Avatars are a commonly used mechanism for representing the player within the world of a game. The avatar
forms the main point of interaction between the player and the game, and thus the avatar is an important game
design feature. Character-based games combine the concept of an avatar with that of a character, enhancing the
avatar with specific features that commonly are changeable, and which can be defined within or outside the
framework of the game rules. Within digital games, the rules-based features have received comparatively more
attention than, for example, the personalities and background histories of game characters. This article presents
results from a comprehensive empirical study of the way complex game characters are utilized by players in
multiplayer role-playing games across two different media platforms. The results indicate that adult players are
capable of comprehending and utilizing game characters with well-defined personalities and backgrounds, as
well as rules-based components. Furthermore, that the game format plays a significant role in the pattern of
usage of the character elements. This pattern appears directly linked with variations in the way that the different
game formats handle player characters and activate or promote the activation of, different forms of character
elements. The degree to which different character elements are activated also has implications for the degree of
player engagement in the character.
>>아바타는 게임 세계에 플레이어를 제현하는 메커니즘이다. 아바타는 플레이어와 게임 사이의 상호작용의 핵심점.
요샌 체인져블 하다는.. 커스터마이징?
캐릭터의 성격과 배경까지... 잘 이해하고 활용하여 캐릭터에~~
게임 포맷은 중요한 역할을 한다. 캐릭터 요소를 사용하는 패턴에 있어서.
다양한 게임 포멧은 플레이어 캐릭터 (요소) 등을 활성화시킴
>> 게임 자체의 맥락에서 아바타를 보는 논문인듯? 근데 30장 가까이 된다 우왕^0^
The term avatar was originally defined in relation to digital culture as the representation
of the user, originally as a text-based construct in early MUDs and other digital games,
and eventually as a two-dimensional icon on internet forums or similar online
communities. In the context of computer games, avatars form one of the primary ways of
forging(구축, 단조) the link between the player of a game and the game itself, that provide interaction
to games.
Avatars are a form of player representation in the game world, and the majority of
digital games, from the earliest instances like Space War and Akalabeth through more
contemporary productions such as Fallout and the Doom series, utilize avatars as the
main vessel for the players’ projection of intent and will into, as well as interaction with
and manipulation of, the game world. Avatars as the vessel for the players’ interaction
with the game are however not a consistent feature of computer games. For example,
most real-time strategy games (e.g., Starcraft, Total Annihilation), turn-based games
(e.g., Civilization, Diplomacy) and “god-simulations” (e.g., Black & White and Sim City)
do not utilize individual game avatars as representations for the player, but puts the intent
and will of the player in a more abstract representation from which the game world can
be influenced (e.g., directly, via constructing and controlling military units in StarCraft or
more subtly, via raising or lowering taxes in Sim City for example).
>>대다수의 전략 시뮬레이션 게임(스타크래프트, 턴-베이스드 게임, 갓-시뮬레이션은 개인에게 게임 아바타를 그 자신의 재현체로 이용하지 못하게 함!
의도와 의지를 이입할 수 있게는 하지만(?)
<<우와~ 긴 논문이어서 그런지 아바타에 대한 통시적인 연구를 앞에서 정리해주고 있다는ㅇㅅㅇ;;;;;
The avatar can also be viewed as a form of filter to the events of the game world.
>>아바타는 필터라능
and events will generally be
presented for the avatar or from the perspective of the avatar, notably during active game
play.
<<3D, facial ｅxpressions... 더 좋아진다는?
Player-controlled avatars have also been developed into
player-controlled characters by naming them, providing background histories, abilities,
personalities, and other features associated with characters in theatre and film [Tychsen et
al. 2007b]. Player-character are more than simply avatars, and can be viewed as a form of
actors – designed to have distinct ｅxpression, behaviours, movements and personalities,
which make them stand out to the player.
>>오오... 아바타와 캐릭터의 차이!!! 이름 붙여주고, 백그라운드 히스토리, 능력, 성격, 그런 것들이 포함되면 이제 그걸 '캐릭터'로...
그럼 '캐릭터'라고 이름 지어야겠네. 서론에서 NPC와는 다른..
Furthermore, it is
increasingly common for games to offer players the opportunity to customize a basic
character model or template, as well as provide character development as a main feature
of a game:
>>이제는 점점 더 커스터마이징의 세계로....ㅋ
While the spaceship-avatar in Space War remains constant throughout the
game, avatars in Morrowind or World of Warcraft can change in appearance and/or
abilities throughout the course of the game, a feature that harks back to the beginning of
tabletop role-playing inspired digital games, and forms a key defining feature of the roleplaying
game genre [King and Borland 2003].
>>와우의 Morrowind... 이거 뭐지?;; 모로윈드??;;
In role-playing games and similar
character-driven games, the design of player-characters is crucial to the gaming
experience because it forms a major component in the interface between the player and
the game world.
>>앞에도 나온 말이지만... 아바타 캐릭터가 중요한 이유. 게임 세계와 플레이어를 매개하기 때문
Despite the advantages of the graphical representation of digital game avatars,
development in contemporary character-based computer games is (generalizing roughly)
focused on the rules-based components (statistics and abilities) and external, visual and
auditory, elements of avatars: physical properties like appearance (including static items
such as clothing and weaponry), as well as properties relating to interactions with the
game world (e.g., voice, stance, affordances, and physical behavior). The internal
elements of game avatars (e.g., integration of the character in the game world, its
personality, motivations, and other similar elements) have, compared to the external,
received less attention from game developers. Game characters are generally much more
two-dimensional than comparable figures from media such as films and books (see, e.g.,
Sheldon [2004]).
>>헐 뭐야 나랑 제기하는 문제가 비슷한 느낌인데;;;;; 아바타의 외적 요소 : 비주얼, 청각적인. 육체적인. 외모 같은 요소들. 여기에는 옷이나 무기도 포함. 게임 세계와 인터렉션하는 요소들... 목소리, 육체적 행동들..
내적 요소 : 게임 세계와의 통합. 성격, 동기 같은...
이런 건 게임 개발자들에게 적은 관심을 바당왔음. 게임 캐릭터는 2차원적으로만 다뤄졌음. 영화나 책의 인물들에 비해서...
Sheldon [2004] 이것도 읽어봐야 할듯
SHELDON, L. 2004. Character Development and Storytelling for Games. Course Technology PTR.
이거지롱
The dichotomy between the development resources devoted to external and internal
elements has a number of causes, with possibly the most important being the need for the
players to be able to project themselves into and maintain control of the character [Guard
2000; Rollings and Morris 2004].
>>Guard 2000; Rollings and Morris 2004].
이것도 봐야할듯..
GUARD, T. 2000. Building character. In Game Developer (May). http://www.gamasutra.com
/features/20000720/gard_01.htm.
ROLLINGS, A. AND MORRIS, D. 2004. Game Architecture and Design: A New Edition. New Riders, Berkeley,
CA.
For example, Mellon and Webb [2005], on the basis of interviews with players following
the playing of adventure and RPG-style computer games, noted that the players
appreciated the inclusion(포함) of “psychological” traits, such as trust and suspicion(의심), as the
basis for behavior, relationships, and feedback between the player character and NPCs.
Mellon & Webb [2005] found that the use of characterization to positively impact the
engagement of the players was as important as the manner in which the characterization
was implemented(시행될 때): Non-interactive techniques caused more frustration than interactive
techniques, where characterization was integrated into and utilized by the game design
(the games studied were single-player). In essence, players wanted to make moral and
attitude choices, and to see the choices make an impact on the game.
>>아바타 설정은 게임 디자인에 통합되어야
Furthermore, in an empirical study of the relationship between players and their
characters in multiplayer role-playing games (RPGs), Tychsen et al. [2007b] examined
the reactions of players to avatars (or game characters) that were developed in depth in
terms of personality, background, integration in the fictional world, and behavior, as well
as the typical features of appearance and stats/rules-based components, on the player avatar
relationship.
The results indicated that differences in the personalities
of the player and the game character did not impact on the ability of the player to engage
with the character or how interesting the engagement was found to be.
However, the
character design was found important to the gaming experience: for example, the degree
to which the players found their characters interesting and easy to engage with seemed to
correlate with the quality of the gaming experience. Significantly, the relationship
between the players and their characters explained to a higher degree the observed
variation in the gaming experience in the digital RPG than in the PnP context, where
group dynamics was found to be the most important of the variables examined. While
limited to multiplayer RPGs, these results emphasize the general importance of a well designed
character in story-based digital games [Sheldon 2004; Crawford 2004].
Furthermore, the results suggest that players are more tolerant of characters with
personalities more complex, than those typical of player-controlled characters in
contemporary computer games – even if the personality of the complex player-characters
vary from the personality of the players.
Player-controlled game characters (or avatars) with well-developed internal and
external elements are common to multiplayer games like Neverwinter Nights, to textbased
MUDs, and even MMORPGs. However, in these games the character personalities
are generally created by the players, without direct aid from the game itself. There are,
however, a small range of single-player games that feature characters with varying
degrees of personality and/or background histories (e.g., Chronicles of Riddick, Max
Payne, the Final Fantasy series, and Baldur’s Gate).
While anecdotal evidence from PnPs points towards immersion in the game character
being an important driver in the gaming experience [Fine 2002],
>>게임 경험을 이끌어내는데 있어서, 몰입에 있어서 게임 캐릭터는 중요
Characters can in general either be completely predefined,
or intentionally form “shells” which the player can project themselves into.
>>캐릭터는 플레이어들이 자신을 거기에 투사할 수 있는 "껍데기"이다.
A
player-character which tends towards the later form would allow the player more freedom
with the interpretation of the character, encouraging the design of the game story to be
open to a variety of character personalities, as is evident in e.g. Neverwinter Nights II and
Fable;
>>플레이어-캐릭터의 후기적later 형태는 캐릭터의 해석에 대한 자유를 허락한다. 여러가지 다양하게 선택할 수 있게 하는거져 뭐
The character model was defined by Tychsen et al. [2006a],
and the process of creating the characters is described in Tychsen et al. [2007b]; we will
briefly outline the process with a focus on the features important to the present study.
>>이건 진짜 꼭 읽어 봐야 할듯
In essence, the design of the player-characters is divided into four components: (1)
character personality, (2) integration, (3) appearance, and (4) rules components,
>>캐릭터 성격, 통합, 외향, 룰
(1) Rules (Stats): traits, abilities, skills, and class: Definition of the rules-based features
of the character. These components were in all three experiment setups, provided as
printed character sheets detailing the rules-based components. In the CRPG and GM
mediated CRPG sessions, the character sheet was also accessible in-game. The rules
system from Neverwinter Nights was used in all three setups.
(2) Integration: The following character components were considered:
. Location: Where is the character and why?
. Background: What is the background history of the character and the events leading up to the game’s starting point?
. Contacts: What contacts and ties does the character have to nonplayer-controlled characters (NPCs) . for example, family and friends?
. Connections: What is the relationship between the character and the other player characters?
All characters were created using the same model for integration features, with the text divided into a similar set of sections. The character description contained an introduction/background history styled to the specific theme of the character, written in a style and language that the character would use, outlining the personality, morals and ethics of the character. For example, a personal account of a series of tragic events:
“I will never forget Beldagar Keep. The sound of the human prisoners being tortured
night and day, the laughter of demons, the moans of the wounded on the battlefield
… all because of yet another human archmage who believed he could summon and
dominate the forces of Hell.” (excerpt)
The personal introduction was followed by a more direct description of the character
in the classic style of PnPs (for example, “[…] is an elven ranger from the High Forest,
the last bastion of the elven race on the main continent of Faerun.” (Excerpt; the name of
the fantasy world of Faerun is trademarked ⓒ Wizards of the Coast, and is the name of
one of the continents in the Forgotten Realms game world).
Each character was also provided with a list of optional goals, which gives the players
a handle on the character. The goals were optional, and many players chose to use them
as a rough guide to their character’s motivations rather than specifically aiming at
reaching the goals. Example:
“Play the others against each other, so that they do not plot against you!” (excerpt).
Finally, each character description contained a brief introduction to the other four
players in the group and the nature of their relationships, as perceived by a specific
character:
“ […] Probably the most faint-hearted and self-sacrificing idiot you have ever met.
This guy cannot live if he does not continually please someone. How anyone ever
survives with this kind of attitude is beyond you.” (Excerpt).
>>야 Integration 이거 재밌네... 배경 스토리. NPC와의 관계. 다른 플레이어들과의 관계... 올ㅋ 이것도 캐릭터의 구성요소
뭔 예시? 설명들인 듯. 넘기자
(3) Appearance : Digital characters, which are generally represented by avatars in virtual game worlds, as outlined above, require a definition of their appearance. In the current case, most were identical because all players utilized the same game engine. However, in designing digital characters, the following features are of importance:
Representation: How does the avatar look? In the current experiments the avatars were designed using the AURORA engine so as to accurately reflect the characters, down to clothing and weaponry.
Physical behavior: How does the avatar behave and move? The way an avatar moves,
stands, and otherwise interacts with the game world can be used to promote the
character’s personality or behavior. In the current study, all avatars had the same
physical behaviors, being limited by the same game engine (see, e.g., Ibister [2005]).
Interaction: How does the avatar interact with the game environment, and how does
the player interact with the character/avatar? In the current case, all avatars were
restricted by the limits of the AURORA engine, which features the standard ways of
interacting (e.g., combat, picking up objects, manipulating objects, using an
inventory, and notably, interacting with NPCs via prescripted conversation trees and
similar features).
(4) Personality: This component was important to the design process, as it is one of the
key concerns in complex character design for digital games. This because the personality
of player-characters can conflict with those of the players. Furthermore, characters developed in detail provide less interpretative freedom for the players (e.g., Guard[2000]).
The personality component includes descriptions of the character’s psyche (emotions, behavior) and goals; with some personality traits being very emphatically defined (others more subtly or in a manner that left room for personal interpretation), e.g.,“You are
inherently the epitome of the self-centered, narcissistic ego-maniacal, cold and cynical
bastard. You do not have emotions apart from a healthy portion of rage with a side order
of envy and an extra-large jealousy.” (excerpt).
In order to categorize the large spectrum of personality profiles, the EPAQ (Extended Personality Assessment Questionnaire) scale was employed [Helgeson and Fritz 1999].
This scale, developed for use in behavioral psychology, allows for the measurement of
character and player personality profiles in the framework of a specified set of variables
(the EPAQ model components), and the comparison of character and player profiles –
that is, differences in personality.
The EPAQ model is based on four orthogonal groups of personality traits, collected
into four categories: agency (A), communion (C), and the more extreme versions of the
two: unmitigated Agency (UA) and unmitigated communion (UC) [Helgeson and Fritz
1999; Fritz and Helgeson 1998]. Each of the four categories is rated according to a point
system, which depends on four series of eight questions (nine in the case of UC), each
question of which is focused on a specific adjective/personality trait, e.g. aggressiveness,
focus on self, focus on others, etc.
>>>>>우와^0^ 여기서 다했다... 난 할 거 없다.... 아님 이걸 방법론으로 써야 하나 오호호호호호홓호호홓
>>>>>이 방법론 이름이 four EPAQ subscales 이거인가봐
<<수식 등등은 넘겨버린다ㅏㅣㅣ
utterances
<<텍스트 분석 같은.. 느낌이 난다
position to claim the above-mentioned quest object for his own nefarious purposes. This
conflict between character stats/game tactics and character personality/goals presents
something of a conflict to a game player: on one hand, the character would provide the
best tactical support by being in front during combat, which would also grant the player
first access to loot. on the other hand, holding back from combat situations where there
was a chance the character might get hurt (very much against the personality of the
character), in an attempt to expose other party members to the threat in order to eliminate
or weaken them, would be in accordance with the character‘s personality and ambitions.
The results shows that the game format has a significant influence on
the use of player-characters.
>>게임 포맷은 플레이어-캐릭터의 사용에 중요한 영향을 끼친다
Deciding how to play the character: At the onset of a multiplayer RPG, the
players are one way or another introduced to the game character they will enact. This is a
basic feature of all RPGs, irrespective of format, although some PnP RPGs have
experimented with, for example, switching characters during play or even cloning
characters that die as a result of events in the game story (e.g., Paranoia).
When it comes to the least preferred elements of the game characters, a higher
proportion of the CRPG players emphasized a personality/background element as
compared to what they liked best.
4. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
Smith [2007] noted that customizing the personality of a game character is an essential
part of encouraging the player to identify with the character (e.g., via dialogue choices).
This study indicates that players are tolerant of well-developed, pre-generated characters,
but that they need to be prompted to activate the various elements of these characters in
order to engage with those same elements. This does not mean that control of the
character or the ongoing development and growth of the character should be taken away
from the player. But it does point to opportunities for integrating personality into game
characters and storylines, and more concretely into the game mechanics (e.g., via reward
systems triggered by character (player) actions related to their personality profile).
>>캐릭터를 컨트롤 하는 것 보다 게임 캐릭터에 퍼스널리티를 통합하는 것이 더 중요
>>스미스 이거 꼭 봐야 할듯?
Additionally, digital characters appear to play an important role in the development of
next-generation computer games, e.g. within the MMORPG-domain, as well as other
forms of interactive digital entertainment that will increasingly experience a growing
focus on interactive storytelling [Miller 2004; Crawford 2004; Sheldon 2004; Glassner
2004] and on believable and embodied agents [Trappl and Peta 1997; Nass and Ibister
2000], whether AI- or character-driven [Combs 2004].
Tychsen et al. [2007b] observed that player-characters, with complex personalities,
did not negate(무효화하다) the ability of players to engage with their characters across three different
multiplayer RPG formats, irrespective of differences in the personalities of the characters
and players. The authors also noted that the relationship with the game character
correlates with the quality of the gaming experience, notably in the digital format where
there is generally less interaction with the other players as compared to a tabletop
situation. This emphasizes the importance of character design in terms of creating
characters that are easy to engage with, interesting to play, and conducive to the
formation of emotional bonds between the player and the character [Sheldon 2004].
>>이 연구도 보자.. 볼 것 많다 에휴...
>>얜 심지어 다른 논문에서도 나왔었네 꼭 봐야지
The logical next step in this line of investigation is to consider whether players are
aware of the personality of their characters, or if they simply overpower it with their own,
and whether and how the various character elements are utilized during RPG play and
how the game format affects this use. As indicated in the questionnaire data, the players
participating in this study displayed an awareness of the personalities of their characters,
and expressed this awareness during game-play in a variety of ways (e.g., by
communicating in-character (IC) or via the physical actions of their avatars within the
game world).
>>게임 캐릭터들에 대한 자각, 의식이 있다
However, from the verbal and text-based communication between the game
participants (players and GM), it also became apparent that for players to utilize the
different elements of their characters, they had to be prompted or assisted to do so. In
essence, aspects of the game character that are not prompted or activated by the game
design or other game participants, gets relocated to the back seat: While the
mechanics/stats components of the game characters were activated as a feature of core
game-play in the Neverwinter Nights module in the CRPG sessions (e.g., when MOBs
attacked the party of avatars/player-characters), the personality/background elements
were rarely activated by either the game module or other players.
>>헐... 성격/배경 요소는 게임 모듈에 의하여 잘 활성화가 안된다고?!?!
This in turn had the effect of focusing the attention of the players on the mechanics/stats aspects of their
characters, a point often noted and discussed by the players during the postgame group
discussions. Irrespective(무시하고) of the focus on mechanics and rules, the players appeared aware
of the personality aspects and expressed this awareness when the game or the other
players encouraged them to do so. This is notably observed in the GM-mediated CRPG
sessions when the GM activated personality/background elements, and in the PnP
sessions when the players and the GM continually activated different character elements
of each others characters.
This pattern of behavior is not unique to the personality or behavior elements of the
game characters, but also observed in the way that players utilized their stats and skills.
For example, one group did not care much for being cautious in their exploration of an
underground temple, meaning that the ability of one of the game characters to locate and
disarm traps went unused – even when the use of this skill would have given them a
direct advantage.
PnPs stand out strongly in this and associated studies [Tychsen et al. 2007a; 2007b],
not only in terms of how much fun the players reported they had, but also in terms of how
engaged they were with their characters and their level of interest in them, as well as the
ease with which the players felt the emotions of their characters.
By virtue of their flexible and player-reactive game process and narrative structure,
PnPs lend themselves to continued activation of both the rules-based and nonrules-based
character components, while CRPGs (generalizing) do not. Instead they focus on the
rules-based components which can be expressed in numbers, with character-game
interaction focused on the use of combat and noncombat skills and NPC interactions
(generally featuring prescripted conversation trees). As indicated in the GM-mediated
CRPG experiments, when features that actively engage and activate characters are
utilized (i.e., the GM), players will utilize background/personality character elements.
Activating a broad spectrum of character elements leads to an increase in
engagement: When players were asked how easily they engaged with their characters in
each of the three game formats (multiple-choice questionnaire, Likert-scale values
ranging from 1 to 5), the averaged results (n=50 for PnP, CRPG; n=35 for GM-mediated
CRPG) were substantially higher for the GM-mediated RPG sessions (3.82 (PnP)) and
3.68 (GM CRPG), compared to the CRPG sessions (3.02). The relatively higher level of
engagement is also observed in the use of character names rather than players’ names in
the GM-mediated CRPG experiments. Importantly, this does not mean that CRPGs were
less fun to play than GM-mediated CRPGs [Tychsen et al. [2007a]. Different game
designs have different purposes, and enjoyment of a character-based game depends on
other features besides character design.
Note also that while the requirement for activating characters to facilitate and promote
their use was observed across the tabletop and digital RPG formats, both formats face
unique challenges in facilitating such activation.
On a final note, previous gaming experience did not appear to have a major influence
on the different ways that player characters were used across the three formats. However,
the inexperienced(경험이 부족한) players often commented that they had limited time to focus on interplayer
communication in the digital RPG sessions, as most of their attention was taken up
with mastering the Neverwinter Nights interface. This effect was kept in mind when
evaluating the session transcripts. Lack of experience with a game interface and rules was
not a problem in the PnP experiments, where the emphasis on the use of rules could be
adjusted by the players to suit their ambitions and experience. The adjustment process
was usually negotiated during the beginning of the PnP sessions (referred to as the
premise-building phase in Edwards [2001]).
This study is a first step in the investigation of the use of game characters in
multiplayer RPGs, with an emphasis on those elements of game characters that are not
directly integrated into the game rules framework, but possibly in the game story and
environment. Further study of the empirical data available will add further depth to the
conclusions presented here.
>>플랫폼에 따라(테이블에다 하냐 뭐에다 하냐에 따라)? 달라지는 게 주제긴 한데 게임 캐릭터에 대한 혜안도 많이 제공
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