Writing a Character Brief

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From the course by California Institute of the Arts

Story and Narrative Development for Video Games

602 оценки

California Institute of the Arts

Story and Narrative Development for Video Games

602 оценки

Course 2 of 5 in the Specialization Game Design: Art and Concepts

In this course, you will examine how storytelling acts as a vital mechanism for driving video gameplay forward. Looking at several historical and contemporary games, you will be asked to evaluate and interpret different story styles with the goal of identifying themes and procedures for your own game ideas. We'll examine traditional narrative story processes, such as three-act structure, and how they fit into game story flows and the strategic elements of gameplay. Ultimately, you will learn how to define character, setting, and structure to create a compelling game concept.

From the lesson

Week 2: Game Story Structure

In this week, we will draw a parallel between last week’s discussion on rising action and how that relates to gameplay. Looking at a pair of contemporary games, we'll learn how to identify story structure and themes of rising action, just like we would with traditional stories and movies. Lastly, we’ll evaluate the role that primary and secondary characters come to play in the unveiling of a game’s story and discuss the importance of understanding how these games present their stories in the actual gameplay.

Defining Characters and Character Goals7:33

Using Secondary Characters3:27

Writing a Character Brief4:59

Meet the Instructors

Dariush Derakhshani
Faculty, Character Animation
School of Film/Video

So, the best way to go about quantifying your characters,

primary and secondary, is by creating a character list and

character descriptions or briefs that communicate who these people are and

how they fit into the game story, how are they being used?

You would of course begin by listing and describing the primary characters.

Those are the ones responsible for the main action of the game.

And then by moving on to the secondary characters, what they bring to the table,

how they propel your story.

As far as the descriptions go,

let's take our current example of the warrior princess a little bit further.

We would describe them in terms of the following points.

1.Who is he?

Or who is she?

Are they a primary or

a secondary character and how do they relate to the game story?

2.What do they look like?

What are they wearing?

What are they carrying with them.

How do they comport themselves.

3.What is their personality like and

how does that personality help fulfill their role in the game story?

4.How do they relate to other characters in the game?

How does that ecology work?

5.What are their strengths, and

what are their weaknesses, and how can that affect the game's story?

6.What are the motivating character goals for this character.

So let's put that in terms of our made up game, The Warrior Princess.

We'd begin by listing her.

The princess is our protagonist.

She is a princess of the realm and an accomplished warrior in the kingdom.

She's on a quest to find her father's magic scepter and

confront the man who betrayed her, the evil magician.

The princess is tall and elegant in stature, with strong legs and

wears a heavy satin tunic that is deep purple, her kingdom's royal color.

Her sword is tied to her side with a wide red sash given to her by her father,

the King.

Her light brown hair is braided tightly behind her head as utility.

And her blue eyes and warm smile can calm any situation with just a simple look.

The Warrior Princess is brave and unflinching.

She is as polite as a demure princess, but direct and strong interactions.

She knows what she needs to do pretty much at all times, and

is unwavering in her determination.

She projects an outward confidence, though, that belies her own

insecurities and fears of not being good enough for her father's love and respect.

She is however, the only person in the kingdom with the determination,

grace and intellect needed to find that missing scepter.

The princess as a child was raised by the magician, who has for years been a father

figure to her while her real father was busy reigning over their vast kingdom.

She's been deeply betrayed by the magician, who has recently shown himself

to be an evil man out to acquire power and wealth and ruin their royal family.

The princess is determined, but she can be deceived by false kindness.

She sees the best in people, but to a fault, and is in part actually

responsible for allowing the scepter to fall into the evil magician's hands.

Therefore, the princess is intent on exacting revenge for

the magician's deep betrayal, and restoring her own honor and

sense of self being after being duped for so long by the magician.

Therefore, she must find a way to find the scepter and

return it to her father, the king.

Now, the descriptions like this for the primary characters are more involved and

detailed than they would be for secondary characters like Bart.

When it comes to goals and strengths and weaknesses since these points

affect the story line directly through the primary characters.

But on the whole, these character lists and

briefs help you as the designer drive your game story.

But they will also serve to communicate to other designers

how to visualise those characters for you.

Whether you take on the role of creating the art yourself or

you have somebody else take on that role, these descriptions go a super

duper long way in painting a picture of what these characters look like.

But be sure to be concise and descriptive, and try to think of the primary characters

beyond the scope of the game at hand for a deeper, richer character description.

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