Stray Dog Strut

What makes a strong videogame character? In this article I will attempt to discuss some of the considerations that go into the design of a gaming character in order to make them more appealing � and ultimately to help the product sell.

I will try to investigate how differences such as game genre and intended audience affect the character design, and in the case of 1st person games, how are we made to feel �in character�? I am not an expert on this matter � it�s just something I�ve given a bit of thought to. Also, I haven�t written an essay type document for a long time so ignore my amateurish effort please=)

THE TARGET AUDIENCE

It is no amazing discovery that the age of the intended gamer should affect the style of the game � you wouldn�t market the likes of Manhunt for 12 year olds � but what about the game character?

In games such as Pac Man and Asteroids it�s fair to say that the audience is universal. While Asteroids involves guns and destroying the odd enemy ship, and Pac Man has you fleeing from Ghosts, both are entertaining games to play. They are simple, brightly coloured and good for hand-eye co-ordination.

The Pac Man character himself is simply a ball with a wedge shaped mouth � you can�t get much simpler � but has become an instantly recognisable symbol worldwide.

He bears no resemblance to any real-life creature so we are somewhat alienated from the character. The only thing recognisable about him is his act of eating all the time. In aiming for as large a target audience as possible, the creators have extended the simple aims of the game (Eat all the dots, avoid the ghosts etc) to the character.

His bright colour will appeal to younger audiences, while the puzzle-like nature of the game appeals to all ages. Such a simple character design is easy to transport cross-platform. He�s basically a series of images repeated (A sprite).

While the controls and concepts of the game will obviously be harder for a younger person to grasp, the images I�ve found of Pac Man games has them shown as suitable for ages 6 and up (An �E� for Everyone rating) as the �violence� in the games is mild.

What about games with more realism? In games like Tombraider and Metal Gear Solid the target audience is obviously older. The original Tombraider in the UK had an age rating of 15 year olds and up, it may since have dropped. But considering the content of the game � death by: drowning, killer wolves, angry bears, fiendish traps, lava, crocodiles, and lots and lots of falls� – I feel it�s justified.

While I think 12 – 15 year olds would be able to grasp the storyline � would they care for it? Stealing ancient artefacts from sandy tombs and a main character that is essentially a millionairess � pah! I think the target audience has to have something in common with a game character.

THE CHARACTER � APPEARANCE & HISTORY

In the case of Lara Croft, okay we are not all millionaires with our own butler and mansion, but the ideas of exploration, travel to far flung destinations (The Great Wall of China anyone?), and finding the elusive prize appeal to a lot of us.

The character herself has gotten a bad rep for the marketing team�s airbrushing � �they� are a lot bigger on the cover picture than they ever were in the games (Okay maybe not in Angel of Darkness�heh) but if your sole reason for buying the game is to ogle what are essentially some coloured polygons being refreshed repeatedly on screen, you are seriously missing the bigger picture. In the original Tombraider her chest is nothing more than a wedge shape for chrissakes.

**PICS**It is suprisingly difficult to find front facing screenshots of the early TR games!**

Yes they have made Lara beautiful � it�s the done thing in any media � but she is not just a pretty face. Despite her posh background (The daughter of Lord Henshingly-Croft), Lara is very down to earth. She uses her wealth to fund her expeditions and is not shy to work hard. Check out her history at the Tombraider Chronicles website for an idea of the detail.

She is physically fit. She has to be for all her adventures and while the developers may have gone to excess with her slim waist, she is still believeable. Lara is voiced by Judith Gibbins, (originally Shelley Blond in the first game, Judith Gibbins in TR2 and TR3, Jonell Elliot in TR4: TLR, TR5: Chronicles and TR6: AoD, Keeley Hawes in TR7: Legend, TR8: Anniversary and the forthcoming TR9: Underworld) and the accent is well-spoken but cheeky. She will regularly talk back to her adversaries and her speech in the cut scenes helps to define her personality further. A Core design spokeswoman, Suzie Hamilton, once said: “We wanted an upper-class accent with character, a strong but sweet voice. Judith’s was just right.”

Most games really only tell you the main character�s name, job and why they must defeat that bad guy. The developer�s at Core Design have given Lara a whole history � there are actually graphic novels and books written about Lara � all this extra effort makes you actually like the character you are playing. I like Lara, she may be the envy of many females, but having played the games I know there�s a lot more to her than that. You can have the sexiest character in the world but without a fun game she�s no more than a cheap trick to sell the game to horny teenagers.