Source Analysis - The Art of Game Characters by Leo Hartas

Our project goal is to investigate and research what makes a compelling NPC, and for this we need a variety of NPC characters that can be tested in our final product. It is therefore important to pin down the most vital parts of making a compelling NPC, making it easy for us to design a character that is easy to implement and at the same time viable for our tests.

The Art of Game Characters by Leo Hartas is a good starting place to research how players react to different NPCs, mostly on the visual medium. It breaks down the many different types of NPCs into broad sections based on their appearance, and goes into detail how these characters were designed, including the reasons and ideas behind the designs, and how they were used in the finished games, along the impact they had on the players., with examples from many different genres of videogame.

Perhaps the most useful sections of the book are the interviews Leo Hartas conducts with various game developers, character designers and concept artists at the end of each chapter. His interview with Ajibayo Akinsiku, Visual Director for Evil Genius (2004, Elixir Studios) has some good points about characters in different media and the importance of thorough design.

“Characters in games and other media differ absolutely no way whatever. There are mechanical issues but these issues cut right across the board. A comic-book character will translate differently in movies or literature because each medium’s capacity allows for unique traits, but the fundamental principles are universal, fundamentals never change! One should not confuse superficial trait for fundamental rule.” – Ajibayo Akinsiku [1]

“The start of a good concept process is always the brief. The better the brief the more chances of a successful design.” – Ajibayo Akinsiku [1]

Another useful part is a short section by Sandy Spangler (Humongous Entertainment) called Game Character Creation.

“While ugly graphics and lousy gameplay cannot be salvaged by interesting characters, the ‘creative layer’ of a game (story, setting, subject and style) can be the factor that determines whether or not a potential player picks up your title off a shelf.” - Sandy Spangler [1]

“What does the player need to know about this character in order to understand the game? Is this a character they should fight? Befriend? Follow? Keep in mind that unexpected outcomes can also make for interesting gameplay; a terrifying monster that saves your life is much more memorable than one you just kill.” - Sand Spangler [1]

Sandy lays out a series of questions that a character design should answer for them to be successful, stating that it is important to take into account all the issues that are common to game characters. Questions like “what purpose does this character fulfil?” “What do the game mechanics require of the character?” and “What does the player need to know about this character?” are vital to the character design process, and if we are to design a successful NPC I feel it would be a good idea to come up with a list of similar questions we must answer with your character design.

Another interview with Masami Kochi (Sony London Studio) goes into detail about using character design to appeal to a particular demographic (like male teenagers, for example) and notes that people from the same age group will react to a character differently depending on their country of upbringing.

“I tried to appeal to teenagers [with the Eyetoy: Play characters] but it’s quite difficult for me as European teenagers are more mature than Japanese ones!” – Masami Kochi [1]

“When designing a character, I think about their look and personality together. Dex [a character from Eyetoy: Play] likes football, so he’ll wear a tracksuit and football trainers, and he is sporty and athletic. I found that teenage guys who also like football made a connection with him just because they saw what he was wearing, without knowing football was Dex’s hobby!” – Masami Kochi [1]

The Art of Game Characters by Leo Hartas is a good source to look into when it comes to designing the NPCs we will use for our testing product. While some sections of the book are presented in an informal and basic way, the interviews with designers and developers provide a first-hand insight into creating believable, effective NPCs.

[1] The Art of Game Characters, Leo Hartas, The Ilex Press, 2005