The Character Creator
and how useful they are to me, as a writer
In Katya Ryabova’s wonderful, collaborative piece in celebration of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s 10th birthday, I wrote that when I play The Witcher games, I don’t assume the role of Geralt. Instead, I play as though I’m his spirit guide, or a strange constituent of his consciousness. We work together and I offer advice, usually out loud so my whole household unfortunately hears what I’m telling or yelling at him. I feel that playing this way has endeared him to me. I care about him despite, and perhaps because of his grizzliness and dry sense of humour (some might argue that he doesn't have a sense of humour. They would be wrong.)
When I came across this video from 2017 celebrating 10 years of The Witcher series as a whole, I surprised myself by getting emotional. It felt like he was thanking me personally for helping him on his perilous journey and I took it to heart. I just love those games so much!
So what about the games where you get to create and play as your own character?
I absolutely love character creators in games, but probably not in the way you think. For example, I don’t particularly like ones with too many options because I get overwhelmed and thus frustrated.
A personal point to consider is that I never create myself. You will never catch me creating a character that has any semblance to me, except age (no shade to those that do!) This is because I prefer to create brand new people that I get to move around a screen and create a story for. Creating a character from scratch or perhaps with a face claim in mind is one of my favourite things about playing games in general. They are a special, almost ritualistic part to starting a game, and while I haven't played that many, so haven't experienced the full breadth of what a character creator can offer, here are a few I’ve come across and the characters I made with them.
I’ll be honest, this post is pure self indulgence and may contain spoilers for the character creators and some plot in Fire Emblem: Awakening, The Arcana, and all 4 Dragon Age games.
FIRE EMBLEM: AWAKENING
(Released in 2013 on the Nintendo 3DS)
This character creator is pretty simple, but it does have 3 voice choices which is more than some of the more recent RPGs I’ve played. I created my “avatar” or “unit” choosing between male or female, 3 builds, 5 faces per build, 5 hairstyles per build and 20 hair colours.
This game poses some restrictions, like your appearance will determine who your character can marry. *spoilers ahead* I didn’t know that was a thing until I realised I didn't have enough points with my chosen beau and had to marry Prince Chrom, who turned out to be a nice enough husband, but what a wild thing to include in a game!
My character Valere (the default name is Robin) may not have been able to marry who she wanted (because I didn’t know what I was doing) yet I still really loved this game and developing her over 40 or so hours. I even commissioned art of her…
THE ARCANA
(First released by Nix Hydra Games on Android and iOS in 2017 following a successful Kickstarter)
I briefly mentioned The Arcana in my very first substack post. I discovered it in early 2018 and it was my gateway back into the world of gaming after a long absence. In this visual novel, which you used to play on Android and iOS (I don’t know whether this still stands as it has since been bought out by a bigger company and “changes” have been made.)
In The Arcana, you can play as yourself or create someone new. Either way, there's no character creator per se, just some basic options like name and pronouns. I liked the invisibility this game presented and used it as an excuse to let my imagination run wild, especially with the vague background of “you, the player, are an apprentice magician with a gift for fortune-telling.”
I quickly became obsessed and while I avidly awaited each new chapter release, I wrote plenty of fanfic and role-played with other fans online. Some of whom I’m still friends with and have even met irl!
There’s something extraordinary about being able to add yourself to a piece of media that already exists. To insert yourself or a character into a story and for it to work so well is a gift, and I hope the original creators know that they made something really special here.
My “apprentice magician” Sev has since found new homes in several of my original stories, finally settling in the world my novel is set in… 👀
THE DRAGON AGE SERIES
(The Dragon Age series began with Origins in 2009, DAII in 2011, Inquisition in 2014, and the latest installment The Veilguard in 2024)
First things first, you should know that I loved The Veilguard and you’ll probably never hear me say anything to the contrary. Now that that's out of the way, let’s jump straight into what to expect from the varying character creators across this series and how I made somewhat of a dynasty of fem mages whose lives somehow intertwine with each other.
DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS
I tried to play this game on PC many times and I always got stuck in the same place (Redcliffe village.) A couple of years later, I bought a PS3 and decided to give it one more try.
By god, am I glad I did.
Origins wasn’t my first foray into the world of Thedas. I actually played Inquisition first and I still feel that it’s a great starting point, especially now there’s a sequel.
A character creator for Origins was released before the game did, giving players time to get a character ready to upload when the game dropped. You choose between male and female, 3 races: elf, human, dwarf, and 3 classes: magi, rogue, warrior. As the title of the game might suggest, you get to choose an “origin” or background for your character which would greatly affect the first few chapters of your game. These include: city elf, Dalish elf, dwarf commoner, dwarf noble, human noble, and magi (all races.) You can read more about these choices here.
I’ve only ever done the magi origin. Playing any of the others would mean branching out from what I know! (I always play as a mage in everything 😅) Regardless of what you choose here though, your character will become a Grey Warden - an order of warriors who undergo a special ritual known as “the Joining” which if they survive enables them to sense and fight darkspawn (one of many enemies in the DA world.)
Now, when it comes to creating the physical attributes of your character, there is a striking issue that I later discovered was an ongoing problem with future games, finally rectifying itself in The Veilguard. That issue is hair choices. In the end, I just gave my character a shaved head and called it a day. Little did I know that it would actually suit her sweet little elven face…
DRAGON AGE II
The second installment in the DA series was released a mere 2 years after the first and due to a lot of work being carried out on the Origins DLC Awakening, it meant there was only 16 months or so to finish development on DAII. This resulted in the reuse of assets and a tightening up of the story in a way that meant there is only one origin for your character this and you can only play as a human (boohoo!)
While I was initially bummed by this, it worked well for the story and the hair was starting to get a little bit better! Despite the quick turnaround, DAII is a solid game that benefits from you selecting a preset at the beginning, or importing your Origins save so that your choices reflect the world your “Hawke” is about to enter.
DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION
My entry point into this wonderful series started right here! It was only the third RPG I’d ever played (after The Witcher 2 and 3,) so I hadn’t worked out yet that mages and elves were my go to, so the first character I made was a male rogue! I played Inquisition again after finishing the first two and developed my Dalish elf who would eventually go on to romance Solas (I know, I know…)
The character creator in this one really comes together with the addition of the Qunari race alongside human, elf and dwarf. Which race you choose determines your origin, but these are well written and give you plenty of room to explore some interesting possibilities within the lore itself.
As for physical attributes, just remember not to be too heavy handed with the blush or eyeliner or the first in-game cutscene will be a rude awakening! Much like this player’s experience…
DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD
As you’re probably aware, this game has had plenty of bad press. I didn’t have to wait 10 years for this games’ release because I’d only recently joined the fandom so I don’t think I had the same expectations as others did and look, I do feel like there are plenty of people who gear up to see their most anticipated games flop. In saying that though, plenty of DA fans loved this game just as much as I did.
The hair choices are fantastic! They finally did it! (I know any modders reading this must be confused, since they’ve been able to give their characters great hair for years!😂) I mentioned earlier that I don’t love too many options, but this creator made me feel like a kid let loose in a sweet shop! You can finally choose a non-binary option, add top surgery scars if you want to, and flick through a ton of tattoos and body art (although it would be wise to look into the race, origin and faction you’ve chosen as most of them have meaning, even though it doesn't explicitly say so. Tumblr has some great resources!)
The origins in The Veilguard include several factions, some of which I was familiar with, some I’d seen mentioned in the comics or books, and some I hadn’t heard of at all. I lingered so long over which one to go with. The Veil Jumpers seemed like the right choice, but after creating my character's physical attributes, I decided to go with the necromantic Mourn Watch faction and it worked out perfectly.
For my first playthrough (because I just knew I was going to make a few characters for this one 😉) I went with my usual fem, elf mage and since The Veilguard is set 10 years after the events of Inquisition, I made sure she looked a little older, maybe around my own age (although, what does a 41 year old look like these days?) I was completely smitten with the result, and this might sound strange, but I came to adore my own character in the same way I’m often enamoured with certain companions! She fit into the world in a way that felt different to the first 3 games. “Rook” didn’t seem like any kind of chosen one, or even a heroine. Just a necromantic elf that’s gotten tangled up in things she’d really rather not be involved in.
One of my favourite things about the Dragon Age series is the mentions of the characters you created in the games that came before. Every time someone brought up the “Hero of Ferelden” I smiled, remembering how my kick ass wee elf babe in Origins saved everyone and people are still talking about it. Or whenever Varric shared an anecdote about his best friend “Hawke,” I’d silently wipe away a tear of pride.
Okay, I realise this has quickly turned into a I ❤️ Dragon Age post so if you're still reading, I thank you. Let’s turn this wagon back in the right direction…
Many years ago, when I was rekindling my love of writing and even thinking about branching out from my usual poetry and nonfiction dabbles, I thought I’d have a go at writing a story. Like a fiction story that might potentially become something longer. I had no idea where to begin, but making character profiles seemed like a good place to start. Unfortunately, I over thought it all and the profiles were as far as I got. When I should have just started writing, I focused too much on the cast of characters who might be in the story. I then proceeded to tell myself that this is something only clever people can do, and abandoned all hope. When
I started playing games with character creators in them, I still didn't think I’d ever be able to write a story beyond the little snippets I wrote for my university classes. Even then I avoided things like dialogue because I simply didn’t think I knew how to do it.
I wholeheartedly believe that for me, playing games was how I learned about character creation, dialogue and the basic elements of how to unfold a story. The story that was inside me, lying dormant for decades, started to seep out slowly, almost without me realising, until I had a 90k word draft on my hands.
What I’m trying to say is thank you to Fire Emblem, The Arcana and most certainly Dragon Age for dragging the storyteller out of me kicking and screaming! 😂
What are your thoughts on the character creators in games? Show me your characters! I want to hear all about them!
The hair tech in The Veilguard blew my mind, I hope we see it in other games! Great read, Laura 😁
The hair in Veilguard was good wasn't it! i gave my NB dwarf rook a massive poofy ponytail which just looked excellent. I can only think of 3 games I've played that had a character creator, Veilguard, Baldurs Gate 3 and Elden ring. I don't go too crazy with character creators, actually I've always used the randomiser if there is one, as a starting point.
I created a femme, non binary character in both Veilguard and BG, which sort of represented me, not that I tried to make them look like me! The BG character was a very small drow fighter person called Clio, and after I finished the game I like actively missed them? it was really weird, I felt so sad like they were a friend that moved to a different country.
In Elden Ring however, i shared a save with my partner and we passed the controller back and forth, we created a Bob Ross avatar called "Rob Boss"! Rob sadly never completed Elden ring, though he did fight well on our behalf!