Virtual Character Design for Games and Interactive Media

Table of contents

1. Acknowledgments
2. About the Author
3. Introduction
   1. A Brief History of Virtual Characters
   2. An Overview of the Book
   3. Terminology
4. Section I - Presentation
   1. Chapter 1 - Anatomy and Physical Cues
      1. Anatomy
         1. Body Proportions
         2. Body Type
         3. Sex Differences
      2. Physical Cues
         1. Attraction
         2. Health
         3. Age
      3. Summary and Activity
      4. References
   2. Chapter 2 - Visual and Audio Design Principles
      1. Line and Shape
      2. Silhouette
      3. Color
      4. Visual Style
      5. Sound Design for Virtual Characters
         1. Diegetic, Synchronous, and Empathetic Sound
         2. Sound Motifs
      6. Summary and Activity
      7. References
   3. Chapter 3 - Representation, Customization, and Transformation
      1. Identity
      2. Representation
         1. Gender and Sexuality
         2. Ethnicity, Religion, and Nationality
         3. Age and Social Class
      3. Customization
      4. Transformation
      5. Summary and Activity
      6. References
5. Section II - Performance
   1. Chapter 4 - Personality, Emotion, and Expression
      1. Personality
         1. Personality Traits and the Five-Factor Model
         2. Individual Attitudes
         3. Political Views
         4. Balancing Personality Design for Virtual Characters
      2. Emotional States
         1. Emotions as Adaptive Behaviors
         2. Emotion and Virtual Character Performance
      3. Expression
         1. Posture and Proximity
         2. Facial Expression
         3. Voice and Emotional State
      4. Summary and Activity
      5. References
   2. Chapter 5 - Context, Story, and Gameplay
      1. Core and Shell
      2. Narrative Shell
         1. Setting and Backstory
         2. Archetypes and Stereotypes
         3. Interactive Plot
         4. Narrative Mode
         5. Thematic Statements
      3. Gameplay Core
         1. Video Game Genres
         2. Gameplay Design
         3. Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics
         4. Flow
      4. Summary and Activity
      5. References
   3. Chapter 6 - Acting, Movement, and Animation
      1. Thinking and Acting
      2. Stanislavski’s System
      3. Movement
      4. Animation Principles
      5. Animation Methods
      6. Mixed-Methods Animation
      7. Summary and Activity
      8. References
6. Section III - Practice
   1. Chapter 7 - Control: The Aesthetics of Playable Characters
      1. Role Embodiment
      2. Role Fulfillment
      3. Role Projection
      4. Character Flow
      5. Summary
   2. Chapter 8 - Cast: The Aesthetics of the Virtual Ensemble
      1. Character Appeal
      2. Dependency
      3. Co-Protagonism
      4. Summary
   3. Chapter 9 - Complexity: The Aesthetics of Hyperreal Characters
      1. The Uncanny Valley
      2. The Turing Test
      3. Virtual Knowledge
      4. Conclusion
      5. References
7. Glossary
8. Ludography