Creative Character Design for Games and Animation

Chapter 5Diversity and Stereotypes

DOI: 10.1201/9781003243533-5

Being an artist comes with a responsibility that we are not always aware of. Whenever we design a character, we are also making a statement. Every detail, from gender, skin colour, clothing, attitude to posture and expression blends into an overall message from the creator (intentional or not). It can say something like: ‘This is how I see a typical mother’ or ‘this is what I think a typical high school boy looks like’. We all have certain preconceptions depending on our upbringing, cultural context, media influences, personal experiences, etc. So, when we want to get a certain idea across we tend to fall back on familiar concepts and known stereotypes that we think can be easily ...