Player-Created Characters
Characters whose creation players' have had some influence over.
This pattern is a still a stub.
Contents
Examples
Using the pattern
Can Be Instantiated By
Designing so that games have Player-Created Characters consists of creating rules for how players can affect Characters. Although the most obvious way to do this is through Initial Personalization such as Avatar Personalization, Construction, or Naming before gameplay begins, Player-Created Characters can emerge over time through the use of Character Development combined with Creative Control or Freedom of Choice.
Freedom of Choice together with Initial Personalization
These process can be affected more or less through the use of Randomness, e.g. rolling initial statistics in Dungeons & Dragons or using the Life Board in Fallen Reich.
Although it may be most natural that the pattern Player-Created Characters is used to create Player Characters, some games make use of the pattern to let player create Non-Player Characters, e.g. Companions in roleplaying games such as GURPS.
Interface Aspects
In computer-based games, Player-Created Characters are constructed in Secondary Screen Interfaces.
Consequences
Games supporting Player-Created Characters gives players Freedom of Choice and Creative Control in constructing Characters, which may not only be Player Characters but can also be Non-Player Characters such as Companions, although the level of control and freedom may depend on the level of Randomness involved in the process. This increases the possibilities for Identification and Emotional Engrossment as is likely to affect Roleplaying if this is present in a game design. The personalization possible also allows players to construct Player Defined Goals for their Characters as they are created, and can give them the Exaggerated Perception of Influence over how the Narration Structures will develop. Given that player can consider and choose the way they want Player-Created Characters to behave while they are creating them, these Characters are more likely to have Enforced Agent Behavior even if the behavior is decided by players rather than by game designers.
The time spent on Player-Created Characters is an example of Player Time Investments and is likely to lead to Asymmetric Starting Conditions. For Late Arriving Players, the use of Player-Created Characters can be used to let them better fit the already existing Characters in Multiplayer Games.
Relations
Can Instantiate
Asymmetric Starting Conditions, Emotional Engrossment, Enforced Agent Behavior, Exaggerated Perception of Influence, Identification, Player Time Investments, Player Defined Goals
Can Modulate
Characters, Companions, Late Arriving Players, Narration Structures, Non-Player Characters, Player Characters, Roleplaying
Can Be Instantiated By
Characters together with Avatar Personalization, Construction, Initial Personalization, or Naming
Character Development together with Creative Control or Freedom of Choice
Freedom of Choice together with Initial Personalization
Can Be Modulated By
Randomness, Secondary Screen Interfaces
Possible Closure Effects
-
Potentially Conflicting With
-
History
New pattern created in this wiki.
References
-
