So with technology advancing, we've seen several instances of games getting famous actors to not only voice their characters, but be the visual likeness for the character as well. Examples include Death Stranding, Cyberpunk, Star Wars Jedi Survivior, etc. And I can't help but feel that this practice is only harmful to video games because the immersion will undoubtedly be hindered. Getting sucked into a fantasy world doesn't really work when you're staring at the face of Keanu Reeves, to put it bluntly.
I already forsee a common counterpoint to this being "well movies do it too, so why should it bother you here?" The problem with that logic is that video games as a medium have the power to make the characters look like anything, unlike movies which are stuck with using real people to play the roles completely unless it's an animated movie. There's only so many qualified actors you can use, and this extends to voice acting as well. So really, what's the point in making your character look like Norman Reeds when you can make him look like a completely unique person? There's no real benefit to this outside of a marketing standpoint - the immersion only serves to be damaged and the characters' identities not their own. Sam Bridges is not Sam Bridges. He's Norman Reedus. And there's no reason that has to be the case for a video game.
So to me, this practice of getting celebrities to be the look for your characters is inherently a bad idea. It just doesn't justify itself in this medium in any way, at least not with any artistic integrity. Let video games indulge on their creativity - don't restrict it.
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