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The silent protagonist is an interesting trope that only exists within video games. I've heard some people say that it's so that the player can project themselves onto the player. Or that the developers didn't have the budget for voice actors. I don't know about all that, but the silent protagonist in video games, oddly enough, works. I've played a lot of video games where the main character, doesn't say a word, but ends up saving the day and even growing a bit.

Half Life's Gordon Freeman is among the most famous of mute characters. Half Life 2 is my favorite of the series, and by far an improvement over the original. I think that Gordon Freeman is a realy good example of a silent protagonist because you, as the player, are right there with him on his crazy journey through City 17. Gordon Freeman is allegedly a theoretical metaphysicist, though we don't really know because he doesn't talk about it, or anything for that matter. However, what we do know is that he's a pretty damn good shot and a great person to have on your side in the midst of a firefight. In Half Life 2, Gordon Freeman is recognized as a hero by many of the resistance members fighting against the alien race that has enslaved most of the human race. When he first arrives, nobody really knows who he is, what he's done, or if he even exists. As players go through the game, fighting the Combine and making some headway in the fight for the resistance, he is recognized as a champion of the human race. People's spirits are lifted by his very presence. Gordon Freeman brings hope to the hopeless, and has become a confident fighter. He's grown, and changed, by the actions that he's done,  he has evolved as a character. And he still doesn't have a thing to say about it.

Link, of the Legend of Zelda series is another famous silent character who saves the world on a regular basis. In Ocarina of Time, Link grows from being an outcast in his village to being the Hero of Time. The game starts off in Kokiri Forest, a magical place where all of its inhabitants are eternally children. Each child has their own fairy, except for Link. When the winds of destiny blow in Link's favor, his adventure begins. Facing terrible monsters and solving riddles of the ancients, Link overcomes all adversity that faces him. Link later acquires the Master Sword, the "Blade of Evil's Bane", it is now sealed that Link is the one to vanquish evil from the land of Hyrule. Link grows to an adult, the world has changed, and evil still plagues the land. Link is still not yet ready to exterminate the purge the dark forces from Hyrule, he must undergo more trials, and cure the land before he goes straight for the head of all evil. When he finally arrives at the final trial, Ganon's Castle, Link is ready, he has faced so much, he has grown, he has changed, and so have you as a player. The Legend of Zelda has a way of presenting itself, that makes it seem as though players are going on a grand adventure. Both Link and the Player face the same adversity and they both grow in overcoming their fears of dark, scary places that they must enter. Link shines as a character who doesn't talk, because the game design allows the players to use Link as a vehicle to travel through the world of Hyrule, that's why they let you name the character before you start your adventure. So that it is the players name that is chanted through the streets when all has been restored, and everything is right in the world. Because it was they, who saved the world.

Sometimes, the silent protagonist can be something of hate and malice. Hotline Miami's main character is silent, and does what he is told by mysterious messages left on his answering machine. He doesn't say a word, he doesn't emote anything, all he does is kill. The very thought of a stranger wearing a rubber animal mask, not saying a word, and swiftly walking towards someone with weapon in hand sends shivers down my spine. It's a scary thing, and it doesn't waste any time. If a villain talks, he usually ends up monologuing or making some kind of overly dramatic scene. Hotline Miami's main character is a quiet and efficient killer.

Voice acting in a game can really create the character in a video game. It's not just that they have things to say, but it's how they say it. Nathan Drake, with his snarky one-liners, Joel, of The Last of Us with his stand-offish demeanor and cynicism, Ezio Auditore and his evolution from a young man living in comfort to becoming a master assassin and uncovering the truth of his ancestors. Giving the characters a voice is a fantastic thing because it really does bring that character to life. Jak, of Jak and Daxter, was a silent protagonist in the first game, but suddenly got a voice in the latter two games. The voice fit the character and the circumstances that he found himself in. The tone of the games had gone from bright and sunny to dark and dingy. Jak and Daxter will remain as one of my favorite franchises and Jak, with his new voice will also be one of my favorite characters.

Whether your characters have voice or no, getting a chance to be that character, and walk around in their world, in their shoes is something phenomenal. While the silent protagonist may be something that we only see in video games, and it may be a strange concept, but it works to our wonderfully unique medium.



Who are some of your favorite silent protagonists? Who are some of your favorite vocal protagonists, or voice actors? Let me know in the comments!