The Appeal Of Complex Characters

Since what people like about entertainment is subjective, there is not necessarily anything universally enjoyed about a movie or video game by ever viewer/player.  At the same time, something I tend to hear a majority of people praise about works of entertainment is complexity of characterization.  While, of course, different people might have different reasons for appreciating the same aspects of a film or game, there is a very specific reason why people might be drawn to complicated characters.

As I have written about before, entertainment can provide us with a way to indirectly experience things foreign to our daily lives, but it can also hold up a mirror that shows us what it is like to be human and to be individuals [1].  In entertainment we can see aspects of ourselves.  And, since our existences are by no means simple, it is no surprise to me that simple characters might be criticized for being largely unrealistic.

People can appreciate complex characters in entertainment because they see genuine complexity when they look within themselves.  Humans are not naturally shallow, simplistic beings--yes, many people are shallow, but it is often by choice and not merely because of their metaphysical nature.  Instead, humans are naturally complex beings, with a variety of emotional, intellectual, sexual, spiritual, moral, phenomenological, and biological variables shaping their identities.  We can relate to complicated characters because our very natures are complicated.

One of my favorite examples of a work of entertainment that masterfully captures this complexity is HBO's Game of Thrones.  Almost every single person I have spoken with who is also a lover of Game of Thrones has said that the characters are definitely among the most well-executed aspects of the show.  It is the realistic portrayals of diverse motivations, worldviews, and life experiences that make the characters so rich.  The slow burn start of the series pays off as the layers of characterization become even more multi-faceted.  Characters like Cersei, Tyrion, Jaime, and Brienne certainly cannot be legitimately called simple!  The depth of the development and arcs of many characters in Game of Thrones testifies to the objective George R.R. Martin had in writing A Song of Ice and Fire: to give an honest depiction of the human heart at war with itself.

To trivialize the complexity of our personalities and longings is to trivialize human nature itself.  They are, after all, significant components of human existence.  From its inception, entertainment has been one of the most effective ways to communicate this complexity to other people, and that has not changed despite all the ways that various mediums of entertainment have evolved.


[1].  https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/04/on-profits-of-stories.html