Crafting the Player's Character or "Talk to the gun"
Gradnpa's NarrativeDesign, Owner/Narrative Designer
- When:
- 15.07.2022, 13:00–14:00
- Hall:
- Red Sea Hall (game Design)
Crafting memorable characters is never easy. An even greater challenge is how to create a protagonist – player’s avatar. They need to be unique, spectacular, yet familiar, and connected to players. This lecture will go through the anatomy of a memorable character, with specifics on creating the Protagonist so that every player can identify with the character, and own it, using the example of cyberpunk noir detective JC from the game “Let Bions be bygones” by Bohemian Pulp.
What the talk is about
Ranko Trifkovic breaks down the "anatomy" of a character and shows how to use it to build a protagonist players can identify with. He covers roles (those who drive the story versus supporting ones), then three layers: goals, motivation and ethos. Goals are best conveyed through actions and objectives; motivation can be attached quickly through a choice early in the game; ethos most often defines the player character, but changing it needs care. Using the cyberpunk noir detective of Let Violence Be Bygones by Bohemian Pulp, the team dropped the generic nice/aggressive/neutral choice for three approaches (scientific, empathic, dark and cynical) plus "talking to the gun", which shape both gameplay and story. In the Q&A he advises replacing amnesia with a clear baseline for the hero. Useful for narrative designers, game designers and writers.