The Importance of Writing a Character with Flaws

In the latest issue of Game Informer, a magazine produced by GameStop in North America, there was an entire article about a new game being released called "Night in the Woods" featuring anthropomorphic animals that exhibit mental health characteristics such as depression and bipolar disorder. This article struck a chord with me because it is not every day that a video game covers concepts like mental health that have a stigma in modern society.

The reason the article stood out to me was that it mentioned that writing a character with "flaws" (I do not believe anything associated with mental health a flaw) is more relatable than typical Mary Sue characters that have no flaws. If a character does not ever experience a conflict, it is hard for the average reader to understand.

According to the Night in the Woods developer, Scott Benson, he believes, "with characters, you have to give them failures," because it gives them an extra dimension for the player to relate. I know plenty of people in my own personal circle of friends who could benefit from playing a game that features flawed characters without a negative tone. Somehow, seeing a character expressing sad emotions seems more real than sad.