Key Features of Video Game Characters You Will Fall in Love With

Mario, Sonic, and Pac-Man have already become iconic video game characters, known well throughout the world. These games earn more than $5 billion annually and their franchises are estimated to cost $510 billion, although they were released in the 80s’. Sounds amazing! Elaborated characters can boost your game, while boring ones may take it down. So, let’s learn how to create video game characters your players will fall in love with.

 

 

The Process of Designing a Game Character

Today’s video game market is so huge and diverse that users can find anything they like. It may seem difficult to beat the competition and reach top ranks on the charts, even though you may have some powerful insights. Realistic video game characters are a key to success. They shouldn’t necessarily look like people, but you need to make them feel realistic. If players are attracted to your video game characters, you are a step ahead of the competitors. Follow the step-by-step guide provided further in this article to craft the coolest video game characters people have ever seen.

 

1. Identify the character archetype

It will make future processes much easier and speed them up several times. In the next section, we’ll cover the main types of personalities used in video games, so let’s now focus on the importance and peculiarities of using this classification.

 

Archetypes are necessary to give developers a starting point. The most attractive video game characters are always created based on a certain type. You don’t need to include all the features of an archetype, just focus on the few most distinctive qualities and leave room for imagination. Avoid stereotypes, as you should find a balance between predictable character actions, but be unique at the same time.

 

2. Craft its personality

Once you identify the archetype, it’s time to describe the qualities. All the best video game characters have memorable personalities. It is vital to highlight a few points that will influence the depth of the personalities you develop significantly. 

 

1. Create your character’s temperament based on its destiny. Think about how its traits will influence its actions and include only those which will suit its role in your game.
2. Every character should have the arc and develop through a game. Identify the start and end points and determine the physical and mental changes it will be influenced on the road. Also, pay attention to how they will affect other characters in a game.
3. Estimate how your character will display the traits to the player. It may be a distinctive voice, tone, or particular habits.

Once you make all these steps, it will be easier to develop an unforgettable and complex personality.

 

3. Think about visual appearance and motion

Now you know who your character is inside, it is time to learn how it looks outside. Appearance is critical as it lets players understand what they can expect when dealing with a particular personality. Look for inspiration everywhere. Behance, Pinterest, Dribble, and other video games should become your best friends as you design the best video game characters of all time. 

Pay attention to silhouette, pose, and motion, as they can help players distinguish characters from each other and convey personality traits through appearance. Designing outstanding characters requires creativity, so you should bring something completely new to the video game world.

 

4. Add specific features

All famous video game characters have something exceptional in their appearance and personality. Geralt of Rivia is an outcast who symbolizes a gray morality, Lara Croft is a brave archeologist who fights against villains and Pikachu is a funny Pokémon with electrical abilities. 

 

To craft a really remarkable personality, you should think about its specific features. Maybe, your character has one hand because it lost the other one in a fight, or it likes loneliness as it had to share a room with other family members as a child. Strange habits and distinctive elements are good, but when players know the story behind them — it’s amazing.

 

5. Define its performance in a game

You are almost ready to craft a well-defined character, but keep in mind that there are lots of them in a traditional game. There are a few steps you need to take to create an immersive world.

1. Think about how your character interacts with other creatures and identify its place in the game.
2. Define the way it attacks and defends. Get back to the archetypes and consider a typical fight between this character and the ones from other classes.
3. Create a more holistic image of your game and bring some fresh ideas for depicting future scenes.

Have you already done all the topics mentioned earlier? It’s high time to develop a final concept of your most attractive video game characters. We recommend discussing it with a team to get more insights and craft deeper and more interesting personalities. Study our list of the main video game classes to get even more inspiration.  

 

Main Types and Classes of Game Characters

All classic video game characters we love so much have certain archetypes based on people’s life, literature, and mythology. Learn about the classification you can use as a foundation below.

 

• Fighter / Soldier / Warrior is the most widespread and powerful type in action games, shooters, and fighting. This character is strong, well-armed, and brutal. Although, it isn’t intelligent and doesn’t have any supernatural abilities.

• Assassin / Ninja is less muscular but more skilled. It performs better in a cautious game, but not in direct fights. However, it can also attack by using fast weapons and its amazing agility.

• Mage / Wizard is widespread in action adventure and role-playing games. It has supernatural abilities and uses spells to fight and defend. Usually, this character doesn’t have much physical power and weapons, so magic is its main advantage.

• Archer / Hunter / Ranger uses a bow and arrow to kill enemies from a long distance. It is skilled, but not physically powerful and clever. Although, the advantages of this class may vary from game to game.

• Berserker is one of the strongest archetypes. It is usually some kind of monster that fights extremely aggressively and kills the enemies immediately. Berserker is quick, strong, and frightening, but isn’t smart and doesn’t have supernatural abilities.

• Cleric / Priest / Enchanter is also a magic creature. It may be a bit weaker than wizards but generally serves to bring variety into a game.

• Necromancer / Shadow knight is an evil character. It usually fights against the protagonist and uses its magical power to cause something bad to the protagonist.

• Summoner is an extremely dangerous evil character. You can find it in role-playing games. It uses its magic power to attack and summon monsters.

• Dancer / Bard applies its body and instruments to fight and defend. It may have some supernatural abilities or be skillful enough to defeat enemies without physical involvement.

• Dragoon / Lancer is also an exceptionally powerful character that uses various arms, usually in the melee. This versatile combatant is born amidst the conflict between people and dragons, which has influenced the name.

• Blue Mage / Jack-of-all-Trades is a magical creature that can effectively customize to your needs and do any job. It adjusts to the enemies’ skills to cause as much damage as possible.

 

Now let’s look at popular video game characters consumers find particularly interesting and remarkable.

 

Ideal Game Character: Who Is It?

Most people have their favorite games and characters, but there are some that have impressed millions of users. Let’s learn why they are so outstanding.

• Master Chief from Halo: Reach. This Spartan super-soldier first appeared in the game in 2001. His story tells that he was conscripted as a child and trained to fight with the aliens. The visual design of this character is almost faceless and has been changed several times. Currently, Master Chief has appeared in 16 Halo games and became the face of Xbox. There are also comics, anime, and novels that involve this character.

 

• Kratos from God of War. It first appeared in 2005 and has overcome many challenges since that time. This character comes from Greek mythology and is depicted as a Spartan soldier who accidentally killed his family. In God of War and 7 additional games, we see its development from a bloodthirsty warrior to a father who tries to take good care of his son. His amusing narrative arc and double-chained blades have already become legendary in the gaming world.

 

• Ellie from The Last of Us. She is one of the best female video game characters that has gained thousands of fans throughout the world since her first appearance in 2013. In The Last of Us Ellie survives in the post-apocalyptic USA and, together with her companion Joel Miller, tries to find a cure for a dangerous infection. The character was received well by critics due to the girl’s complex temper and non-stereotypical approach to female behavior in dangerous situations.

 

Now you have all the necessary knowledge to craft the most liked video game characters. Continue reading to discover more insights and make your games even more fascinating.

 

How to Create a Game Character You Fall in Love With?

A good video game character embodies a few different elements to help make them well-rounded and complex.

• Backstory

A solid backstory is what makes every character deeper and more interesting. You shouldn’t necessarily include all the information in your game, but if you reveal some facts hidden behind someone’s personality — it will definitely engage people. Pay attention that a backstory should explain how a character became the one it is now. Your protagonist who defeats enemies by just snapping a finger could be a weak, cowardly boy in the past. But even if it is so, explain how he changed and integrate this plot twist organically into your story.

• Sympathy

Characters are sympathetic to people when their actions are easy to understand. They should resonate with the players and evoke certain emotions, even if they are negative. Note that your characters’ personalities should be realistic. There are no ideal people or humans who have only one trait. Create a harmonious character whose personality will not confuse players. Do you still remember the archetype we have identified? You can use it as a foundation, as all characters of a certain class have similar qualities. 

• Motivation

Actions play a critical role. There can’t be a word about an immersive game if your character behaves illogically and acts volatile during different scenes. You can find motivation in the backstory or find a new goal during a gaming process. Remember to explain to the player clearly what pushes your character to do certain actions. Most popular video game characters become likable because people understand what they do and why they do it. 

 

 

Conclusion

Developing video game characters is a complex task that requires creativity and patience. But the result is worth it. Wow-How Studio can always help you with creating an amazing game art design and empowering the characters. Let’s make your game more interesting and engaging together!