Character Driven Game Design

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26 Character-Driven Game Design Figure 2.2: Bruce Banner (A–C) and Hulk (D–F) in Hulk (Radical Entertainment Inc., 2003). but we had a system crash twenty minutes ago and I am still trying to find my files. Just one of those days, I guess. They were having some problems in a test chamber too, but I think that is all straightened out. They told to make sure that you are headed down there as soon as you get in your hazard suit. The personnel of the facility react to the PC, as they know him and comment on him being late. After the player has dressed the PC in a protective suit and guided him down to meet his colleagues they discuss about the experiment that Freeman is set to conduct (Figure 2.1 F). Once this discussion ends, one of the scientists opens a door to a test chamber and the player can guide the PC there and start the experiment. The colleagues give instructions to Freeman on how to conduct the test and make comments. The above descriptions demonstrate how the game correlates the goals of Gordon Freeman and the player. The game proposes here that the intentional agent is not the player, but Gordon Freeman. While the player can avoid discussing with the NPCs, it is hard to evade all information the game offers about Gordon Freeman. As seen, the game, nevertheless, feeds some information about the PC to the player. In addition to the name, education and profession, the NPCs reactions and comments give the impression that the PC has been working in the facility for some time and that the other characters know him. These one-sided communications from the NPCs are directed to a person, Gordon Freeman.
2. Game Characters 27 David Houghton writes “In fact, Gordon Freeman is the most psychologically rounded, nuanced, and realistically multi-layered character currently in existence in the videogame format” (Houghton, 2008). His point is made in the context of Half-Life 2, but his argument extends to Half-Life, as the depictions of Gordon Freeman are fundamentally the same in both the games. The expectations set by the person schema imply that players will expect Gordon Freeman to have, for example, a body, intentions, and emotions even when a player controls the actions of the character. I propose that person schema can explain why Gordon Freeman is considered a distinct person whilst the character is only seen on the cover of the game box. Hulk Although the example, Hulk, is blatant, it demonstrates how the personality and features of an already existing character can be reflected in gameplay. Hulk is a character from the graphical novels published by Marvel Comics. Bruce Banner, a scientist, and Hulk, a monster, are the same character. Bruce Banner changes to Hulk when he gets angry and Hulk changes back to Banner when his rage dies. 6 When controlling Bruce Banner, a player guides the PC to sneak past enemies and use items, for example, hack computers controlling doors (Figure 2.2, A–C). The player can utilize four different attacks, but fighting is risky: when Bruce Banner is damaged he grows angry and eventually transforms into the Hulk. If this happens within a section that is meant to be played through as Banner, the change leads to ‘game over’. The affective expressions and motor actions are perceivable by the player; hence, Hulk depends on empathy and motor mimicry in building the character. The distinction between Hulk and Bruce Banner is evident in their powers. For example, when controlling Hulk, the player has more than thirty different attacks available. In addition to make Hulk attack, it is possible to make the character jump or pick up a heavy object as well as the NPCs. Objects then can be thrown or used as a weapon. (Figure 2.2, D–F.) Hulk can lift large objects without problems whereas Bruce Banner needs to push or pull them (Figure 2.2, C & F). In the game, Hulk and Bruce Banner 7 are presented consistently with its graphical novel counterpart. Moreover, the action possibilities offered are also consistent with their counterparts. However, the relation might be more complex than this, because the theory of intertextuality argues that the interpretation of a source depends on all other sources (e.g., Fiske, 1987, pp. 108–127). Ziva Kunda also argues that expectations may be used to fill the gaps about a person (e.g., Kunda, 1999, pp. 174–187, 202–209). If these claims hold, players’ knowledge about Hulk and Bruce Banner is likely to influence how the character 6 Hulk is obviously inspired by the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (originally published in 1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson. 7 The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (Starbreeze, 2009) is based on a character acted by Vin Diesel in the films Pitch Black (Twohy, 2000) and Chronicles of Riddick (Twohy, 2004). The game character model is based on the actor Vin Diesel. In addition, Vin Diesel is the voice of Riddick in the game. Both the model and voice link the game character with the films. Both voice and model can trigger interpretation and associated affects while watching the films. Sloboda and Juslin (2001) call the affects triggered this way as “associative emotions”.
Page 4 and 5: Aalto University Publication Series
Page 7 and 8: Contents List of Publications 9 Ack
Page 9 and 10: List of Publications This thesis co
Page 11 and 12: Introduction To explain my interest
Page 13 and 14: 1. Introduction 13 Game designers h
Page 15 and 16: 1. Introduction 15 tertainment. Whi
Page 17 and 18: 1. Introduction 17 and involuntary
Page 19 and 20: 1. Introduction 19 dition, the game
Page 21 and 22: Game Characters Characters are an i
Page 23 and 24: 2. Game Characters 23 can fly, and
Page 25: 2. Game Characters 25 Figure 2.1: H
Page 29 and 30: Game and Gameplay Design First, I l
Page 31 and 32: 3. Game and Gameplay Design 31 Figu
Page 33 and 34: 3. Game and Gameplay Design 33 what
Page 35 and 36: Character Engagement and Game Desig
Page 37 and 38: 4. Character Engagement and Game De
Page 39 and 40: 4. Character Engagement and Game De
Page 41 and 42: Conclusions My study has two primar
Page 43 and 44: 5. Conclusions 43 Factor Perceivabl
Page 45 and 46: 5. Conclusions 45 PC that lead to s
Page 47 and 48: References AARSETH, E., 2004. Genre
Page 49 and 50: References 49 Behavioral Neuroscien
Page 51 and 52: References 51 New York: John Wiley
Page 53 and 54: References 53 NICHOLS, S., 2004. Im
Page 55 and 56: References 55 K., C-64 version. Mas
Page 57 and 58: Research Material Assassin’s Cree
Page 59 and 60: Appendix 1 59 Quick Start Cthulhu.
Page 61 and 62: Gameplay Design Patterns In this Ap
Page 63 and 64: Appendix 2 63 Detective Structure I
Page 65 and 66: Appendix 2 65 accepted and disallow
Page 67 and 68: Appendix 2 67 References —— art
Page 69 and 70: Appendix 2 69 sibility of Surprises
Page 71 and 72: Appendix 2 71 —— Modulates: Cha
Page 73 and 74: Appendix 2 73 (Egri, 1960) of a cha
Page 75 and 76: Lies and Seductions Credits CREATIV
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Article 1 77 Characters in Computer
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Article 1 79 It is important to not
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Article 1 81 attacks, which are all
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Article 1 83 almost anything in the
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Article 1 85 situation(s) —— Ch
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Article 1 87 its physiological, soc
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Article 1 89 Banner. Obviously, it
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Article 1 91
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Article 2 93 Player Character Engag
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Article 2 95 elaborately simulated
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Article 2 97 affects and performing
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Article 2 99 (Björk and Holopainen
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Article 2 101 player would fear the
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Article 2 103 available and what po
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Article 2 105 Many games also use c
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Article 2 107 petty criminal, Tommy
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Article 2 109 site for empathetic e
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Article 2 111 Grodal, T. (1999). Mo
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Article 2 113 emotion. Personality
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Article 2 115
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Article 3 117 Gameplay Design Patte
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Article 3 119 are constructed predo
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Article 3 121 ter, especially in ga
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Article 3 123 General overview Clau
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Article 3 125 similar goods. This i
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Article 3 127 Conversational Respon
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Article 3 129 is very strict one an
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Article 3 131
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Article 4 133 Gameplay Design Patte
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Article 4 135 described in this pap
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Article 4 137 the ANT, is seeing a
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Article 4 139 Egri’s Premise rela
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Article 4 141 Reactions as they do
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Article 4 143 this can be seen as a
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Article 4 145 heathens as part of o
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Article 4 147 Faction member will h
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Article 4 149 Discussions In this s
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Article 4 151 than character relati
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Article 4 153 Conference, 2007. 30.
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Article 4 155 Name Information Pass
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Article 5 157 Lies and Seduction Pe
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Article 5 159 Figure 2. A gameplay
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Article 5 161
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Article 6 163 Character-Driven Game
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Article 6 165 and physique); ——
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Article 6 167 —— providing goal
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Article 6 169 Part of a character d
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Article 6 171 Character Defining Ac
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Article 6 173 given that the traits
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Article 6 175 and want to be in goo
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Article 6 177 rectly available to a
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Article 6 179 4th ed. Steve Jackson
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Article 6 181
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Petri Lankoski MA, Lecturer, Game D
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Character Driven Game Design

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