Video Game Characters Study Guide

Introduction

Video game characters are fictional or player-controlled figures that appear in electronic games. They can serve as heroes, villains, companions, rivals, guides, enemies, or customizable avatars. Unlike characters in books or films, game characters are often designed around interaction: the player may directly control their movement, decisions, abilities, equipment, or development.

Characters such as Mario, Pac-Man, Link, Sonic the Hedgehog, Lara Croft, Pikachu, and Kratos have become recognizable far beyond the games in which they originated. The Strong National Museum of Play treats characters such as Link, Sonic, and Lara Croft as important icons in the history and culture of electronic games. (The Strong National Museum of Play)

A well-designed game character does more than look memorable. The character can communicate the game's rules, encourage emotional attachment, define a franchise, and provide the player with a way to experience the game's world.

Learning Objectives

After studying this guide, you should be able to:

• Define important terms such as protagonist, antagonist, avatar, NPC, mascot, and playable character.

• Explain how character design connects appearance, personality, story, and gameplay.

• Identify several historically important video game characters.

• Distinguish player-controlled characters from non-player characters.

• Explain how characters can change across sequels and technological generations.

• Recognize common character-related mistakes in gaming quizzes.

What is a Video Game Character?

A video game character is an entity within a game's fictional or simulated world that has an identifiable role.

Some characters are directly controlled by the player. Others are controlled by the game's software.

For example, Nintendo describes Mario as the main hero of the Mushroom Kingdom and identifies Bowser as his major rival. (Mario)

Video game characters can be humans, animals, robots, monsters, fantasy creatures, vehicles, or even highly abstract shapes.

What matters is that the game gives the entity an identifiable role, behavior, personality, or function.

Main Types of Video Game Characters

A character can belong to more than one category. A protagonist is often playable, for example, while a companion may become playable in another game.

Protagonists and Antagonists

The protagonist is the central character of a story or conflict.

In many games, the player controls the protagonist. Lara Croft, for example, is the adventurer at the center of the Tomb Raider series. The original Tomb Raider was released in 1996 and followed Lara as she searched for the Scion artifact. (Tomb Raider)

The antagonist opposes the protagonist's goals.

An antagonist does not necessarily need to be purely evil. The role is defined by conflict with the protagonist.

Mario and Bowser provide an easy example. Nintendo describes Bowser as the King of the Koopas and Mario's archrival. (Mario)

Playable Characters

A playable character is one whose actions can be controlled by the player.

Control might include:

• Running and jumping

• Fighting

• Driving

• Exploring

• Choosing dialogue

• Using objects

• Solving puzzles

• Developing skills

The abilities given to a playable character strongly influence how a game feels.

Mario's jumping ability, Sonic's speed, Lara Croft's exploration skills, and Kratos's combat abilities all connect character identity with gameplay.

Non-Player Characters

A non-player character (NPC) is controlled by the game rather than directly by the player.

NPCs can serve many purposes:

• Explain objectives

• Give quests

• Sell equipment

• Provide information

• Assist the protagonist

• Populate towns and worlds

• Create opposition

An NPC in one game may become playable in another. Therefore, "NPC" describes a character's role in a particular game rather than a permanent property of the character.

Avatars and Custom Characters

An avatar represents the player inside a virtual environment.

Some games provide a fixed avatar with a defined appearance and personality. Others allow players to customize features such as:

• Face

• Hairstyle

• Clothing

• Name

• Voice

• Species

• Skills

• Equipment

Role-playing games frequently use customizable player characters because customization can increase the player's sense of agency and personal connection.

Mascot Characters

A mascot character becomes strongly associated with a game company, console, or franchise.

Two major examples are Mario and Sonic.

Mario began as the character later known as Mario in Nintendo's Donkey Kong in 1981, where he was originally called Jumpman. Nintendo credits Shigeru Miyamoto with creating the character. (Nintendo Co., Ltd.)

Sega developed Sonic partly as a recognizable character capable of competing with Nintendo's popular mascot. Sonic the Hedgehog was released in 1991, and the character became closely associated with Sega's identity during the console competition of that period. (The Strong National Museum of Play)

Important Video Game Characters

Pac-Man

Pac-Man appeared in 1980 in Namco's arcade game of the same name.

The Strong National Museum of Play describes Pac-Man as one of the earliest video game characters to become a major popular-culture icon. His simple circular design and recognizable eating mechanic helped give personality to an era in which many games featured more abstract objects. (The Strong National Museum of Play)

Pac-Man also demonstrated that a character could become valuable outside the original game through merchandise and other entertainment.

Mario

Mario is one of Nintendo's central characters and the main hero of the Mushroom Kingdom.

His visual design—red cap, moustache, blue overalls—and his jumping abilities have remained recognizable while changing significantly in graphical detail over time. Nintendo notes that Super Mario Bros. debuted on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985, after Mario's earlier appearance in Donkey Kong. (Nintendo Co., Ltd.)

Mario has also appeared outside traditional platform games in kart racing, sports, party games, and other genres. (Nintendo Co., Ltd.)

Link

Link is the recurring hero of The Legend of Zelda series.

A common quiz mistake is calling Link "Zelda." Zelda is generally the princess, while Link is the hero controlled by the player.

Nintendo describes Link as the main character in The Legend of Zelda games and associates him with repeated quests involving Princess Zelda, Hyrule, and enemies such as Ganon or Ganondorf. (Nintendo Co., Ltd.)

Different Zelda games do not always feature exactly the same incarnation of Link. The series contains stories from different eras of Hyrule. (Nintendo Co., Ltd.)

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic is Sega's fast-moving blue hedgehog hero.

SEGA character material emphasizes his speed and his conflict with Dr. Eggman. (SEGA亞洲官方網站| SEGA)

Speed is not merely part of Sonic's personality. It is central to the design of the games themselves. This illustrates an important character-design principle:

The strongest game characters often connect identity with gameplay mechanics.

Lara Croft

Lara Croft is the archaeologist and adventurer at the center of Tomb Raider.

She first appeared in the original Tomb Raider in 1996. Her character has changed considerably across later games, with updated visual design, animation, characterization, and storytelling. (Tomb Raider)

The Strong notes that Lara became an important example of a female protagonist leading a major action-adventure franchise. (The Strong National Museum of Play)

Pikachu

Pikachu is a Pokémon and one of the best-known characters associated with the Pokémon franchise.

The official Pokédex identifies Pikachu as an Electric-type Pokémon whose characteristic abilities involve electricity stored in its cheeks. (Pokémon)

Pikachu illustrates another important point: not all famous game characters are traditional human-like heroes. Creatures collected or commanded by the player can also become major characters.

Kratos

Kratos is the central protagonist of the God of War series.

The original series drew strongly from Greek mythology. Later games moved Kratos into a world based on Norse mythology and placed greater emphasis on his relationship with his son Atreus. PlayStation describes the 2018 game as a new stage in Kratos's story in which he becomes both warrior and father. (PlayStation)

Kratos demonstrates how an established character can evolve in personality and narrative role while remaining part of the same franchise.

How Video Game Characters Are Designed

Character design involves much more than drawing an attractive figure.

Developers must consider four connected elements:

Silhouette and Visual Identity

A strong silhouette can make a character recognizable even without detailed textures.

Distinctive features can include:

• Mario's cap and moustache

• Sonic's spikes

• Link's sword and shield

• Pac-Man's circular form

Color is also important. Repeated color combinations help players quickly recognize characters during fast gameplay.

Character Abilities and Gameplay

Character abilities should normally fit the game's mechanics.

Consider these connections:

The character is therefore part of the game system, not merely decoration.

Character Development

Characters may change during a game or across an entire franchise.

Development can involve:

• Learning new abilities

• Gaining equipment

• Changing relationships

• Becoming stronger

• Discovering information

• Changing attitudes

Role-playing games often represent development numerically through levels, statistics, skill points, or equipment.

Story-focused games may emphasize psychological or emotional development instead.

Technology and Character Evolution

Advances in hardware have changed the way characters are presented.

Early Arcade Era

Characters often used simple geometric shapes or small collections of pixels.

Pac-Man's extremely simple design worked well within the limitations of 1980 arcade hardware. (The Strong National Museum of Play)

2D Sprite Era

Characters could gain more detailed animation and color while remaining based on two-dimensional sprites.

3D Era

Three-dimensional graphics made it possible to show characters from many camera angles and support more complex animation.

Tomb Raider became historically significant partly because Lara Croft operated within a large three-dimensional action-adventure environment. (The Strong National Museum of Play)

Modern Games

Today's characters may use:

• Detailed 3D models

• Facial animation

• Motion capture

• Voice acting

• Physics simulation

• Artificial-intelligence behavior

• Procedural animation

Technology changes presentation, but recognizable personality and gameplay remain important.

Video Game Characters and Popular Culture

Successful characters often move beyond games into:

• Television

• Films

• Comics

• Toys

• Clothing

• Theme parks

• Collectibles

Pac-Man became a major licensing and entertainment phenomenon during the 1980s. (The Strong National Museum of Play)

Mario has similarly expanded from games into merchandise, theme-park attractions, and films. (Nintendo Co., Ltd.)

This crossover demonstrates how video game characters can become broader cultural symbols.

Character Timeline

Common Mistakes

1. Calling Link "Zelda"

Link is generally the hero. Zelda is the princess whose name appears in the series title.

2. Assuming a Protagonist Must Be Good

"Protagonist" means the central character. It does not automatically mean morally good.

3. Treating Every NPC as an Enemy

NPC simply means a character not directly controlled by the player. NPCs may be friends, merchants, civilians, guides, or enemies.

4. Assuming Every Famous Character Is a Mascot

A popular protagonist is not automatically the corporate mascot of the company that publishes the game.

5. Assuming One Character Always Has the Same Role

Characters can change roles between games. A former enemy may become playable, and an NPC may become a protagonist.

Memory Tips

For character roles, remember P-A-N-A:

• Protagonist — central character

• Antagonist — opposition

• NPC — computer-controlled character

• Avatar — represents the player

For character design, remember:

Look → Personality → Story → Gameplay

A memorable game character usually combines all four.

Summary

Video game characters are one of the defining features of interactive entertainment. Some are controlled directly by players, while others act as allies, enemies, rivals, guides, or background inhabitants.

Characters can be classified as protagonists, antagonists, playable characters, NPCs, avatars, companions, and mascots. These categories can overlap.

Pac-Man helped show that a simple game character could become a popular-culture icon. Mario and Sonic became closely associated with Nintendo and Sega, while Link, Lara Croft, Pikachu, and Kratos demonstrate very different approaches to adventure, character identity, and gameplay.

The most effective characters connect appearance and personality with the actions the player performs. Advances in graphics, animation, sound, and hardware have made characters increasingly detailed, but strong visual identity and meaningful gameplay remain fundamental.

FAQ

1. What is a video game character?

A video game character is an identifiable entity within a game that performs a narrative or gameplay role.

2. What is a playable character?

A playable character can be directly controlled by the player.

3. What does NPC mean?

NPC means non-player character. The game rather than the player controls the character.

4. What is the difference between a protagonist and antagonist?

The protagonist is the central character, while the antagonist opposes the protagonist's goals.

5. Is Link the same character as Zelda?

No. Link is the recurring hero of The Legend of Zelda, while Zelda is a princess and another major character in the series. (Nintendo Co., Ltd.)

6. Who created Mario?

Nintendo credits game designer Shigeru Miyamoto with creating Mario, who originally appeared as Jumpman in Donkey Kong. (Nintendo Co., Ltd.)

7. When did Pac-Man first appear?

Pac-Man was released in 1980. (The Strong National Museum of Play)

8. When did Sonic the Hedgehog debut?

The original Sonic the Hedgehog was released in 1991. (The Strong National Museum of Play)

9. When did Lara Croft first appear?

Lara Croft debuted in Tomb Raider in 1996. (Tomb Raider)

10. Why are video game characters different from film characters?

Game characters exist within interactive systems. The player may control their movement, abilities, choices, equipment, and development, making gameplay part of how the character is experienced.

Key Takeaways

• Video game characters can be protagonists, antagonists, NPCs, avatars, companions, or mascots.

• Character design combines visual appearance, personality, narrative role, and gameplay mechanics.

• Pac-Man, Mario, Link, Sonic, Lara Croft, Pikachu, and Kratos illustrate different stages and styles of game-character development.

• A playable character's abilities often define how the game itself works.

• Technology has made game characters more visually sophisticated, but recognizable design and meaningful interaction remain essential.

References

1. The Strong National Museum of Play — Video Game History Timeline. Historical timeline covering major games, characters, and developments in electronic gaming. (The Strong National Museum of Play)
   The Strong: Video Game History Timeline

2. The Strong National Museum of Play — Pac-Man. Historical discussion of Pac-Man's 1980 introduction and cultural influence. (The Strong National Museum of Play)
   The Strong: Pac-Man

3. Nintendo — Super Mario Characters and History. Official descriptions of Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and other Mushroom Kingdom characters. (Mario)
   Nintendo: Super Mario characters

4. Nintendo — The Legend of Zelda Characters. Official material on Link, Princess Zelda, Ganondorf, and the Zelda series. (Nintendo Co., Ltd.)
   Nintendo: Zelda characters

5. SEGA — Sonic Superstars Characters. Official descriptions of Sonic, Tails, Amy, and other Sonic characters. (SEGA亞洲官方網站| SEGA)
   SEGA: Sonic characters

6. Tomb Raider — Lara Croft. Official franchise history and information covering Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games. (Tomb Raider)
   Tomb Raider: Lara Croft

7. The Pokémon Company — Pikachu Pokédex. Official character information for Pikachu. (Pokémon)
   Pokémon: Pikachu Pokédex

8. PlayStation — God of War. Official information about Kratos, Atreus, and the development of the God of War story. (PlayStation)
   PlayStation: God of War