I’m becoming outdated. I guess that I am going to have to deal with it. I like a happy ending where the good uphold their values and have some sort of win. However, with what you watch and read, it is clear that the industry views that as naiveté.
I get it. Gray characters can be intriguing. They can produce unexpected results. They allow for plot twists and add more surprise. Their personality seems to project a more complex nature, and you can often achieve a connection between the character and the reader.
The problem that I have with the modern gray characters is that they often become inconsistent. A seeming villain turns into a hero. Then, I wonder how it happened. Didn’t this person kill someone on page thirty-seven? Is it now justified, or do we just overlook it? Many times it is hard to truly explain away the bad/good behavior of the past chapters without a little hand waving.
There is also another problem. When I used to teach video game design, I observe something in open sandbox games. These games are made to let the players do anything they want (in theory.) There are no specific rules. It can be very inviting and provides an atmosphere of creativity. The problem is that there is a lack of direction. So, left with their own devices, players will aimlessly meander. No real conclusions happen. Hence, a feeling of boredom would often overtake the players. That is where I worry about today’s story telling. Without an easy measuring stick to see who is either good or bad (or ugly,) we might wander into making no judgments about how we feel about the ending situation. A book can be exquisitely written, with riveting character interaction and no knockout punch. Many times, in my own reading, I can be left with the feeling of “What just happened here?” I’m left to shrug my shoulders and then move on to the next book.