Game Character Creation for Dummies

So, you’ve got a game, and let’s be honest, it’s pretty awesome, you’re not one to brag but it’s firing on all cylinders. It’s hit the gaming trifecta: Weapons, burly dudes, and most importantly, boobs of some sort. There doesn’t even have to be a woman attached to the form, just the chest’ll do, preferably a mini game using the motion controller to jiggle them.

However, amidst all of this profound awesomeness you still don’t have the main character, just a hunk of flesh with no personality. A game’s protagonist in most cases is the poster boy for your endeavour, whether it is an adventure, shoot-em-up or role playing game. In this new age, a game’s protagonist has to stand out, be a recognisable face for the hopeful franchise.

So, I’ve taken it upon myself to create a foolproof guide that will focus on some of the finer points of refining your protagonist. Edutainment time:

The Name

If you’re player is the chosen one, then the first thing they need is a name that displays just how awesome they are. It’s got to be something that imbues your enemies with fear but also causes the opposite sex to become weak at the knees, subsequently collapsing and banging their head on a table. Notable examples include:

Snaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake (Metal Gear Solid)

This is an example of a mononym, where your character only has a first name, like Cher, or Madonna. Compare this with his boring ‘real’ name, David. David’s don’t save the world, they get killed in the first ten minutes of the game in some sort of horrible skiing accident.

Edge Maverick (Star Ocean: The Last Hope)

The problem with this name is that it’s just too cool and sounds like a cross between a hardboiled detective and a new type of shaving razor. Value dissonance also occurs when you find out he looks like an Aryan poster boy for some futuristic Nazi cult.

Gordon Freeman (Half-Life)

A name that has thematic resonance with the games plot and the character. Not the Gordon part obviously, as it sounds like he should number crunching in Black Mesa’s accounting department, but the ‘Freeman’ part, which provides name-o-logical equilibrium.

The Look

Designing your character so that they look cool is half of the battle, this usually makes up for discrepancies in personality and the questionable actions they undertake. Cases in point:

Duke Nuken (Duke Nukem obviously)

A classic throwback to all those late 80’s, early 90’s action heroes. His wife-beater shirt and sunglasses makes his misogyny and toilet humour acceptable as we automatically assume that before each game he has drank a dozen beers and pleasured up to several women (probably strippers).

Ryu Hyabusa (Ninja Gaiden)

The epitome of skin-tight, leather suited heroes. The black outfit is a default setting for any hero as it’s always in fashion and we can only wonder how much oil and baby powder is needed to squeeze himself into the fantastic one-piece.

Marcus Fenix (Gears of War)

Pretty much nails being the ‘hard man’ character. He’s got the cool name, the giant suit which probably weighs as much as your mother’s minivan and a face that looks like he’s spent his formative years with his face inside of a volcano and sleeping face down on broken glass and nails. He’s everything you could want and more.

Personality

You want to add some depth to your character, at the moment he’s as deep as a slowly evaporating puddle. Here are some fun traits for them to have.

He’s got dead Parents

This guy probably carries some emotional weight around with him that turns him into a gloomy loner that constantly pushes people away. The dead parents angle usually works quite well, either that or throw him in an orphanage… or have him molested. Or, for more dimensional impact, have all three.

Make him an anti-hero

This trait is becoming quite prevalent in modern gaming. Gone are the days of the humble hero who turns the other cheek. The new breed of hero only turns his enemies’ cheek with his fist after he’s already pummeled the other one so badly it looks like mangled silly putty.

Make him sarcastic

This works well with any character. You don’t want boring dialogue full of ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, you want your guy to turn every sentence into innuendo or have a wit so sharp that mid-sentence he’s already decapitated the antagonist. Hawke’s answers from Dragon Age 2 nail this.

The Pose

Your hero must be doing something awesome or meaningful on their game cover, this is first image that some shoppers will see, and you don’t want them cowering under a table and weeping do you? Notable examples:

Shepard (Mass Effect 3)

Scowling at a spec in the near distance with a firearm in hand like some fervent nihilist whose lost faith in the world… the spec killed his family.

Hawke (DA2)

Walking slowly towards you with a with a look on his face like you’ve just taken a dump on his kitchen floor. His lowered head conveys emotional depth and we can clearly see the weight of the world piled onto his taught shoulders.

Master Chief (Halo 3)

A change of pace for Master Chief, notice how he’s holding his weapon while slightly tilting his head upwards like he’s reflecting on the horrors of war. Either that or he’s trying to remember if he’s left his space hanger door open.

Conclusion

So now you have a basic outline of a character, you know his name, what he looks like, his personality and some cool looking box art to boot, you have to wonder what’s next.

Well friend, I’m afraid I can’t hear you over the roar of your Ferrari’s engine that you just bought after your game sold a hundred million copies. Time for a sequel you say? Rinse, repeat, and it’ll be all good.

Remember: 60% of the time, this guide works every time.