We all have characters that we can relate to and identify with, both in and out of the video game industry. If you were to ask people, "What video game character would you be?", you would receive many different answers. For a while, I honestly don't know how I would have replied to that question. It's not because there aren't video game characters that I relate to, but rather because there were none that I would identify as my video game equivalent (outside of RPGs such as Fallout 3 or Mass Effect, of course). However, there is one character that I feel the most closely related to, and it may surprise some people. If I was a video game character, it would be River from the 2011 indie game To the Moon.
Now, some people may be a bit weirded out about the fact that I am a male, as opposed to River, who is a female. This however, is not a factor in my decision whatsoever. I relate to River in ways that go above and beyond trivial matters like gender and physical appearance, and it is for this reason among others that I believe that To the Moon is a work of art. For anyone who has yet to play the game, there are minor spoilers ahead, so be warned.
River Wyles was the wife of Johnny Wyles before her death prior to the events that occur in the game's present day. With the help of doctors Neil Watts and Eva Rosaline, we are introduced to her via flashbacks in Johnny's memory. River is shown to be a peculiar girl, one that is "different", as Johnny described her. We eventually learn that River was born with a pervasive developmental disorder known as Asperger syndrome, which is something she did not know she had until she was an adult.
I was also diagnosed with Asperger's, although in my case I was much younger than River was. I was, as Isabell would put it, able to learn how to "act normal". River's fate was much more tragic than mine, but I understand her so well that it is practically painful. The isolation, the "odd" way of speaking, even her demeanor all lend to a sense of familiarity of the way I used to feel so much, and sometimes still do. I have learned to deal with my disability, but I shudder to think of what I could have been had I not been informed of my diagnosis when I was. Not to say that River was ever a bad person because of her disease, but she carried a burden that could have been much lighter.
There were times when I wished that I could have went into the game world, wrapped River up in a hug, pat her on the back and say, "I understand." It is very rare that I bond with a character so closely, and there were even times when I wished that I could help her. She may have been a fictional character, but she represents real people and real problems. I can't help but feel close to her.
I am different than River in many ways, but I feel as though there is no other character in gaming right now that represents a lot of the problems I face every day. She feels hauntingly real, and that is a huge testament to the creative minds at Freebird Games. To the Moon was such a wonderful game, and I really wish that there were more like it. Then again, I suppose that's part of the reason that it's a masterpiece.
Have your own character that you feel best represents you? Feel free to post below!