This is why we can’t have nice things.

Leigh Alexander writes about the top 5 game characters of 2007. A lot of fine points in there, but there’s one that just flies in the face of reality, and things that do so have a tendency to inspire epileptic neural impulses in some unknown part of my brain that refuses to die no matter how much I might have to drink at the holiday party.

You is not such a great game character.

While Mass Effect does some interesting exploration into how the player’s role interacts with their character (such as how your chosen backstory intertwines with the rest of the game’s narrative), I’m talking about the Time-inspired, socially networked, voice chatting You of game characters.

You is an anonymous, homophobic, mysogynistic dickhead.

And not even a lovable one at that.