Character design practice : a visual art project exploring elements of character design theory and practice for games

Abstract

It is evident that games nowadays are perceived differently than they were back in the 80s and the 90s. When analyzing the best examples of gaming history and also the best contemporary games, one can see that character design is often an important part of the overall gaming experience. This research explores current practices of character design, specifically within gaming. It also delves into the main elements of character design practice, both visually and in narrative terms. The content obtained from the research was put into practice through the creation of a project, consisting of the development of a number of characters. These characters are based on a new narrative and are designed to fit an open world action-adventure game concept. The project was limited to 2D work which either shows the character design process or else can be used as game art. The focus group research technique was included as part of the project methodology, to test out the effectiveness of the character concepts and get feedback from other people. The results obtained from the focus group were implemented into the consequent stages of the character design process, which included the creation of five splash art pieces for the individual characters. The last phase of the project included an overall analysis of the project itself, from which conclusions, reflections about the project as well as suggestions for adjustments or further improvements were derived.