Virtual Character Design for Games and Interactive Media

Chapter 8

Cast

The Aesthetics of the Virtual Ensemble

In the previous chapter, we considered the aesthetic qualities of playable characters (PCs), with particular emphasis on the ways in which players can take on virtual roles. Although we were focused on the PC, we did touch on the contribution of nonplayable characters (NPCs) to the player’s experience of a game. In this chapter, we turn our attention to the wider cast of playable and nonplayable characters and consider the aesthetic qualities of the virtual ensemble. Even some of the earliest video games (such as those identified in the Introduction) included virtual character casts that were pivotal to the atmosphere and narrative of the product. The threat and sense of panic in Space Invaders ...