Better Game Characters by Design- P4: The game industry is a powerful and driving force in the evolution of computer technology. As the capabilities of personal computers, peripheral hardware, and game consoles have grown, so has the demand for quality information about the algorithms, tools, and descriptions needed to take advantage of this new technology. To satisfy this demand and establish a new level of professional reference for the game developer, we created the Morgan Kaufmann Series in Interactive 3D Technology | CHAPTER THREE CULTURE elements of an unfamiliar culture or subculture to a game s characters or to try to wholly craft something within a media genre that is not a native format for the design team. People from the target culture or subculture will find these attempts jarring and unappealing. There are too many nuances involved for any team new to a form or a culture to appropriately include the right social signals. It is simply not possible. Far better to create a coherent character social system working from what the designers know intimately themselves. Include designers from the target culture. If the team wants to build for multiple cultures or wants to build a game that works well for a particular subculture the safest way to do this is to include full-fledged design team members from the target group in the design process from the beginning. Nothing can substitute for having a high level of involvement from one or more members of the target group when the crucial design choices are getting made. These people can explain why concepts do or do not feel right can nix obvious false notes and can help nudge the design through the iteration cycle. Test early and often with members of the target culture. Even when a team does include members from the target culture it is important to put ideas in front of players from that culture as early and often as is feasible. Remember that cultures are not homogeneous there will be many perspectives within a given group and it is important to get a range of reactions to ensure that the game s characters will have the proper appeal. Interview Ryoichi Hasegawa and Roppyaku Tsurumi of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan conducted by Kenji Ono Tsurumi Roppyaku 600 Design http 0600design Hasegawa Ryoichi SCEJ http Q At a GDC 2003 lecture it was explained that Japanese video game character design developed out of the manga and anime cultures. Hasegawa Yes they have profoundly .
