What is it about a villain that makes them compelling? Why do people see Darth Vader and think he’s the coolest character in Star Wars? What makes people despise Delores Umbridge more than Voldemort in Harry Potter? In traditional mediums, you experience a story passively, but video games allow you to personally confront villains, so it makes sense that players might hate their virtual adversaries a little more than you might have a movie villain.

Except for Delores. We can hate Delores just fine without having to actually deal with her.

So, how do you construct a good Video Game villain?

Mass Effect is a series filled with antagonists, big and small, but few are as well composed as Saren, the villain from the first game. Saren is a Spectre, an agent of the inter-species galactic council. Spectres are the right arm of the Council, their eyes and ears across the galaxy. You first encounter Saren on a human colony, where he and his robotic Geth have brutally slaughtered the colonists. He even murders another Spectre in cold blood.

Look at this jerk. About to kill his friend. Didn't even give him the dignity of an awesome fight on a rooftop.

Saren makes for a good villain for a number of reasons. The first is that he’s present from the start of the game to the end of the game. While you face smaller enemies along the way, you never forget that he’s the one you’re working against. Saren is also clearly dangerous; his army of Geth easily lay waste to every place they visit, he himself is an extremely well trained special agent. When you do encounter him face-to-face, he’s a challenge to fight and he can easily beat you and your team if you’re not careful. In the few moments you get to speak to him, you learn about why he’s doing what he’s doing. He believes that he can secure a future for organic life by helping the Reapers take over the galaxy, and though there’s definitely some cowardice in there, he’s trying to preserve the galaxy, in his own way.

The one area where Saren falls short is this development, which is basically non-existent, besides going a little crazy near the end of the game. You have no chance to see what Saren was before he met Sovereign, how they met, or really understand his journey, which is a shame.

The town in Silent Hill 2, aptly named Silent Hill, is more memorable than most villains, despite no final battle, or even a body. As James Sunderland, you journey through Silent Hill, trying to find your wife. The town has no form, but you can’t shake the feeling that it has feelings; specifically, the feeling that it doesn’t want you there and that it will get you to leave. From the minute you get there, an oppressive fog makes navigation hard, and not-quite-human monsters crawl out of the woodwork to harass you.

Charming place, no? Who wouldn't want to find an AirBnB here? Nobody that's who.

Here is where Silent Hill succeeds where Saren failed; as you progress through the game and explore the town, you understand a little more about it and why it is the way that it is. When you look at the characters in the game, you see that the town reflects what they bring with them. The town is a trial by fire, in a way. You made Silent Hill the way it was; you’re not here to fight the monsters in the town, you’re here to confront your own demons.

Maybe there's a reason this game opens with the main character starting at his horrible twisted reflection...

The town is obviously present and presents a danger, so it’s only real failing is the lack of gameplay challenge. Without challenging gameplay, the town of Silent Hill almost feels like it would make a better movie villain than a game villain.

How much of a jerk must this guy be that his own granfather doesn't even know his name?! At least you can name him ASSFACE if you want. — How much of a jerk must this guy be that his own **granfather** doesn't even know his name?! At least you can name him ASSFACE if you want.

What about something smaller, more homegrown? Pokémon Red introduces you to Gary (or Green if you’re a game purist) right off the bat, and boy, is he fun to hate. From the minute you meet him, Gary is snobbish, rude, condescending, and just a general jerk.

Gary impedes your progress with a well-trained team a number of times, he’s always one step ahead of you, and somehow he’s still smug after you’ve beat him down every time. Sure, Gary isn’t grand or evil or even that threatening, but he’s all the more infuriating because he’s much realer than a rogue government agent or a supernatural town. Gary can send you packing to the Pokémon center and he’ll laugh at you while he’s doing it.

You never question why he’s doing what he’s doing either; you know that he’s trying to do the same thing as you, become the Champion. The only issue with Gary is that he never changes, no matter what you do, or how badly you beat him. Gary is always Gary, and you never figure out why he’s the way he is, or get to see him evolve.

There is no good story without conflict. There is no protagonist without an antagonist. Games put you in the protagonist’s shoes and a good antagonist helps make the journey memorable. A good video game antagonist should be present throughout the whole game, be dangerous, develop throughout the story, be challenging, and have understandable motivations. Though none of the villains we’ve looked at here had all of the qualities, they’re still good villains and antagonists because they’re well rounded.