Avatars

Thinking of an avatar which I truly feel comfortable in is a difficult question.  One problem is that many developers seek to create characters for the player to reside within and to have those characters overlay the player.  These types of experiences can be seen in Marcus Fenix in the Gears series or Ryu Hayabusa in Ninja Gaiden.  These characters seek to empower the player by providing them perfectly realized and exceptionally gifted identities to act through.  However, I find that when the interfacing of the player to character is done in this manner, I never think of myself as those characters, rather I view myself as a sort of pilot.

There are some exceptions to this though.  Jack from the first BioShock is an example of an avatar I feel comfortable in.  The confusion of his entry into Rapture along with his virtually nonexistent back story at the beginning of the game help me to fully slide into the game.  This is also heightened by the later revelation of how the player/character actions are being driven.

Claude from GTA III is another avatar I feel comfortable in.  His silence, lack of any special abilities, and his generic character model help me to feel as if I was in the game rather than playing through Claude.  His existence as a blank slate is immensely helpful in doing this.

Lastly, I find Samus from the Metroid series to be a comfortable avatar.  Rather than engaging her character on the basis of her gender, I find that I relate to Samus through her armor.  Additionally, the sense of exploring and understanding the worlds of Metroid allows me to comfortably fall into her as an avatar.