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Do the words 'protagonist' and 'hero' mean the same thing? I'm not even going to try defining what a hero is but even by the broadest possible definition, many protagonists in literature are definitely not heroes. Paul in All Quiet on the Western Front is not a hero by any stretch of the imagination, especially considering the most unheroic end of the novel. Richard III in his eponymous play is an outright villain, though an arresting one with some great lines. Even in the realm of horror, science fiction, westerns, and fantasy, the protagonists tend to be a lot more well-rounded, and not simply heroes without blemish.
In the world of film, protagonists and heroes are also not synonymous. Certainly Clint Eastwood is unfailingly awesome, but in such a movie as High Plains Drifter, he is a thoroughly unlikeable creep (who comes off well because of the actor and because the townsfolk aren't heroic either). The title character of Ed Wood is an ignoramus with an inverse relationship between his talent and confidence, made likeable not because we agree with him but because Johnny Depp does an excellent job of making him ingratiating. Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity is a malleable mess of a man who exists to be taken advantage of, making for a fascinating film. There are plenty of movies with heroic main characters who conquer everything in their paths, but many of the most interesting tales revolve around people who would never be called 'good.'
What makes successful books and movies work is hard to boil down to a simple catch-all, but I think having (an) interesting protagonist(s) (usually with interesting supporting characters) is a key ingredient for most. Characters don't necessarily have to be believable or noble, but being interesting is a critical component.
RPGs, on the other hand, like to present vanilla protagonists who go through hackneyed contrivances before their skills invariably prove good enough to save the world. The heroes of RPGs either have no personal problems to deal with or magically resolve their issues prior to the end, so that everyone is ready to go conquer the final boss and live happily ever after. Some games can make this work, particularly if side elements of the story are worthwhile, or if the combat is entertaining enough to let one overlook the boring nature of the protagonist. For any RPG that wants to have its story be equal in importance to the actual playing, however, making interesting protagonists is mandatory. Developers either need to make the characters as interesting as they are in other media (GOOD media, the typical summer action movie is not something I want to see the dialogue of emulated in an RPG except as a joke) or return to the days of silent characters.
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