We here at GamEir love video games (if we didn’t this would be super awkward). We talk about every aspect that intrigues, that tickles our fancies and we hope at the same time that we can connect with you and your interests.
I’ve looked back and thought our articles have been read, you may have listened to Speakin’ Geek and heard musings but we’ve never discussed who we are as gamers. With that in mind, I thought it would be a lot of fun for us and hopefully you to discuss the video game spirit animals of our team.
Graham – Zack Fair
When I was a child my first foray into role-playing games was Final Fantasy VII. I was blown away by the story, the characters, and I even learned to better my reading capabilities. My mom actually thought that it was a kind of educational tool because of all the reading I had to do. Thank god she didn’t see all the blood and mayhem of the battles between Jenova and the gang.
When I first thought of my video game spirit animal there was one name that kept popping up, Cloud Strife. He was so cool, so badass, and sadly one dimensional. When I was young I adored him but as I grew up I realised that my fair weather friend was Zack Fair the unsung hero of Final Fantasy VII. When I was a child I just thought he was cool because he was a black-haired Cloud.
He was a true hero and when I played Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core I fully became attached to this Soldier: First Class. He was fun, he was loving to his friends and tried to understand his enemies but when it was necessary he could bring down armies. I would hope that I too can exemplify the same heroic nature of this man. Plus I would love to know how he keeps his hair in such immaculate condition.
Dave – King
Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been fascinated by professional wrestling. To this day I’m enthralled by it all, I’ve grown from the little lad who looked up to The Rock and Stone Cold to a fan of all the crazy stuff going on in the wrestling world today. I adore unusual methods of storytelling, and professional wrestling is one of my favourites. My absolute favourite is, of course, video games, so when the two collide I am a happy camper. I love it whenever Leon hits a zombie with a suplex in Resident Evil 4. When Zangief hits that 360 pile driver in Street Fighter, my heart lights up. Wrestling fans will understand this, when we see our subculture pop up in other places it makes us smile. There’s plenty of wrestling influence in video games, you just have to look at the work of Suda 51 to see plenty of it. However, no one has represented pro wrestling in video games better than King.
Sure, you have pro wrestlers in other fighting games. I mentioned Zangief from Street Fighter, you’ve got Mike Haggar in Final Fight and Raiden from King of Fighters. However, no one even comes close to King. The luchador from Tekken in his iconic Jaguar mask not only has the look of a pro wrestler but the moves to back it up. Most fighting games don’t allow for the kind of complexity Tekken does and considering King’s move list is over one hundred and filled with all kinds of crazy grapples and classic wrestling moves, there’s no doubt he’s the number one pro wrestler in all of video games. He keeps me coming back to Tekken 7, and winning with one of King’s signature moves is the sweetest victory there is.
Katie – The Stealthy Archer
There’s a lot to be said for the enigmatic Stealth Archer. From the underrated Jess Black in Far Cry 5 to everyone’s favourite Turian, Garrus, from the Mass Effect series. Yes, Garrus is a sniper, but why not conflate the two? Both archetypes prefer the subterfuge of the shadows, both take time to line their shots perfectly to eliminate any wasted ammo. And most importantly, both prefer to keep a healthy distance from the chaotic front lines.
Aside from the cool cloaking armour you are bound to find when you play as one of these characters, it’s nice to be able to enter a game with some surety that you will be completely safe from the gunfire (as long as you’re good at what you do). You’ll also be a crucial component in team matches, with your shots often delivering one-hit kills. What’s cooler than that?
Cora – Khajit
The key thing to understand about gaming and me is that I need constant entertainment and validation. I also love cats. For that reason, playing Skyrim on Novice difficulty with a Khajit character is the most Cora way to game. Endless opportunities to be entertained, endless gratitude from NPCs and an ever-present feeling of being a chosen one – all these things are what has made me log so many happy hours into this game.
My approach? I have a real soft spot for anything Daedric because I love to feel as though I have an ancient artifact that nobody else has. So I’ve always got my Mace of Molag Bol. I also hate two-handed swords or maces as they limit my ability to cast spells, so I’ve always got Flames or Fast Healing equipped with my fave mace in my right hand. I’ll always have a bow in my ‘Favourites’ so that I can sneak into hideouts and pick off the bandits one by one, while the remaining bandits say ‘its just the wind’.
Then I can sneak no more so this Khajit kitty leaps through the air and bashes the living daylights out of everyone in the place. In Skyrim, I am the best person in that universe. Not only am I the Dovahkiin, but I am the only person who is capable of doing literally anything for anyone. So while friends of mine may enjoy playing online or against people IRL, I’m infinitely happier to live in my own little (or big) world.
John – JC Denton
My spirit animal is JC Denton, the protagonist and player character of the original Deus Ex. He is perceptive, intelligent and stoic though sometimes comes across as cold depending on the player choices throughout the storyline. Somewhat of a loner this nano-augmented anti-terrorist agent really drew my attention as a young gamer. Perhaps because his worldview was always shifting based on how you played and what you knew.
Despite shifting allegiances in the story he always keeps an idealistic view of the world and wants to work towards the greater good.
So there you go. These are some of the characters that we as gamers identify with. These figures and archetypes help us through our lives, give us strength when we’re down and inspire us.
Please let us know in the comments below what your gaming totems are and let us all revel in make-believe.
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