In any story, the protagonist is the most important character. Much like the evolution of the hero in literature, the video game hero has undergone a transformation as well. As our technology has evolved, the opportunities to tell a more compelling narrative in games have evolved alongside it. We have gone from controlling a silent group of pixels on the screen to complex characters we can relate to…or a silent group of polygons on the screen. (I’m looking at you, Link.)
Don’t get me wrong, the Legend of Zelda games tell fantastic stories, and I’m a sucker for a good story. I simply feel that as video games become more like interactive experiences, the main character should have a voice. Link is a classic character. He has stood the test of time and through his actions we have come to know what he stands for and his purpose. Link, along with the members of the Mushroom Kingdom, get a well-deserved pass this time.
New franchises, however, stand a far better chance with a good character. Can you imagine a movie whose main character cannot speak? If done extremely well, it could work, but chances are you’ll be watching a movie that you hope is coming to an end. No form of media should have you hoping for the credits to roll. When you play a game, you are seeing the world from the perspective of the character you control. If he can’t speak, he can’t convey his emotions. Without his emotions, you remain a casual observer to the events unfolding on the screen before you. Having a well-developed and compelling hero is crucial to drawing the gamer into the world and making it the experience that gamers want, and that by now, with all that is happening in the gaming industry, they should have.
That isn’t to say that every game needs this. Certain types of video games are of course exempt from the character conundrum. Of course, one’s taste in gaming is opinionated. A prime example is Ninja Gaiden. The character isn’t very outspoken, but we know his motivations, and in the end the focus of the game is more on stylized action and gore than anything else. I liked Ninja Gaiden, I laughed as the blood of my ghoulish enemies sprayed in every direction. Different gamers, different games.
I love playing video games, I love reading books, I love watching movies. Out of all three of those things, games have the greatest opportunities to combine all of the good parts found in each format. If you’re looking to give gamers an experience, maybe you should have your main character do more than grunt.
Unless they’re fighting Ganandorf…or Bowser…or is a ninja…
Merin on 
As art, assuredly, but as a money-maker for a company -
a liked, marketable character will sell a series far longer, with fans clamoring for more, more than a successful environment or game play mechanics.
People anxiously await more games with Link or Solid Snake or Master Chief. Those characters carry people through more and more sequels, sometimes regardless of quality.
Look at games without reoccurring protagonists – Rainbow Six, Call of Duty, Command and Conquer, Final Fantasy -
I’m not saying these are not successful franchises, but who dresses up as generic soldier A from an FPS? And what Final Fantasy’s are more successful than those that have memorable characters that the fans clamor for more of – Cloud being the big example, but Yuna another such character.
I’m a bit biased, though. I like games that are good stories, so good stories require memorable characters usually. The glaring exception to this are games that you get to make your own character, but that’s a whole different topic.