What makes a sports game so entertaining? Why do some people cry when their favorite character dies? If you’ve read the title you should already know that the answer is investment. There was a time when the online Dungeons and Dragons podcast Critical Role had the most successful Kickstarter campaign of all time. The weirdest part? It is fully deserved. It has taken a long time to discern just what makes this group of “nerdy-ass voice actors” so appealing. Why can you listen to them talking at a dinner table with rapt attention for over half an hour? Because the cast has done such an excellent job of getting you to invest in their characters. A huge part of the show is the group of adventurers themselves, as well as the people who play them. Each character has hopes and dreams, but also weaknesses, failures and tragedies. The aforementioned dinner scene was so immersive because the audience knew what it meant for a member of the party. We had spent over 400 hours building up to a payoff such as this one. Payoff is another reason that anyone can realistically invest in the show. With the amount of time spent on one episode alone, the average viewer needs to feel a sense of catharsis for all those hours to be worth it. And low and behold, Mathew Mercer is a terrific practitioner of Chekhov's Gun. “Chekhov’s Gun” refers to everything within a piece of media having purpose within the narrative; basically Mathew manages to make even filler episodes testaments to character development. In fact, Mathew arguably works harder on the little things than the big ones, as the larger plot is revealed to the audience at the same pace as the characters. Between the attention to detail, the excellent character writing, and the unique medium, it is no small wonder that Critical Role has such an avid fanbase. Though not functioning as the perfect Dungeons and Dragons campaign, that is a sacrifice the cast is willing to make for inclusivity. It inspired many players to begin playing the game, and that’s something worth being grateful for. The show isn’t perfect, but it’s a pioneer, and a terrific example of investment.
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AuthorMcRae Walker, an 20-year-old writer and lover of many dorky topics. Archives
September 2022
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