Can you identify these games from their bland-faced, generic-looking protagonists?

BioShock Infinite's Booker DeWitt hides his horrifying trauma behind a mask of blandness. (Image credit: Irrational Games)
More quizzes!

Astarion deep in thought in Baldur's Gate 3.

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Want to keep testing your knowledge of gaming trivia? We've got loads more PC Gamer quizzes, on everything from healthbars to weird currencies to absurd patch notes.

Despite a certain amount of screeching to the contrary in online spaces, one thing videogames have not lacked for over the years is ruggedly samey white male protagonists. Their jaws? Chiseled. Their hair? Brown, usually short cropped. Their names? Probably John, or Jack, or Jake.

Heroes of this time-worn template star in some of the best and most memorable games ever made, but their tendency to blur together makes them oddly forgettable.

Assassin's Creed Desmond Miles

Assassin's Creed's Desmond Miles at least has the good grace to jump back in time into the bodies of more interesting looking guys.

Could you tell Jack Cooper apart from Jason Brody if you saw them on the street? I'm not sure I could. And I say that as a very forgettable brown-haired white guy myself.

Today we're going to put that phenomenon to the test, with a quiz full of close ups of the most generic leads in gaming. I'm not going to be so mean as to ask you to name them—I'm not sure there's a person on Earth who remembers Miles Kilo on sight—but you are going to have to identify which game they first starred in. And I think you might find that trickier than you expect.

How did you score? And who's your favourite bland-faced action man? Let us know in the comments below!

Robin Valentine
Senior Editor

Formerly the editor of PC Gamer magazine (and the dearly departed GamesMaster), Robin combines years of experience in games journalism with a lifelong love of PC gaming. First hypnotised by the light of the monitor as he muddled through Simon the Sorcerer on his uncle’s machine, he’s been a devotee ever since, devouring any RPG or strategy game to stumble into his path. Now he's channelling that devotion into filling this lovely website with features, news, reviews, and all of his hottest takes.

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