is a game called Vermintide 2. In this melee focused game you are playing as one of five characters. The actions you take can while in game can affect the voice lines spoken by your character and make it seem like you are interacting with the world as that character. Also, the sound in the game is directional and can give you audio ques as to where enemies are respective to you position.

Reading connection

Smith’s third chapter can be applied to Vermintide 2 in several ways. First, as a game you are able to directly control the character you are playing as. Thus your identification with the character by being in their shoes is great. Next, the perspective of the game is first person and thus the point-of-view of the character lets us see the world from their eyes. The sounds of the game give the player spatial attachment by letting them hear the same sounds as if they were also standing where the character was. Finally, the voice lines give the player more information on the character and allow them to make a moral judgement on the character and thus decide on their allegiance.