Last month I asked Bitmob writers to analyze a character from any video game for a writing challenge called Know Your Role. The goal was to not only study these characters' role in their respective stories, but also their role in game play and even how they were animated.  Eight of you answered with subjects ranging from critical darlings to obscure Sega Saturn games.  Here are the results from the June Bitmob Writing Challenge.

The Cast of Portal

By Chase Koeneke

Portal is a game about creating a deep experience out of a simple concept, so itsn't a surprise that there's more to its characters than at first glance. Chase runs the gamut, highlighting everyone from main character Chell to those Companion Cubes everyone talks about.

Infantry Soldier from Advance Wars

By Suriel Vazquez

Suriel takes a look at the unglamorous side of Nintendo's strategy series with his diary of a soldier. It’s a bittersweet take on a unit that is the cheapest to make and yet the most human, touching on the cost of poor strategy and the tragedy of meatshielding.

Gary Smith from Bully

By Richard Moss

Did Gary set you up from the start, or did his psyche degenerate over time? Having already wrote a Game Diary on his experiences playing Bully, Richard has the experience necessary to study the game's central antagonist.

Wrex from Mass Effect

By Marcel Hoang

Mass Effect is full of different aliens, but the one Marcel studies is Wrex, a warrior who serves as the game's tank character. Read his entry to learn about Wrex's motivations in this space opera.

Amarant from Final Fantasy 9

By Robert M.F. Stoneback

Robert brings the imposing loner of Final Fantasy 9 into focus.  He argues that Amarant is almost unnecessary to FF9’s story, but is essential to FF9’s mission to be a callback to the series’s roots. And of course to make Americans tolerate a game that dares to be whimsical.

Protagonist from Shadow of the Colossus

By Meghan Ventura

If we were like the everyman heroes in most games, then we would all be able to dual-wield pistols and somersault while sprouting bad one-liners. Meghan describes how the silent protagonist of Shadow of the Colossus stumbles his way into being a realistic person.

Anakaris from Darkstalkers

By Daniel Feit

Anakaris is one of the most recognizable fighters in Capcom's horror-themed series.  He is also one of the most unorthodox characters in fighting-game history. Daniel talks about how just playing as this mummy can be a rewarding experience.

Mr. Bones from Mr. Bones

By Ryan Good

Ryan digs up the title character from an odd Sega Saturn game for his entry. While Ryan could have elaborated more on the game and character, his attempt to examine a long-forgotten character fits well with the theme of the challenge.

Waluigi from the Mario series

By Chris Hoadley

Waluigi is the Nintendo character of the decade. I’m writing this sentence so that I can maintain a consistency in the word count spent on each subject, as nothing is more elegant than an article that is as simple in structure as it is to understand.

As always, if I left any entry out or screwed up someone's name, please let me know.  Michael Rousseau has already posted July's writing challenge, called Pressing Issue.  In this challenge Michael takes the writing challenge one step further: Instead of choosing your own subject based on a prompt, Michael will issue you a topic based on your previous experience that you must finish by a deadline. I have my topic already, so don't be afraid to participate.  

Thanks again to everyone who made this challenge a success.