Fest's Character Corner: Pets!

Pets are great. My house is a complete zoo containing three cats, two massive huskies and an albino ferret. Pets add texture to my life in the same ways that they do in games. Pets in video games often take a variety of roles depicted as anything from a companion character that serves little purpose, to an actual playable character.

Generally speaking, I love dogs. Most people do. Often shown as a dedicated ally to their owner it's hard to think about life without them once you've had one. As far as dogs go in the virtual world I have to say that one jumps into mind before all others; Blanca a character from the Shadow Hearts franchise and the main character Yuri's ever faithful companion.

Blanca was always a character I added to the character lineups I'd use for battles not because he was the "best" choice but because I liked the dynamic between Blanca and Yuri. Blanca is always viewed as a highly intelligent guardian who decides to go with Yuri after his original master was killed by the people Yuri was pursuing.

Since I am such a dog person I loved Shadow Hearts even more when there was a canine companion to add into the mix but I digress. As far as pets in games go they serve to create an emotional bond between the player and the game. Pets are good for facilitating that emotional stimulation and connection as it is a widely shared experience, most people have loved a pet at some point in their lives and that makes it easy to love a pet in a virtual setting as well.

                                                                    Gotta love the dogs!