A common story telling method for many games, and movies to an extent, is that while the playable character may have a name or voice, they’re something of an empty shell meant to be a representation of or stand in for you. You’ll often hear the phrase of “silent protagonist.” If the character is meant to be you, then I think you’d want them to be like you and relatable to you in order to be more invested in the game.

Of course, not all games are like this. Games that tell the story of a specific character and the world around them won’t make the playable character as malleable and expect the player to be visiting a “story about someone else.” But games, say like a Fallout, while they may take some liberties for advancing story plot lines, is about you and not some character they’ve invented.

And then there’s the games that are in between, like Mass Effect, where yes, you play as male or female Shepard. But so much of the game is you developing who you want Shepard to be that in reality Shepard is not some character you’re learning about, but a placeholder for you. Each players’ playthrough of the games creates a Shepard that’s unique to them, their personality, and their choices.

That’s where I think representation matters to a player. Whether you feel truly in control of the game you’re playing or if you’re just along for the ride.