Character flaws

I wanted my game to have characters that players would be able to identify and empathise with, especially the protagonist, as obviously the player would be spending more time with him than anyone else. In order to do this I had to make the character as real as possible.

Thompson (2007) agrees and states “The designer must be aware of any characters significance within the game. NPC’s who are seen briefly do not need much character development and may only need superficial details of their personalities worked out. However, the player character and major NPC’s do need careful consideration” (Thompson 2007:95)

Looking at game characters who worked and felt realistic, I found the best to be characters such as Jack Walters from 'Call of Cthulhu' and Similarly Carla Valenti in the game ‘Fahrenheit’ as she has several character flaws such as she is claustrophobic and predisposed to panic-attacks.

With the above in mind I designed my main character 'Thomas Wylde' to be flawed in the sense that he often has a defeatist attitude and wants to give up early on in the game until he meets another character who gives him a reason to keep fighting. I didn't want any trace of the dark, gritty anti-hero that seems to be populating the current market with characters such as 'Alex Mercer' from Prototype and 'Solid Snake' from the Metal Gear Solid games. Thomas would be idealistic and at times naive, he would try to see the good in people and trust them... which would get him in trouble. I also gave him a physical identifier which was a small wisp of white hair, at his temple.