Today
Characters
Arno Kamphuis
Game Design 2010-2011d
• Last ’tale’ of storytelling
• Characters
• Archetypes
• Exercise
• Assignments
The Monomyth
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
The ordinary world (can be ignored)
The call to adventure
The refusal of the call (can be ignored)
The meeting with the mentor
Crossing the first threshold
Tests, allies, and enemies
The approach to the innermost cave
The ordeal
The reward
The road back
The resurrection
The return with the reward
Three act structure
• Act 1: Development. until crossing the first threshold
• Act 2: Complication. until the road back
• Act 3: Resolution. the final part
• In normal stories: 6%, 88%, 6%
• In games often: 2%, 97%, 1%
• Crisis appears at the threshold and at the ordeal
• The climax appears at the resurrection
• Second crisis can either be at the end of the second
act or halfway the second act
Multipart stories
• Many stories are told in multiple parts
• Series
• Limited sequence of episodes
• Each is self contained story
• Often an overriding theme/storyline
• Common in games
Narrative
• Non-interactive part of the game
• You tell the player things without letting him do things
• Often required to tell the story
• Gameplay involves the interactive parts
• You must make the balance between the two
• Narrative helps to create the setting
• It provides motivation and justification
• It provides an easy entrance into the game world
• But it hampers interactivity
Multipart stories
• Serials
• Infinite sequence of episodes
• Plot threads not resolved in each episode but run
over multiple
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• Creates cliffhanger situations
Multiple plot strands
No overall storyline
Contain many archetypes
Character driven rather than plot driven
From time to time plot twists
Might become more common in games
Characters
Characters
• Must be developed carefully
• Create a backstory
• Must fit in the story or the game
• Or conflict with it for humor
• E.g. animals in a human setting
• Must fit the target audience
• Good visual design
• Artistic
• Realistic or not
• Device/resolution plays a role
• Sprites versus 3D model
• Both graphics and animations
Characters
Characters
• Super sensuality
• Exaggerate those features dominant in the sexes
• Creates sexual desirability
• But be careful, people can get insulted/distracted by it
• It has to match the game setting and game play
• Cuteness
• Exaggerate those features dominant in younger people
or (pet) animals
• Large head
• Large eyes
• Style is culture dependent
• Mouth size in Japanese characters
• Americans find European cartoon characters ugly
Characters
• Sidekicks
• Additional characters that support/contrast main
character
• Can make a game/story appeal to more people
• Create a personality for the character
• Using the beginning of the story
• Based on the background story
• Many game characters are weak in this
• Strong characters help almost any game
• Also arcade games, sport games, etc.
• Strong characters become a brand
• Mario, Sonic, · · ·
Characters
Characters
• Characters should have depth which is revealed
throughout the story
• They should intrigue the player
• Player should “like” the character
• Characters should grow through the story
Character Growth
• Story:
• The ordinary world
• The call...
• The refusal...
• The meeting...
• Crossing the 1st ...
• Tests, ...
• The approach...
• The ordeal
• The reward
• The road back
• The resurrection
• The return...
• Character Growth:
• Limited awareness
• Increased awareness
• Reluctance to change
• Overcoming
• Committing
• Experimenting
• Preparing
• Big change
• Consequences
• Rededication
• Final attempt
• Mastery
Archetypes
• Archetypes play a standard role in a story
• They are not necessarily individual character
• A single character can play multiple roles
• Carefully think about which ones to use in your
games and when to use them
Archetypes
• Hero
• Center of the story
• Players avatar
• Has one or more outer problems
• Hero can also have an inner problem (flaw or dark
secret)
• Story tells how hero overcomes these
• Stories are about conflict and how to resolve it
• Player must identify with the hero
• Hero’s goals must become the players goals
• Hero can be an anti-hero
• Hero can be a team of individuals
• E.g. in RPG games
• The players plays one or multiple of them
Archetypes
• Higher self
• The way the hero wants to be
• Object of the game can be to become this (although
not explicitely)
• Threshold guardian
• Prevents progress of the hero until he has proven his
worth
• Doubt in the hero’s mind
• Warnings by a mentor
• End of level boss
Archetypes
• Mentor
• Guides the
hero/player
• Wise man,
supernatural aid,
inner voice, ...
• Sometimes the
mentor can give bad
advise
• Hero/player must
decide what is
the good advise
Archetypes
• Allies
• Those that help the hero
• Shadow
• The main enemy that must be defeated
• The ulimate evil
• Does not have to be a character
• Sometimes more important than the hero
• Can be very present or hidden until the end
Archetypes
• Shape shifter
• Changes form/role in the story
• For example, ally becomes a shadow, or mentor
becomes a shadow
• Often important for the plot twist
Archetypes
• Trickster
• Neutral character
that creates mischief
• Can be a sidekick
• Adds some comic
relief
• Can take the form of
puzzles in games
Archetypes
• Herald
• Propels story in a different direction
• Can be a simple message
• Angle (Mother)
• Heals the hero
• Father
• Gives good advise and stimulates the hero
• ···
DIY
• Within the next 20 minutes
• Read the story again
• Find the characters that represent the following
archetypes
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Hero
Allies
Herald
Shadow
Threshold Guardian
Mother
Practical Assignment
Assignment 5
• Story!!!
• Write a story (max. 1500 words)
• The story must follow the 12 steps (monomyth)
• You must indicate exactly which part of the story
corresponds to what step
• You need to provide the division in acts
• You must describe the different character archetypes
you use in the game (max. 500 words)
• you must indicate how the story can be used as the
basis for a game (max. 1000 words)
Next lecture
Level Design