Viewing Thread:
"What makes a character?"

What makes a computer games charater?

Is it the coolness?
Is it the nice looks?
Is it the cartoony cute look?
Is it because male or female?
Is it because the character is popular already?

There are lots of reasons why some are more successful than others but why?

How can people get away with playing a fat plumber or a fast blue hedgehog?

Does it really matter what character you are playing? because if the game is great you are going to play regaurdless.

I suppose a cool character enhances the enjoyment.

Whats your view and who's your all time favourite character?

Thanks for reading cheers Crusher.

What makes a computer games charater?

Is it the coolness?
Is it the nice looks?
Is it the cartoony cute look?
Is it because male or female?
Is it because the character is popular already?

There are lots of reasons why some are more successful than others but why?

How can people get away with playing a fat plumber or a fast blue hedgehog?

Does it really matter what character you are playing? because if the game is great you are going to play regaurdless.

I suppose a cool character enhances the enjoyment.

Whats your view and who's your all time favourite character?

Thanks for reading cheers Crusher.

Is it the coolness? played Devil May cry? Dante is the coolest character you will ever see.

Is it the nice looks? er... no because most characters are male so no.

Is it the cartoony cute look? thats what nintendo fans see to go for and Jak and Daxter was a cartoony game but depends.

Is it because male or female? not really, if it is a good game it dont matter whether it is a male or female character.

Is it because the character is popular already? Dante from devil may cry, Jak and Daxter & that bloke from GTA3 show that you dont need a popular character.

Kid Rock wrote:
> Is it the coolness? played Devil May cry? Dante is the coolest character you
> will ever see.

Is it the nice looks? er... no because most characters are
> male so no.

Is it the cartoony cute look? thats what nintendo fans see to go
> for and Jak and Daxter was a cartoony game but depends.

Is it because male
> or female? not really, if it is a good game it dont matter whether it is a male
> or female character.

Is it because the character is popular already? Dante
> from devil may cry, Jak and Daxter & that bloke from GTA3 show that you dont
> need a popular character.

Excellent reply I tend to agree with you, if the game is great you are going to play it anyway and if you are a kid you will probably play cute Nintendo games.

I don't think there is a designated formula for making a character other than originality, when designing characters I feel that originality is the most important element which seperates the succesors from the failiures, Originality can either make or break a character and that is why I think that it is so important, sure you could easily meke a modified clone of Zelda or Mario but will it be as sucessfull as the original? the answer to that question is no!
slik ~_~

When you get characters like Zelda and Mario, it is a purely surface relationship - you see them, you move them around and jump on things. Alternatively, you get games like Deus Ex where the character development is directly controlled by you - consequently the player emphasizes a lot more with the character. A strong story also adds to a character. Max Payne, for example, despite having an ugly face and a story shot to hell with cliches, emotionally involves the player at the beginning, when we see the very stylishly shot murder of his family.

Then again, maybe bright little pixies wearing green hats are a lot less potentially emtionally damaging to play...

Small_Frog wrote:
> When you get characters like Zelda and Mario, it is a purely surface
> relationship - you see them, you move them around and jump on things.
> Alternatively, you get games like Deus Ex where the character development is
> directly controlled by you - consequently the player emphasizes a lot more with
> the character. A strong story also adds to a character. Max Payne, for example,
> despite having an ugly face and a story shot to hell with cliches, emotionally
> involves the player at the beginning, when we see the very stylishly shot murder
> of his family.

Then again, maybe bright little pixies wearing green hats are
> a lot less potentially emtionally damaging to play...

A valid point, different characters for different types of games.
I must admit I do like a strong story line which seems to be lacking in most games.
At the end of the day its upto the individual to choose what type of game and character appeals to them most.
Thanks for the reply.

slik wrote:
> I don't think there is a designated formula for making a character other than
> originality, when designing characters I feel that originality is the most
> important element which seperates the succesors from the failiures, Originality
> can either make or break a character and that is why I think that it is so
> important, sure you could easily meke a modified clone of Zelda or Mario but
> will it be as sucessfull as the original? the answer to that question is
> no!
slik ~_~

Very good point, original characters are what game designers look for but the character must have some sort of appeal the game playing market otherwise no one will buy the games.
You can't get more original than Mario a bald headed Itallian middle aged plumber.
Thanks for the reply.

My favourite character is Sonic. The developers made tons of money from him. (That cute li'l Hedgehog and his sidekick etc...)

Is it the coolness?
I don't think coolness has much to with it. Adolescents follow anything that's "cool", whether it's good or not, to it's certainly a factor to think about.

Is it the nice looks?
Look at Lara Croft - my mate even found a Lara Croft porno site! She has been immortalised for being the first in a race of "cyber-babes" - who some boys even dream about!

Is it the cartoony cute look?
A cartoony look makes it appealing to parents, as parents think that nothing explicit will happen in a cartoony-style game. Can you say Conkers Bad Fur Day?

Is it because male or female?
No, sex has nothing to do with it...unless you're female.

Is it because the character is popular already?
Yes, to a certain extent, because people trust a character if they like it.

There are lots of reasons why some are more successful than others but why?
Commercialisation, media coverage, controversy.

How can people get away with playing a fat plumber or a fast blue hedgehog?
Because it's unusual.

Does it really matter what character you are playing? because if the game is great you are going to play regaurdless.
No, but if you were fighting through a guarded base in the middle of nowhere, if you were a blue, furry midget, it would look strange.

Whats your view and who's your all time favourite character?
Sonic is my favourite!

You'll find different kind of characters for all genres. If you look at the usual RPG there's the fantasy look, or the action where there's normally a cool, 'hard' look to the character. If characters weren't produced properly to suit the game you'll notice that the game wouldn't be that fun to play as the storyline does tend to spice up the game and give it a motive.

Solid Snake is probably my best character yet! Why? Well, he's cool, 'solid' and full of fantastic ass-kicking moves!
Can't wait for MGS2!