anyone use psychology when scripting dialog?

[sharprm]

Hi,

Maybe this topic has been done before [i'm very lazy and don't search], but basically asking does anyone use any psychology theories when writing characters/dialog? An example of a psychology theory I came across:

People have 2 colors assigned to them. Each color represents a group of traits that is their strength.

Red - good with people
Yellow - creative
Green - organized
Blue - good at abstract concepts

Watching movies sometimes its easy to assign 2 colors to characters based on the dialog/actions. I was wondering if anyone does this in reverse? Assigns two colors, then writes dialog/actions that fit this theory. Below is an example i tried. Turned out okay methinks. Anyway, there seems to be many psychology theories, so I was wondering does anyone use them and which ones? And you can have a go at assigning colors to other game characters and writing scenes if that floats your boat too.

eg. Elaine Marley - Red and Green
      Stan - Red and Blue

(scene: Stan's used coffin emporium. Stan is nailed in the coffin) 
Elaine: "hello? where's the attendant?" (green - organized)
Stan: "say there, can you help me out?"
elaine gets stan out 
Stan: "thanks!"
Elaine: "how long have you been trapped in there? that must have been a really awful experience" (red - caring)
Stan: "tell me about it. 3 customers came, rang the bell and left without buying anything. I'm traumatized. But shoot, you're here now and you're dying to buy a coffin, right?" (blue - thinking about profit is abstract)
Elaine: "*sob* its for my Guybrush"
Stan: "oh no! Guybrush! i hate to lose a satisfied customer - even if that means more business to me - but Guybrush was special. Truly. I remember selling him a death vessel like it was yesterday. What was it called? The Sea Monkey. Anyway, I know he would appreciate you coming here, to Stan's, to buy a coffin. Just standing here, he said, 'i wish someone loved me enough to buy the deluxe coffin model'. Well, what do you think? Tell me, honesty, isn't this the finest example of craftsmanship?" (red)
Elaine: "I think you're confused. I want an animal coffin for my dog, Guybrush. Some idiot threw him out of a treehouse" 
Stan: "oh jeez. thats tragic - I got rid of all my animal coffin stock last week. Had to make room for Governor Phatt's order. Tell you what though, why not get the deluxe model anyway. There'll be room for the dog toys. Only the best for man's best friend. Guybrush will appreciate it. The dead one i mean."

This should be a discussion about dialog itself, not the color presented on screen (as radiowaves pointed out below)

[Ishmael]

Not this sort of theory, but yes, I have characteristics written or at least thought up for my characters and I try to keep to them in dialog and such. I like designing deep, complex characters, and usually taking psychology into account helps out when dealing with their relationships. Knowing something about how the human mind works can help you produce quite real characters, I'd imagine.

I haven't really gotten around to toy with all this properly, but one example I've tried was in my OROW game. It's probably not that easy to spot in it right off, but each of the three characters have their own traits. One's a natural leader, one's an intelligent smart-ass, one's thick but not through and through stupid. And I think I got their relations working OK, for the little the game had in it.

[Stupot]

I must admit I've never really though about this. I've tended to simply write in the hope that the characters will come into their own.  In real life, people are all quite similar, despite their differences so if you set out trying to make each character completely unique then you end up with a bunch of sterotypes.

I like this colour coding thing because different traits can overlap... it's okay to have 2 yellow creative people... because in any real-life bunch of folks you will get people with some similar traits... otherwise why the hell are they in the same room?

I guess the moral of the story is, don't contrive to make each character totally unique in every possible way... at least not if your aiming for realism.

[Eggie]

Sounds like overcomplicating things to me.

[Trent R]

You're color theory is messed up. I'm used to:
Red--Control, leader
Yellow--Fun, party-lover
White--Peace maker
And I can't remember Blue....

Not that your color theory is wrong, I've just never heard of those ones used.
~Trent

[Buckethead]

I always use a talking colour that fits with the sprite of the character talking. As Eggie said, it would make things too complicated. I don't think people would get the point.

[Ishmael]

Colour theories are, incidentally, rather nothing to me. I don't like labeling and categorising people anyway. And having every character unique doesn't mean they can't have the same traits as others. There might even be two characters with alike personalities and talents yet they could be unique.

[Dudeman Thingface]

Due to that fact that in adventure games people don't feel the need to stereotype (or, indeed, want to) characters then I think your idea will only work on a lower suggestive level to appeal to the subconscious.

By that I mean instead of such high levels of thought involved in your interpretations of the colours:

Red - good with people
Yellow - creative
Green - organized
Blue - good at abstract concepts

Use much more basic and emotional terms:

Red - Energetic/Excited
Yellow - Light/Happiness
Green - Life/Good
Blue - Sadness/Cool (as in not hot)

[sharprm]

Intelligence isn't something i thought about. The guard on monkey island 2 is pretty stupid. Then again maybe its because he is red/yellow.

Just to be clear the 'color theory' isn't my own, its something someone told me after they had gone to a human resources training day. And its nothing to do with what actual color the dialog would have. It's just an idea how to write the dialog.

Maybe another example (btw i think this one is too complicated and i can't remember the other 8 factors) to steer things away from color confusion:

Introverted/Extroverted
Judgmental/perceiving

Voodoo lady: EP
Wally: IJ

Voodoo lady: Hello Wally, how can i help you?
[Wally walks into wall by mistake]
Voodoo lady: I sense something is not right with you. (perceiving)
Wally: Some jerk stole my monocle!  (judgmental)

[radiowaves]

And I thought this was about the dialog itself, not how its presented on the screen. There should be a dialouge that alters the players mind like Derren Brown does.

[Ryan Timothy B]

Sure colored text 'can' be used to describe someone.  Like an evil person could use Red - implies anger, blood, hate.

But considering random colored text can get pretty confusing, I find it's easier for the player if the text is colored accordingly to the players main colors.  If one character is wearing a green shirt, his text should be green.  Or if the devil, a big red character, he should definitely have red text.

Main or important characters should always have a different color than anyone in the game.  If two random security guards were wearing blue jumpsuits, you could easily just give them the same color blue (just as long as the player definitely knows it's a different security guard).

But definitely Never use the same color as the Ego on someone else.  I've played some games that do this and I find it can be very confusing.