Interesting article titled: Repelling the Invasion of the "Other": Post-Apocalyptic Alien Shooter Videogames Addressing Contemporary Cultural Attitudes

I came across an article titled, Repelling the Invasion of the "Other": Post-Apocalyptic Alien Shooter Video games Addressing Contemporary Cultural Attitudes. I found this when I was searching up "themes occurring in shooter games", to find out what style my characters would fit in, e.g post-apocalyptic, sci-fi etc. 

The article talks about how alien invasions in video games is becoming a common occurrence. It states that "scholarly works have dealt with videogames addressing issues like post-9/11 culture, but little attention has been paid to the alien invasion games that, while trading in the same fear of destruction, have transcended these political and cultural concerns. Instead, they address deeper held Western ideas, such as a Eurocentric view of the world, which features a sharp distinction between Insiders and Outsider "Others," and the related theme of US reputation overseas."

The extract below, talks about how the aliens in GoW actually symbolise foreigners, due to their humanoid features, and how it could be a metaphor for a racial/cultural divide.

In the Gears of War series, for example, human beings have been attacked by creatures that have risen up out of the ground and destroyed most inhabited areas. These creatures walk on two legs, have the basic facial structure of human beings (eyes, mouth, nose), and speak in a form of garbled "English." These physical traits signify that they share a foundational genetic similarity with the humans themselves, and this opens up the possibility of reading them as signifying a different race than the protagonists. The skin color of the creatures, called Locust by the humans, as well as their uneven skin texture mark them as different and "Other." The protagonist characters in the Gears of War series would not all be considered White, with the main group including a man coded as Black and another coded as Latino, but with their English and their mannerisms they all signify American. The Locusts' speech, which can be understood to contain words like "Die Ground-Walker" as if it was spoken with a severe rasp, connotes that the language spoken by them is related to English but foreign at the same time. All of this points to the aliens being coded as human-like enough to understand, but as being racial and culturally different enough to repel. It is in their similarities that the connection can be made that these creatures do not simply denote a completely alien race attacking the humans, but instead they connote a race of humans that is strange and foreign to the protagonists. It should be noted that anthropomorphized alien creatures are not only common within the science fiction genre, but also make sense in shooter games for movement and aiming purposes. However, the addition of "garbled" English and features so closely resembling humans pushes this feature towards "Othering."

These same signifying dynamics are present in other videogames of the same subject matter. The Resistanceseries also depicts humanity under siege from an alien force that is threatening to take over all areas of the world. The creatures in this game, known as the Chimera, also walk on two legs and have the basic movements and characteristics of human beings. The connection between alien and human in this series is even more direct because the Chimera are "created" by incubating human beings in pods to "convert" them. They emerge from these pods with eight eyes and different colored skin, signifying their connection with humanity along side their "Otherness." In Resistance 2 (Insomniac Games, 2008), the protagonist Nathan Hale gets up close and personal with these pods as he encounters an infested small town where they hang from the very walls of idyllic small town homes. Not only does the presence of the pods containing half-formed Chimera in the homes of the humans signify the connection between the two species, but also when Hale breaks open the pods there is an unmistakable splash of blood that sprays. Blood is an important theme throughout these games because, as Michel Foucault states, blood signifies and is "a reality with a symbolic function" (1979, p.147). In this case, the red blood that breaks loose from the pod, along with the half-formed Chimera that falls out, signify the connection these creatures have to human beings. Some games are even more blatant about the connection between humans and the invading "alien" forces. The Killzone series depicts a post-apocalyptic world where a group of humans were forced to leave and live on the planet Helghast. These former humans, now known as Helghans, attack the remaining humans. The Helghans must wear respirator masks due to the Helghast atmosphere, but they are direct descendants of the human race.

All of these examples of narrative elements speaks to the connection of the alien forces to humanity and yet "Others" them so as to make them easily killable. This distinction between "Other" and normal, as a feature of media texts, is a process reminiscent of the seminal social psychological work of Henri Tafjel that discussed ingroup and outgroup dynamics. Tafjel states:

in order for the members of an ingroup to be able to hate or dislike an outgroup, or to discriminate against it, they must first have acquired a sense of belonging to a group which is clearly distinct from the one they hate, dislike or discriminate against (1974, p. 66)

In these alien invasion videogames, the ingroup is established as the normal Western human beings and the outgroup established as the "Other" aliens, which stand in for the broader cultural "Other." This coding and the added element of symbolic violence serve to attack cultural "Others" without complicating gamers' identification with game protagonists. Blurring the lines between human and alien helps to reify cultural fears of those that are different through serial violence done to the alien "Others."

This to me is an interesting theory, however, I do not agree with it. Having played Resistance, it seems to me that the Chimera are simply an alien race. Following sci-fi films and the idea of aliens coming to take over the earth and wipe out humanity. It makes sense. It does not seem to have a deeper meaning. However, it is definitely interesting and something to keep in mind when designing characters that appear somewhat alien, yet human. The human features enable the player to more easily empathise with the character, however, this would also have something to do with the story when developing a character that is meant to have much more symbolic meaning than just alien. 

Progression

Now that I have a clearer idea of the questions and areas that I am interested in concerning character design, I decided a good way of progressing the project would be to find out how to actually design a character. I came across a video by CUBEBRUSH on youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EY8UNy4RQQ, which details the steps to take when designing a character.

In the video Arnold Tsang (artist at Blizzard) is credited for the list. Here is an article featuring Tsang on character design concept art: http://www.polygon.com/2014/3/24/5541390/blizzard-character-design-concept-art

At the start of the video there are three main categories: genre, theme and class. These are the fundamentals to think about when creating a character. However, as I am not working to a brief set by someone, I will have to come up with my own. I feel a good place to start is by picking a few genres, such as FPS, RPG/ MOBA and fighting games, and designing characters for those genres. Depending on time, I can either pick a few themes, such as horror, fantasy or sci-fi, and do a few sketches or refined paintings for each game genre. This will enable me to build up a varied portfolio, whilst also improving my creativity and flexibility as an artist.

The genres I will design characters for will be fighting games, Shooters and RPG/ MOBAs. I picked these three genres and FPS and RPG/MOBAs are currently quite popular, and fighting games will enable me to make a lot of different characters and I can have more freedom to experiment with design and clothing. So now that I have picked I will have to do the relevant research on each genre to find out what types/class of character are featured in each. This will be my initial point of research. Next I will make a list of different themes that are commonly featured in these games, and will finally have a selection to choose from to form the basics of my character. For example, FPS, sci-fi, horror, tank, and this will help me greatly as a starting point.

Costume sketches

Taking inspiration from the characters previously mentioned in this blog and trying to come up with different and interesting costumes.

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With these designs, I liked the belt as it added more femininity/ a girly element. However, I do not feel that I will take any of these designs further as they lack originality, so they are merely for practice purposes. 

Below are some random sketches of clothing from different clothing websites and TV series'. The top page is influenced by Japanese fashion and also a lolita-esque style.

This bottom page is influenced by Once Upon A Time, so fantasy, typical RPG clothing.

New custom brush

I created this brush using this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkV3TfhCHPU as I really like the effect and the tutorials on the channel. I also enabled pen pressure which works nicely to create different values, as can be seen below. I had to disable it for a while due to Photoshop bugs.

Questions on character design in games

Is the artistic design of the character enough to suggest the character's personality/ disposition?

How big of a role does the artwork play in comparison to the character's personality?

How does the look of the character affect the players initial perception of them compared to the actions of the character?

Is character customisation really important?

Can character customisation greatly affect the relationship between character and player, even if the character's narrative (characterisation) does not change despite the customisation?

Is there enough variation in character design to satisfy players?

Is the art style of a game always indicative of the intended audience?

Is identifying with the character always important? For example, MOBAs have many characters that you can play, it's not like an RPG where you may form an emotional attachment to your character. Or even DOOM where the character has no name, as the protagonist is supposed to be the player. (http://doom.wikia.com/wiki/Doom's_protagonists)

Not all video game characters have a back story or even anything to say, there are just there visually. How impactful is their design; is it enough to make them significant in some way.

How the different elements of character design come together to form a complete character. For example, voice actor, animation, expressions, clothing etc.

How big a part do culture and society play in character design?


Umbrella:
Explore the different elements that go into character design.

Follow on from Regina

I was searching for a character the other day who I remembered being female but dressing to pretend to be male. It turned out that this character was King from King of Fighters. In my search for King, I found a character, Elisabeth, whose costume design reminded me a little of Regina's from Once Upon a Time, in terms of the tailcoat and mixing that tailored feminine look with a little bit of masculinity.

 Below is King. I suppose the reason this character is so believable or works so well, is because she is somewhat reminiscent of those pretty boy Japanese characters, the effeminate males that are often seen in Asia and in games. Other examples of feminine looking characters can be seen in the Final Fantasy series, where they used Gackt as inspiration for the character of Genesis.

Even her clothing, is not particularly masculine, as it can sometimes appeared to be tailored, therefore making it look more feminine. However, her shoes, bow tie, and gloves do strike the viewer as masculine items. King was the first character I came across in games who is female dressed or rather disguised as a man. On further researching I found that a few of the Guilty Gear characters appear very effeminate, for example, Bridget who appears to be a girl entirely (as can be seen below).

Once Upon a Time costumes- Regina, Evil Witch

Having watched Once Upon a Time years ago when it was first aired on TV, I noticed that a large part of the show's magic and immersion comes from the costume design and the designer's, Eduardo Castro's attention to detail. One character in particular, the evil witch, Regina, has the best costumes of the show, in my opinion, as they are usually quite elaborate and fierce which compliments her personality. 

In episode 9 of season 1, Regina is shown wearing this outfit below. I really like this one as all the elements of the costume tie so well together to form a complete look, that is almost like a modern witch look. The hat is reminiscent of a witch, yet it is short, and not long and pointy. The dress part of the costume is almost like a 1600s Victorian dress with the waist flaring outwards. However, the inclusion of trousers and omission of the front skirt bit makes it seem very modern and empowering in comparison to a 1600s gown. The cape around the shoulders and chest, again is reminiscent of a witch's cape. This costume is fashionable as well as practical, which makes it so believable and striking, as it is rather unique, yet connotative of a witch, which is what Regina is. 

The waist created by the dress portion and corset- type top makes her very feminine in shape, and mixing it with trousers also mixes in a bit of masculinity, dominance perhaps. 

Her hair, being big and wild contrasts to the structure of her outfit, but it follows the curve of the hat and frames her face nicely. Again, it makes her look fierce, rather than having limp hair it's styled and big and noticeable. No part of the costume goes unnoticed.

The same style can be seen over and over again, as she often goes for that half dress. Many of her costumes do seem to be rooted in Victorian origins. 

The very low neckline combined with being completely covered everywhere else, enables her costumes to be less sexual, but still allows her to be feminine and still look very fierce. 

As can be seen from the above picture, Regina wears mostly traditional inspired clothing, but with that modern twist of a half dress and trousers. many of her clothes feature that defined waist and low cut top. 

Interestingly, Snow White has a similar outfit, yet it is more modest, neutral and not as glam or fanciful as Regina's. It's more earthy and gives a softer feel to her character. The contrast between light and dark colours from Regina and Snow also indicate their allegiance and symbolise good and evil. 

The short to long top is also a style that recurs throughout the series on multiple characters it seems. It is also a style I have always loved and been a fan of, due to the great feminine silhouette is can produce, but on top of that, it is feminine yet practical due to the addition of trousers. It is almost like old fashion mixed with new.  

This costume below on Regina is reminiscent to me of princely attire, due to the regal colour and the sharp angles and ruffle sleeves. Again, I feel as though this costume represents a somewhat masculine female, for lack of a better description. A dominant female. This is due to the broad shoulders that features in a lot of her costumes, and in a way these dress tops are reminiscent of tailcoats, which I suppose is why they give the look some masculinity. 

Trying out something new- inspiration from songs

I asked a friend the other day where he gets his inspiration from and he recommended that I look at songs to get inspiration. So I was listening to a song today, 'Goodbye' by Slipknot (lyrics http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/slipknot/goodbye.html) and there was a line that inspired me. The line is "how can we know where we are if the sun is behind us?"

Below is the general process of the drawing: 

In terms of a character design, this is very boring, I could now think of how to make it more interesting for a shadow figure. However, I like the glow and could maybe work on it more to make it more elaborate. Overall I am happy with it but it is a bit more on the simple, boring side. 

Another thing that inspired me to try out other ways of finding creativity, was discovering Chiara Bautista's artwork. Her art is so full of emotion and conveys themes and stories well with few words. I would love for my artwork to have more meaning, and not for me to just draw or paint for the sake of it to fulfill a job or something like that, but to have some deeper meaning behind it. Even if I am just drawing characters, I can still convey some meaning, whether it's in the clothing they wear, symbolism, or the emotions they portray. Chiara's work has really touched me and I find it absolutely incredible and unique, as, so far, I have yet to come across any similar work that has made such a profound impact on me.

Virtual Character Design- Robin Sloan

"Appearance can be influenced by game genre, target audience preferences, cultural differences, the brand of the development studio, or even the gaming platform. In any analysis of a character's appearance, the visual style is typically the most obvious element to consider first. For instance, the photorealism of a character is frequently highlighted in criticism of video game graphics, and for many game developers photorealism is a stylistic ideal. When working with more distinctive styles, the aesthetic choices of a developer might have an even greater impact on the presentation of a character... The application of style can have a dramatic effect on character appearance and, subsequently, on player perception and interpretation."

Useful sites suggested by Lynn

Google Scholar
Academia Research Gate

Lelouch character design brief analysis

Over the summer I rewatched Code Geass which was such a great anime in my opinion due, in particular, to the main character Lelouch. He was somewhat enigmatic to begin with, a normal student at school with friends and a sister. However, as the series progressed he grew as a character into a leader, a king. This character development was immense but very well done, however it was greatly aided by him attaining the ability of Geass, which enables him to command others to carry out his will, for example to kill themselves. However this only works on one person once. 

We find out that Lelouch is actually a prince of the Brinannian empire, once he acquires his geass power, he sets his sights in better the world for his sister and avenging his mother's death. That later develops to him wishing to make the world a better place for people in general. So due to the story we see this character development in Lelouch, through his interacts with other characters as well as their actions impacting on him and his plans. 

Generally he is intelligent and somewhat arrogant due to his upbringing, however he is very likeable and easy going at school. Yet his school personality is very different from his true nature, which we see when he is being Zero, the leader of the rebellion. As Zero, he is very strong-willed, tactical (as we see when he plays chess, as well as commands his units in battle), ruthless and in a way unattached to his followers, as he is willing to make sacrifices if need be.

Onto the costume of Zero and his body language, which reveals a lot about him. His facial expressions and the tones in his voice reveal his passion and also verges sometimes on maniacal, as can be seen below. The shape of his eyes, the smirk, the way his head is tilted downwards, the strong lighting on his face.

The actual costume of Zero suggests that he is somewhat aristocratic or at least sophisticated to some degree, due to the fancy shirt with it's ruffle collar and the way he carries himself.

However, one thing about  this costume, is that it looks a little strange when his coat is done up and he is not wearing his cape. I feel like it looks too feminine in a way, due to his very skinny frame. Yet it is a very elaborate suit for someone who is commanding his army posing as a regular person.

As mentioned previously, his body language shows the kind of person he is. It shows he is confident and comfortable in himself. Shows that maybe he is cocky or overly-confident in some way too, almost like someone you wouldn't like.

The imagery of his mask also serves to symbolise his double identity when he's at school being Lelouch and when he is Zero. I like this and I also like how he is often covering his eye with one hand, which again goes to symbolise this split personality of his. In the pose below (2nd image) Lelouch evokes a kind of masquerade type air about himself. it's almost teasing, as half of his face is hidden and his body is turned away from the viewer, whilst his mask is so close to his face.

As I said previously, this entire costume but together is so strong in the series, as he is entirely covered, no bit of skin shows, you have no idea who he could possibly be. The cape itself is usually seen wrapped completely around him and is hides everything other than the helmet of course. So altogether I see this costume as layers concealing Lelouch.

Concerning Lelouch's outward appearance, he is very skinny and tall, this tall frame lends help to his upright, all-powerful look, however his physical weaknesses are shown to provide contrast to his geass and also to show character flaws. For example he is not physically strong, he has bad stamina and relies heavily on his knightmare frame and geass. His strategic mindset and his geass make him a formidable force.

On a side note the original designs for Lelouch and his Zero alter ego where very different, as can be seen below.

Here's what was written on the wikipedia page about it: 

While designing the concept art for Lelouch, the series' original character designers,Clamp, had initially conceived of his hair color as being white.^[1] Nanase Ohkawa, head writer at Clamp, said she had visualized him as being a character to which "everyone" could relate to as being "cool", literally, a "beauty". While developing the character during the initial planning stages, the series' core staff at Sunrise, director Gorō Taniguchi, writer Ichirō Ōkouchi, and the production team discussed numerous possible influences for the character with Clamp, such as the Japanese idol duos KinKi Kids and Tackey & Tsubasa.^[2]

During the early planning stages for Lelouch's alter ego, "Zero", Clamp had wanted to create a mask never witnessed prior in any Sunrise series.^[2] Zero was one of the earliest developed characters. Ōkouchi wanted a mask to be included as a part of the series, because he felt that a mask was necessary for it to be a Sunrise show.^[3]In early designs of the character, Zero possessed long silver nails.^[1]

Concerning this design, Lelouch would more closely match his brothers, with their blonde hair. However, he would have been an archetype for the pretty boy and I suppose his looks would be more of a focus if he did have white hair, whereas his black hair is much more normal, and the only thing that really stands out about him is his purple eyes. The long nails for the Zero costume is also very odd as it does not seem to present any use considering how Lelouch is now. His hair style and colour gives the impression of a more quiet, moody, person of solitude.

Overall I feel that in this instance the story and the narrative assigned to the character of Lelouch makes him infinitely more interesting than just the visual design, because it provides so much more to his character. It shows different parts of him obviously in more ways than the way he dresses. On top of that the viewer finds it harder to associate the visual design of Zero with Lelouch because Zero becomes a symbol, a look that anyone can take on, as we see multiple times throughout the series. So in terms of whether the viewer connects more with the narrative of Lelouch or the visual design of him, it is definitely the narrative that triumphs here.

Lelouch was designed by Takahiro Kimura.