Writing Player Characters
- 2. TYPESOFPLAYER-CHARACTERS START BY IDENTIFYING THE PLAYER-CHARACTER TYPE Cipher – have no discernible personality; they are blank slates The Fixed Character – backstories, personalities, abilities are fixed The Customizable Character – players build and define character during the gameplay Fixed background, customizable character - mixture of authored and customizable GAME NARRATIVE TOOLBOX, ED. TOBIAS HEUSSNER ET AL.
- 3. Agency – the ability for the player’s action to affect the experience Authorship – player controlled by writers and designers; in authored stories, agency is limited How do you balance agency and authorship for the effect you want? AUTHORSHIP VS.AGENCY LOCATE YOUR CHARACTER ON A SPECTRUM HANNAH NICKLIN, WRITING FOR GAMES: THEORY AND PRACTICE (2022)
- 4. Character profiles Character psychology Graphic elements: Concept art, character modeling, animation, cinematic WHATBRINGS PLAYER-CHARACTERS TOLIFE? THINK ABOUT TOOLS AT YOUR DISPOSAL
- 5. ADAPTED FROM GAME NARRATIVE TOOLBOX, ED. TOBIAS HEUSSNER ET AL. QUESTIONSTOASK WHEN DEFINING AND DEVELOPING CHARACTERS 1. Define his/her purpose or function within the story 2. Decide if you want to use traits or abilities as vehicles 3. Decide what they know and what they don’t know? 4. Define exactly one adjective for your character 5. Select governing trait or governing ability 6. Pick a suitable conflicting trait or ability 7. Flesh out character with character-design template, “merits and flaws,” etc.
- 6. Avoiding or subvert tropes and stereotypes Know the difference between tropes vs. stereotypes Trope: a known concept which is usually popular enough or such a deep part of cultural knowledge that audience knows it Stereotype: a cliché using a single concept to provide superficial character development Don’t put a label on your characters Write with and against genre and design conventions Focus on characterization, not just personal identity OTHERTIPS& TRICKS FOR CREATING DIVERSE CHARACTERS
- 7. Dialogue, narration, exposition, and other genres shared by other media Barks - things characters say in-between gameplay Found objects - use of space, architecture, objects, and place Item descriptions - can be functional for gameplay, story, world building Lore - world building and environmental storytelling Tutorial Texts, Clues, Hints, To-Do Lists Menu and UI Text GAME-SPECIFIC WRITINGFORMATS HANNAH NICKLIN, WRITING FOR GAMES: THEORY AND PRACTICE (2022)
- 8. FOURQUESTIONS APPLICABLE TO ALL GAME-SPECIFIC FORMATS OF WRITING HANNAH NICKLIN, WRITING FOR GAMES: THEORY AND PRACTICE (2022) Voice: Who or what is speaking? In whose voice is the writing composed and delivered? Verb: What is the primary role the writing serves? Characterization, worldbuilding, functional, to show relationship, etc. Visual affordance: How will the writing be displayed? Will format determine style and content? Dependencies: What is the writing dependent on? Does it need to work for specific situations?