Side or Supporting? Character Subtypes and Dissection
Side character? Supporting character? What's the difference, and why should we care?
One of the main draws for me in game writing has always been characters. There are fantastic writers who specialize in worldbuilding or marrying mechanical sequences with living plot, but before I knew much about the ins and outs of these practices, I admired the work done in character development above all.
I’ve noticed my own penchant for getting attached to characters that aren’t the most popular, or that leave only the barest impression upon the plot of the games they appear in. This isn’t to say that certain popular or well-known characters haven’t left an impression on me, as well, but more often than not the characters I leave a game wanting to know more about are not the main characters, or at least not the protagonist.
I don’t often actively dislike a protagonist (and when I do, I’m not likely to continue to play the game they star in), but even in games with self-insert style protagonists, I always focus on the other characters and their relationships to the player and one another. While considering this at length, I started to wonder:
Are there certain types of games that are more likely to produce this result, or are there certain types of players who experience this more often? Are there certain archetypes that I personally find myself attuned to without realizing it?
While I believe there’s absolutely merit in referencing psychology when it comes to this topic, I know admittedly little about it beyond my own cursory research in personal (and mostly unrelated) fields. Instead, I drew up a list of some of my favorite non-protagonist characters and did some digging on why I find them so intriguing. I also made a loose classification system for them, along with notating a few qualities that they have in common (and what sets them apart from one another). I invite anyone else who feels like they want to nail down what makes their favorite type of characters stand out to them to try this little experiment as well!
As part of this categorization of characters who aren’t the main protagonist or main player character, I wanted to make a distinction between side characters and supporting characters. While this may seem arbitrary in the vast expanse of games, I noticed that these different types of characters appealed to me in different ways and (usually) served different functions.
Side characters:
Have little impact on the main story/plot
Rely on mostly subtext/alternative storytelling
Are usually not playable/can not be recruited
Supporting characters:
Have some impact on the story, which can vary from keen to passive
If the protagonist or other characters are voiced, these characters are usually voiced as well (at least a little)
Can be playable/recruited, but not always
The type of game the character appears in, the mechanics of the game, and how present the player character is in the plot of the game also have an effect on this classification–in a series like Persona, there is a fairly clean distinction between which characters are side versus supporting, especially due to the existence of a social rank system and how that can affect in-game combat, if at all. For instance, in Persona 5, I would consider all the non-Joker Phantom Thieves supporting characters, leaving the other social-ranks as side characters.
(Pictured: The Phantom Thieves from Persona 5)
There is always room for wiggling and nuance, of course.
One might argue that Stardew Valley has scarce few “side” characters by my definition, or that whether or not an NPC is romanceable has an effect on how preeminently they are featured in the game’s fairly definable story. Some games in the Harvest Moon series can have completely different player experiences if the player chooses not to pursue any of the series’ beloved bachelors and bachelorettes, which I’d consider a major impact on the story and mechanics.
(Pictured: The PC, their chosen spouse, and their child from Story of Seaons: A Wonderful Life)
How directly you as a player can influence characters also plays a large part in my classification. If you can have a character in your party and your game involves combat, for instance, then automatically you as the player engage in higher-stakes experiences with these characters. Games from the Fire Emblem series use this as an integral part of their social systems. The player can raise the social rank between two recruitable characters simply by positioning them in battle near one another. Note that the definition in these games of recruitable characters is a bit loose–you as the player control their actions in battle, but their backstories and intricacies are unknown to you unless you put in the effort to have your PC raise their social rank with them. To further raise the stakes, some games in the series flaunt a “permadeath” feature: if those treasured recruits die in a fight, that’s it. They’re gone, unless you resort to restarting the battle or reloading a save. More recent entries in the series have made this optional, and even have story-related rewind functions that make it pretty difficult to lose any characters who aren’t meant to die.
(Pictured: Marianne and the PC from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Marianne is saying: “Having to fight with your former classmates is just so terribly sad…”)
The weight these characters carry is decidedly different than that of easier-going games like Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon, but many of the characters these games involve have similar classifications. Another key distinction to make is that a character having little weight on the main plot does not necessarily mean they remain static. Often, the experience we have with a side character mirrors or juxtaposes the game’s story and themes in ways we might not realize in the moment.
In the most recent God of War installments, the main story is truly focused on Kratos’ relationship with his son, and while the machinations hanging above both of their heads are arguably much more “important” than the relationship between one father and his son, the way the story is told gives little room for doubt on what the developers wanted us to take away from these games.
There are other characters and plenty of side plots to feed even the most voracious of completionists, but the truest essence of the game boils down to Kratos, Atreus, and their shared struggle to grow and change.
(Pictured: Atreus and Kratos embracing near the end of God of War: Ragnarok)
This doesn’t mean, however, that other characters aren’t given time and space to develop. Other figures that we might recognize from mythology make appearances and face their own struggles on-screen, right alongside our protagonists. They carry their own weight and sing their own songs, but allow space for the main conflict and resolution to play out. The games showcase multiple generations and types of familial relationships, but each of these are dynamic set pieces for the main characters’ plight.
With a bit of nuance discussed, let’s get into some dissection!
I picked three of my favorite side/supporting characters from different series, and tried to get a mix of how plot-integral they are.
LORD FELWINTER (Destiny Series)
(Pictured: a hologram of Lord Felwinter, holding his trademark weapon: Felwinter’s Lie)
Not at all present (alive) in game, but has lore and in-game events that reference him
Mentor figure to a character who is much more present in-game (Osiris)
More interesting due to his relationships with more relevant characters
VERDICT: SIDE CHARACTER
I believe this robotic dark horse of a character is one of my favorite ‘legendary’ depictions in recent media. He carries all the weight of a Greek tragedy despite being on screen for players arguably once. His reputation for swift and cruel justice is what defined him while he was living, and it continues to echo in the present. Felwinter holds a massive secret that affects his relationship with every person he interacts with, friend or foe. His persistence convinced one of the most stubborn characters in this universe to consider his options. Felwinter is a concoction of suspicion and righteousness that I haven’t found in any other character yet, compelling and strange. His ironic humanity is the trait that those close to him remember him for above all–especially dramatic considering studying humanity was his body’s original purpose. This is the character single-handedly responsible for getting me into reading written dialogue aloud to make sure it matches the character’s tone in context. Despite all this, he is decidedly nowhere near the most important character in Destiny’s universe. He is, however, narratively related to many of the game’s recent key players; most notably Osiris, Rasputin, and Ana Bray.
MILES EDGEWORTH (Ace Attorney Series)
(Pictured: Miles Edgeworth from the original Ace Attorney. He is saying: “O-objection! I… object to the wtiness’s talkativeness.”)
Very present in most of the games’ plot. Even stars as a playable character in his own spin-offs
More involved, in fact, than any other non-PC
Antagonist-to-ally pipeline
VERDICT: MAIN-LEANING SUPPORTING CHARACTER
One half of a well-known red and blue gaming duo, Edgeworth has been a series mainstay since the very first Ace Attorney game. He plays a fearsome direct opposition to rookie attorney Phoenix Wright, handling plenty more experience despite the two being close in age. While Felwinter may be interesting because of his relationships with other characters, Edgeworth doesn’t have just that going for him. He has many secrets, some that he doesn’t even know himself until later on in the series. Edgeworth is a prime example of how well characters and plot points can be directly tied together. He’s so integral to the games’ story that one could argue the games wouldn’t truly exist without him (Phoenix proclaims he got into law because of Edgeworth, specifically, though the man himself only vaguely remembers this defining moment). He grows alongside the player as the games progress, admitting he was wrong about some of his most closely held beliefs and seeking the “real” truth instead of focusing just on getting convictions. He is a marvelous depiction of a true rival, a character juxtaposed against the player character to encourage growth and dynamism in them both.
GUY CECIL (Tales of the Abyss)
(Pictured: Luke, Tear, Jade, Anise, and Guy from Tales of the Abyss. Guy is saying: “O-okay, okay! I get it! Stop touching me!” as Anise is acosting him.)
Fairly included in the main story as the main character’s best friend
One of six main party members, so he shares screen time with them (but gets a little more than some of the others)
Seems to be a little “along for the ride” despite several glaring inconsistencies
VERDICT: SUPPORTING CHARACTER
I played this game many years after its original release, but I put so many hours into the 3DS remake, trying to take apart every little bit of dramatic tension to study it. This is a classic JRPG right down to its roots, and this character plays a decent part in producing that effect. We meet Guy in the first few minutes of the game, a slightly more mature figure in the eyes of the decidedly immature player character, Luke. The same scene shows us that the two are of entirely separate social classes despite their closeness, a theme that pervades the rest of the game. While Guy is often played up to comedic effect due to his quirks (he has a fear of women and is prone to geeking out over technology), he has deeply serious moments where we see that implied maturity more explicitly. We find out the grim reason for his insistence on traveling with the main character over the course of the story, and this reveal leads to some massive end- and post-game implications. His motives, once they are fully understood, are uncomfortably relatable, and Luke’s acceptance of this horrifying fact plays nicely with his own journey of growth and maturity. Since Guy has been so relatable, he’s made appearances in a few other Tales games and popularity polls, despite the franchise’s disjointed nature. Because of this, there is little context to gather outside of this single game, but the game itself is meaty enough that Guy’s arc feels complete and outstanding.
Using these sorts of limits and classification systems has helped me identify in-universe reasoning for why certain characters have more screen time or importance.
Their purpose in the narrative, as blunt an affiliation as it might seem, is more important in development than their mannerisms or what their favorite color is. When a game is in a player’s hands, however, both are important. A player may find themselves alienated from the main character for a multitude of reasons, but if they can latch onto a side or supporting character, their likelihood of continual play increases, as does their propensity to share their thoughts on the game with other people. In especially lucky cases, the player might create something as a result of their affinity for a character. This is the golden space where we as devs can get extra excited about fanart, cosplay, fan songs/music–the possibilities are endless. I’ve seen and experienced firsthand what sorts of awesome fanwork can be inspired specifically by characters, and one of my evergreen goals as a creative is to keep inspiring that sort of vicarious creative spirit in players.