CHARACTERS
CHARACTERS
Protagonist Usually hero Outer and inner
problems Antagonist
Sidekick Servant Pet
NPCs Merchant Trainer Quest giver Higher self
Threshold guardian Progress delayer
Trickster Mischief maker
Herald Used to facilitate
change in the story
CHARACTER ROLES
Higher self Hero as he aspires to
be Mentor
Teaches the hero Ally
Meant to aid the hero Shadow
Ultimate evil
CHARACTER GROWTH
Must include growth to have a meaningful story
Growth varies by genre Must decide:
Which characters will grow How they will grow Implementation in game Affect on gameplay Representation to player
CHARACTER GROWTH
GOALS OF CHARACTER DESIGN
Enhance story Emotional response Characters to identify with and care
about Credible within the game style
GOALS OF CHARACTER DESIGN
Create characters that people …find intriguing (even if a villain)can believe incan identify with
Distinctive enough to be memorable
PLAYER-DESIGNED AVATARS
Flexibility differs by genre Role-playing games usually
greatest Race, sex, hair, physical
attributes, etc. Typically no personality but
what is created Goal is tools for players to
create themselves
NONSPECIFIC AVATARS
Designer doesn’t specify anything Text-based adventure games
Allows very tight connection between player and avatar Half-Life’s Gordon Freeman
Limiting for designer
SPECIFIC AVATARS
Goals Personality of their own Belong in the game
Begins with visual depiction Player’s relationship more complex
Identify with, not become
SEMI-SPECIFIC AVATARS Only partially characterized
Better to make cartoonish Common with action game
avatars Mario Lara Croft
“Beyond the bare facts of her biography, her perfect vacuity means we can make Lara Croft into whoever we want her to be.” – Steven Pool, “Lara’s Story”
CONTROLLING AVATARS
Indirect (“point and click”) Doesn’t steer avatar, points to where to
go. Player as disembodied guide friend More likely specific avatar
Direct Player steers avatar through game
world, doing a variety of actions as necessary
More likely nonspecific or semi-specific
DESIGNING THE AVATAR
Nonspecific, semi-specific or specific Visual, psychological, social
Direct or indirect control
Goal: character the player can identify with qualities can appreciate
ART-DRIVEN CHARACTER DESIGN
Creating a character by first thinking about his visual appearance
Visual design Character physical types Physical design Defining attributes Sidekicks
VISUAL DESIGN
Realism doesn’t matter, self-consistency does Pac-Man Lara Croft
Purely artistic characters tend to be more superficial and one-dimensional Lets the player impose his own
personality
CHARACTER PHYSICAL TYPES
Humanoids Non-humanoids Hybrids
PHYSICAL DESIGN Methods to attract
› Hypersexualization› Cuteness
Cartoonlike qualities› Cool, tough, cute, goofy
Culture differences in art styles› Japanese: large eyes and tiny/huge mouths
Cute faces with sexually provocative women› European: often ugly and strange to
Americans
DEFINING ATTRIBUTES
Clothing, weapons, symbolic objects, name
Color palette reflects character’s attitudes or emotional temperament Superman, upholder of “truth, justice,
and the American way”: bright/cheery, American flag
Batman, Dark Knight of Gotham City (grittier, more run-down than Metropolis): somber
SIDEKICKS
Most prominent common element in game design
Combine qualities (e.g., tough with cute) to provide variety and comic relief
Benefits Give player additional moves and actions Extend emotional range of game Can give player information they couldn’t
get otherwise
STORY-DRIVEN CHARACTER DESIGN
Starting with the story behind the character and developing his traits and personality before considering his appearance
Character dimensionality Language & accent Developing believable characters Character growth Character archetypes
CHARACTER DIMENSIONALITY
Zero-dimensional› May display only discrete emotional states
One-dimensional› Have only a single variable to characterize a
changing feeling or attitude Two-dimensional
› Have multiple non-conflicting variables that express their impulses
Three-dimensional› Have multiple emotional states that
can produce conflicting impulses
LANGUAGE & ACCENT
Key cue to character’s personality› Vocabulary – age, social class, education› Grammar and sentence construction – education
and class› Accent – place of origin and social class› Delivery (speed and tone) – excitement, boredom,
anxiety, suspicion, attitude or emotional state› Vocal quirks – distinguishing
Sound effects also tell about personality› Confirm player’s command› Signal injury, damage, death› Pitch describes
BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS
Major characters need rich personalities› Answer many questions about them
Where was he born? What is his education? What are his favorite activities? What were his biggest triumphs in life? What are his interesting or important
possessions? etc.
› Show through appearance, language, and behavior
BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS
Attributes – location, health, relationships, etc. Can change as the player plays the
game Status attributes: change frequently and
by large amounts Characterization attributes: change
infrequently and only by small amounts or not at all
BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS
Three golden guidelines to developing effective, believable characters Needs to intrigue the player Needs to get the player to like him Needs to change and grow according to
experience