Better game characters by design
Subtitle: a psychological approach
By: by Katherine Isbister.
Publisher: Elsevier and Morgan Kaufmann; Elsevier/Morgan Kaufmann
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Amsterdam; Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 336
ISBN-13: 9781558609211
Subjects: Computer games -- Design -- Psychological aspects.; Computer games -- Design -- Social aspects.
Description: "Games are poised for a major evolution, driven by growth in technical sophistication and audience reach. Characters that create powerful social and emotional connections with players throughout the game-play itself (not just in cut scenes) will be essential to next-generation games. However, the principles of sophisticated character design and interaction are not widely understood within the game development community. Further complicating the situation are powerful gender and cultural issues that can influence perception of characters. Katherine Isbister has spent the last 10 years examining what makes interactions with computer characters useful and engaging to different audiences. This work has revealed that the key to good design is leveraging player psychology: understanding what's memorable, exciting, and useful to a person about real-life social interactions, and applying those insights to character design. Game designers who create great characters often make use of these psychological principles without realizing it. Better Game Characters by Design gives game design professionals and other interactive media designers a framework for understanding how social roles and perceptions affect players' reactions to characters, helping produce stronger designs and better results." -- Publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.