When video games started having more elaborate storylines, their lead heroes and heroines became more complex as well. It was an inevitable development, as solid characters are necessary to carry and move a plot forward, because the way it will develop depends heavily on their temperament, their mindset and their way of thinking. This complexity is depicted mainly through interactions and background stories - elements that are shown in cutscenes mostly and documents to which we have access during gameplay, and of course there is the lore of each game in which there is a lot more to discover about the leads and their character elements. Apart from that, however, one important feature is how the heroes and heroines are presented through several other activities that may or may not contribute to the development of the stories in which they are part. When it comes to this, many of them reveal their skills and talents, as well as their craftsmanship, their creativity and ingenuity. Quite a few times, their abilities are indications of a higher intelligence, often combined with adaptiveness and survival skills. Other times, they showcase their artistry which is usually highly impressive, albeit not directly obvious.
Sean Diaz, the young protagonist of Life Is Strange 2, is a very skilled and intuitive artist. Drawing helps him escape from the hard reality that he is forced to face, but it is also a means for him to document the world around him.
He is also a talented, trophy-winning runner, something that even his little brother Daniel acknowledges.
Ethan Winters is revealed to be quite the artist in Resident Evil: Village, judging from the drawings in his journal.
Evie Frye in Assassin's Creed: Syndicate proves that one of her many talents is drawing, as we can see an accurate portrait of her love interest, Henry Green, on the last page of her journal.
Chris Ericssen in The Adventures Of Captain Spirit is a gifted and imaginative young boy, who also has a blooming talent in drawing, sure to develop a lot as he gets older.
One of the most multi-skilled heroines is undoubtedly Jill Valentine: apart from her intelligence and combat mastery, she is also an excellent lockpicker, as seen in several instances, including the "Lost In Nightmares" adventure from Resident Evil 5.
She is very apt in chemistry too, as she can formulate a chemical mixtures in seconds in the first Resident Evil game.
And she can play the piano like a virtuoso, with Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" being her absolute highlight, usually turning out to be an important step in solving puzzles, like in the "Lost In Nightmares" adventure.
Jake is gifted not only in the artistic field but in extreme racing as well, if you consider the nearly super-humanly way in which he drives - or better, flies - the motorbike over rooftops.
Billy Coen can also play the piano very well, as seen in Resident Evil 0.
Although we never have the chance to hear him in the act, Chris Redfield obviously plays the guitar, as there is one by his desk, below his jacket, inside the S.T.A.R.S., as seen in Resident Evil 2. Quite possibly he is playing by ear only, as in Resident Evil 1 it is stated that he cannot read music.
Chris is also an expert VTOL pilot, as we can see in Resident Evil 6.
Leon Kennedy is able to pilot an airplane in Resident Evil 6 (albeit with following instructions, but it still is a commendable feat) and even perform an emergency landing. Known for his high intelligence, Leon is famously able to carry out even the most demanding and challenging tasks.
Max Caulfield in Life Is Strange can play the guitar very well. She resorts to playing music when she wants to clear her mind and relax.
Ashley Graham can handle a huge vehicle quite well, both in the original Resident Evil 4 and its Remake. Her skill proves extremely useful in a particularly tough sequence in the story.
Edward Kenway in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is able to alter Duncan Walpole's robe with a few cuts, rips and leather patches within minutes. This transformation marks also the moment when he leaves the fake Assassin persona behind and becomes the legendary pirate captain that we know and love.
He can also craft several fancy outfits from animal skins.
By the looks of it, he is also able to cut his own hair, judging from the charming unevenness of his locks.
Lara Croft can read and understand ancient languages and dialects, as seen in Rise Of The Tomb Raider. Partly thanks to her education, but mostly because she loves discovering new things and is very skilled in the learning process.
One of the most charming features of the heroes and heroines in contemporary video games is their realistic depiction in both appearance and character elements, and this of course includes their talents and skills. Their 3D dimension no longer limits their personality and attitude, as all their human characteristics and attributes add to their impressive abilities in the action field, resulting in them being seen as fully fledged individual beings with their own distinctive qualities and presence in the world of fiction.
NOTES
1. Some of the characters mentioned in this article also have skills and talents that are essential to the stories and even are the stories themselves. I did not include those, as they are assigned as default attributes to the characters and they are among their important traits - ie, Max in Life Is Strange is a talented photographer, but this is one of her story's driving forces and essential to the plot; her story would not have developed the way it did without it. Same goes for her power to turn back time, and the gift of telekinesis that Daniel Diaz has in Life Is Strange 2.
2. In some of the games included in the article, there are characters that are shown to have certain skills - ie, Cassidy in Life Is Strange 2 is a talented singer, and Finn in the same game is skilled in hairdressing and wood sculpting; such cases are not featured in the article because, albeit generally important in the stories where they appear, they are mainly supporting characters and we do not get to know much else about them.
