Player Characters

Characters in games that are are under players' direct control or represent the players role in the gameplay.

This pattern is a still a stub.

Using the pattern

Can Be Instantiated By

Player Characters are created by either letting players control Characters - this can be considered Roleplaying since to outsiders the players and Characters share goals even if the players themselves may not identify with the Characters but rather the overarching goals of a game. In the latter case, game designers may consider if it can be sufficient to only use Avatars (possibly together with a few characteristics such as Health) instead of both Player Characters and Characters in a game design.

There are several design choices that become more relevant when players are to control Characters. First, they may be Player-Created Characters, letting players have influence on their Equipment and Companions.

Second, should they fate be set through Predetermined Story Structures or should they have an Open Destiny, and, related to this, should their exist Character Defining Actions during the gameplay and should players be supported in having a Player-Planned Development for the Characters (and this can be regardless if they can actual influence the development).

Can Be Modulated By

, Game Masters,

Transferable Items

For games that wish to support Late Arriving Players, how to handle the Game Element Insertion of Player Characters need to be considered, especially for Player Balance purposes.

Narrative Aspects

Thematic Consistency may be difficult to guarantee with this pattern since having Player Characters let players have significant control in how individual Characters behave in Game Worlds. This can however be controlled by having Limited Set of Actions or Game Masters, and then the added details players can provide can support Thematic Consistency.

Consequences

Player Characters provides players with a Focus Loci in which to interact with Game Worlds and is more likely to make the Characters control be perceived as Agents. Unlike other types of Focus Loci, e.g. Units, Player Characters form a natural starting point to begin Roleplaying and lets them have Creative Control in how to do this, including engaging in Gossip and Storytelling. While letting players control Characters can give them a focus to have Emotional Engrossment during gameplay, this attachment can be cut if the game provides Character Defining Actions whose effect on Player Characters were not wanted by the players and not perceivable beforehand.

Give that players often provide Player Characters with various peculiarity in their behaviors and expressions, it may be difficult to maintain a Possibility of Anonymity unless gameplay is mediated through restrictive Communication Channels.

Since Player Characters contain the game state values most likely to affect players' valorization, the Game Element Insertion of the Player Characters of Late Arriving Players may can be difficult to combine with Player Balance.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Agents, Creative Control, Emotional Engrossment, Focus Loci, Gossip, Roleplaying, Storytelling

with Communication Channels

Possibility of Anonymity

with Game Masters or Limited Set of Actions

Thematic Consistency

Can Modulate

-

Can Be Instantiated By

Characters together with Roleplaying

Can Be Modulated By

Character Defining Actions, Companions, Equipment, Game Element Insertion, Game Masters, Open Destiny, Player-Created Characters, Player-Planned Development, Predetermined Story Structures, Transferable Items

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Emotional Engrossment when Player Characters are used together with Character Defining Actions in ways not wanted by the players

Player Balance when the Player Characters are put into gameplay through Game Element Insertion due to Late Arriving Players

Thematic Consistency unless supervised by Game Masters or players having a Limited Set of Actions

History

New pattern created in this wiki.

Acknowledgments

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