Creating a Video Game Character Design Workflow: a literature review on the theories and methods used by professionals in video game character design

Abstract

With the increases in processing power and advancements to game engines, the developers designing video games have been presented with unparallel opportunities. To utilize these opportunities, character designers should have adequate research to base their character designs on. However, academic literature regarding the methodology used in character design is scarce. This research aimed to provide character designers with tools and methods to help them design more diverse, unique, and deep characters, in the process addressing prominent issues in the field.

Data was collected by performing a literature review via qualitative research. The goal was to find extensive and varied data regarding video game character design. Thus, previous research, literature by industry professionals, and online sources were researched. The resulting data consisted of theories from psychology, drawing and painting techniques, common conventions, as well as ideating methods. From the gathered data, the most prominent theories and science-based methods, techniques, tools, and useful concepts were selected. Selection of these tools was done based on the credibility of their source and their helpfulness in the character design process. How a tool supported the use of other selected tools was also considered. These tools were used to create a character design workflow. This workflow was split into three phases: the ideating phase, the background phase, and the visual phase. The selected tools were placed chronologically in these phases based what phase they could be utilized in.

The literature review also revealed several ethical problems in the video game industry. Gender stereotypes and sexualization of women continue to be prominent in the industry. These issues were addressed in the workflow by informing character designers of their possible negative effects. Character designers were also advised to base character designs on narrative rather than stereotypes or gender. Another prominent issue, the promotion of unhealthy and unrealistic body types, was also addressed by encouraging character designers to include diversity, varied body types, and varied genders into their character designs. Thus, the workflow was designed to promote progressivity in the field.