Initial Thoughts and Mind-Map

Ok, it's been almost a week since I started this thing; it's high time I actually started adding some content to it... So, let's do that.

For my Masters, I've decided to focus on Character Design, as it is one of my strongest skills as far as Games Design is concerned, as well as being a subject I'm particularly interested in. After discussing what direction I could go with this with Josh, I've created this mind-map detailing my thoughts so far

Just in case you can't read any of that, here's a quick rundown:-

• Initial Question: What is good Character design? - A bit vague and generic, I know, but you have to start somewhere

• Examples of Good Designs - Just a few examples of games/ series that I deem to have great character designs: Zelda, Dead Space, Disney etc. More on those in my next post.

• Styles/ Faces - The first two areas of character design I want to look into; aesthetic style and faces. How far do these contribute to character design?

• Iterative designs - Next is how characters change from one iteration to the next (e.g. the designs of the different protagonists in Assassin's Creed). What are the common elements? What stayed the same? What changed and why?

• Redesigns - Next I intend to to look at redesigns (where an established design is completely changed). How far should we go when redesigning characters? Do we just update the old design or give it a complete overhaul? Which major characters have been redesigned over the years? What was the reaction of fans and how did this affect the game?

• Icons - Speaking of established characters, there are many that can be described as icons e.g. Mario, Metal Gear's Snake, Doctor Who's Daleks etc. How did they manage this? Is it due to the strength of their design or something else like nostalgia? What about 'Lost' icons, like Sonic and Crash Bandicoot? Where did they go wrong? Is it all a matter of good IP management or is it the strength of their character designs? 

I'll admit, this mind-map has been refined quite a bit. As you can see, I've not only identified some areas to look into, but I've also decided on an order in which to look at them, starting with the ones that have less potential and gradually moving onto the ones with the most promise. In any case, though, I think I have a good idea where I'm going with this.