How important is it for the games you play to feature character creation/customisation of some kind?

[0ni]

I have seriously gotten to the point where I think character creation/customisation is really important for me in a game. If an RPG gives me the option to create my own character then that alone can get my attention, and potentially my money. If it's the case that the game is played as a pre-set character then I am less inclined to buy it.

There are some exceptions to this - I really enjoyed Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 and obviously they had pre-set protagonists with very rich histories and back-stories. Although saying that, the games did allow some customisation - especially 2. Just seeing the different ways people customised their Arthur Morgan was crazy lol, I always kept him quite clean and neat with a short scruff of beard. Seeing the hobo, baked bean-eating, gremlin disaster that people posted online was like, "look how they massacred my boy", but that was part of the fun of that community at the time.

I basically thought to ask this question because I was looking at my sparse game collection and noticed pretty much all of them had character creation tools. Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Fallout, Dragons Dogma, Far Cry 5, The Outer Worlds. Being able to make my character from the ground up is such a huge part of my enjoyment of a game. I even consider Pokemon X and Y among my favourite in the franchise because it allowed us to choose our skin colour, hair colour, and clothes lol.

Are you the same? Does the ability to create a character play into your decision to play a game at all? Also, of your favourite games - which have character creation/customisation as part of it?

(Just as an aside - for anyone who likes character creation - Dragons Dogma's character creation is amazing. so. many. options. it's definitely one of the best I've used so I recommend that if you haven't played it before)

 

[buny]

i love love love creating my character, designing characters is generally something i really enjoy even outside games! it's just such a fun process and during the game it makes you feel more related to the character, like it's you, or a part of you and your own imagination. So it's definitely a feature im happy to see in games!

but it doesn't bother me if the character is preset in some jrpg games like Bravely Default and Oninaki, cause the game tells the story of the specific character and i'm ok with that! So it doesn't make or break the game for me, and i voted for that option ^^ I definitely prefer making my character though, and especially in games like Pokemon where our character doesn't really have a lore or a personality showing, i think customization should be included. I honestly don't understand why they don't add some customization on the remakes they make.

 

[daringred_]

i'm the same. character customization is crucial for me. if a game doesn't include it whatsoever, there's a 90% chance i won't buy it. if the new legends of arceus (pokemon) game, for example, doesn't have substantial character customization, there's a very high chance i won't buy it. mario is the only exception to the rule, but not always. my favorite mario games (super paper mario & 3D world), for example, have customization in the sense that you can play as different characters and aren't just stuck as mario the entire time, and i really appreciated the outfit changes you could apply in odyssey even if i didn't care much for the game itself. all the games i currently play (NH, pokemon shield, gardenscapes, hogwarts mystery, minecraft and even MK8) allow character customization to some degree, although shield's is a little disappointing in comparison to USUM's, and some of my favorite past nintendo titles (miitopia and tomodachi life, namely) have also had a lot of character customization options.

i don't know why it's so important to me, it just is. i guess maybe i like being able to have the character look the way i want because it makes it feel more like i'm actually the one experiencing the story.

 

[0ni]

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I totally agree on the Pokemon thing: given that our character is often just standing in cutscenes and conversations like: we should at least get the option to make them dress and look they way we would like. It hope Nintendo keep it as a feature but the remakes that are coming out may not include it as it wasn't part of the original game.

I also get what you are saying about being able to relate more to a character when you have had a hand in designing them - especially in choice-based games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect, it's so much fun to create an OC and mould their whole look/backstory. That is the ultimate gaming experience for me lol

 

[Corrie]

It depends on the game. Some games don't matter (like platformers) but others (like life simulation games) it matters. That said, if a game doesn't have it but it's a good game otherwise, that's fine. It just kinda takes away from the experience. I always get really excited when it's a good, in depth customization. It always kills my vibe when it's like, unfinished or doesn't have a lot of options.

 

[0ni]

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It's amazing hearing someone else say how important character customisation is for them - sometimes I feel like the odd one out in my friend group. They'll be playing all these different games and I'll just be sitting playing the same ones again with different characters/choices lol. I think It's important for me for the same reason as you mentioned: It really helps me connect to the story and become immersed. I keep trying to play The Witcher 3 but I cannot get past the first 4-5 hours because I cannot connect to Geralt as a character...

@Corrie - I totally relate to the last point - a bad character customisation system can ruin things. It's so frustrating trying to get a specific look and having options that are just... terrible. Mass Effect Andromeda (which admittedly had a lot more issues outside of the character creation screen) was so bad... You could barely effect the look of the preset faces, so you basically just had to hope you liked whatever default looks they had among the options.

 

[Moritz]

If its an RPG type of game it's almost essential for me. Like if I have romance options, I want to make my own character.

If its like pokemon or zelda I really don't care.

 

[Xara]

i’ve always liked making my character my own - even if all i can do is choose my general appearance (hair, eyes, skin tone, etc), i’m fine with that as it still allows me to make my character me. i honestly didn’t realize just how important character customization was to me until this thread lol but if a game doesn’t allow for character customization of some kind, i likely won’t buy it.

 

[0ni]

@Moritz - yep, if the game has choices and romances I absolutely need to be able to create my character otherwise I feel forced into it against my will because I often don't relate to the protagonist (thinking of Witcher 3 again)

That's a good point about Zelda, though - I am always happy to play as Link but I did enjoy BOTW adding in so many outfits and gear (and the ability to dye the clothes to colours that you like - that's an awesome feature). I remember when I played Ocarina of Time I used to switch Links tunic to the different colours. Even if I was nowhere near Death Mountain or any hot lava area I would wear the red tunic because it looked cool lol.

@xara I'm the opposite - when I create characters I create them totally counter to my own appearance. I can't think of any games where I've played as myself... probably because a lot of the games I play have the "let's save the world!" element and I know if I was dropped into those universes as I am now then the world would be doomed as I sat around and procrastinated.

 

[Halloqueen]

It depends on the game in question.

For a lot of games, I'm pretty fond of the ability to create a character and thoroughly customize them.

I kind of stopped buying any non-Nintendo video games once the PlayStation 4/Xbox One generation came out since I never got either console and have never had a high-end computer capable of running particularly intensive modern games, but back in the Xbox 360/PS3 days my friends and I used to like to buy the WWE games and make ridiculous Create-A-Wrestler creations. It was also nice to have in RPGs like Dragon Age, Mass Effect and Skyrim.

As for Nintendo, I've enjoyed it in some things. I've greatly enjoyed its addition to the Pokémon series, especially in Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon and its inclusion (alongside some other aspects) even helped pull up X & Y from the bottom of the barrel. I might prefer New Leaf over New Horizons in a lot of aspects, but I really love the character customization options in New Horizons. Miitopia is great too, though as someone who bought it on the 3DS I kind of wish I didn't because the Switch has more customization options and looks better overall.

However, there are some games where I would prefer to not have a player stand-in character. I'm a big Fire Emblem fan but I don't really like the customizable avatar characters like Kris, Robin, Corrin, and Byleth (granted, Byleth isn't really customizable outside of gender and clothing). Most of the series didn't have player stand-ins and didn't need them; the plot, the characters, and the characters' interactions with each other were sufficient and provided, for me anyway, a more enjoyable presentation and experience. This dovetails into the whole relationship aspect that features into modern Fire Emblem which I don't really like either; in most of the older games it wasn't that common that characters would end up together other than a few particular couples and it made it more realistic (which I appreciate), and even in something like Genealogy of the Holy War where the phenomenon originated it was handled better and more sensibly in terms of the plot and setting. This kind of turned into a mini-rant about modern Fire Emblem's design choices, but to get back to the point, this is just one example from personal experience where I don't like its inclusion and I'm sure it's probably not the only series out there that doesn't do the greatest job implementing it.


In a general sense, I wouldn't call character customization a selling point for me. It's not really a big deciding factor for my purchasing of a game and it's not something I require. It's a nice bonus if it's well implemented and if a lot of care is put into it, but there are also instances where its inclusion is unnecessary and/or actively deleterious. I will clarify that I don't play games as myself, so I guess I'm a bit of an outlier.

Finally, I will say that while everyone has their own prerogatives and priorities and that's fine, it's kind of sad to see that character customization is so drastically important to people that they likely won't play games without it. It's kind of like people who won't watch a black & white classic movie, it seems like depriving yourself of something you might really enjoy.

 

[chibibunnyx]

I love character creation! It just makes me feel more connected to the game when I can make my own character. For example, I enjoy playing genshin impact, but not being able to make my own character makes me not love it. I wish it had it! But it's still an amazing game. Something about a good character creating is just.. *chef kiss*

 

[Holla]

It doesn't matter too much to me. I love making custom characters but I can also get behind well written/fleshed out pre-existing characters too.

Another bonus of pre-existing characters is that cgi cutscenes can be fully immersive cause whenever it's a custom character instead that character usually has to be obscured in some way due to the countless different customizations they can have.

As an example I love how you can customize Robin in Fire Emblem awakening but in all cgi cutscenes they are either shown from first person (so you really only see their arms/hands) or they have a hood over their head.

So I like and enjoy both equally just each has their pros and cons.

 

[Ichiban]

pre set characters usually have a lot more character to them then an avatar you customize so im perfectly fine with preset characters, i dont hate customization but its pretty meaningless to me personally

 

[LuchaSloth]

Not important at all, for me.

In fact, I tend to prefer actual story-driven games with a single character over the mass-customization ones.

 

[MarsyWarsy]

For me it doesn't matter that much, I absolutely adore character customization, but I love games with pre-existing characters that are very well written!
So honestly, it doesn't matter that much as long as it is written well.

 

[.: Meri :.]

Not important for me; I like character customization and can spend ages in a good character creator (or even just a dressup game), but it's more of a nice bonus in a game rather than something I actively look for—in fact, most of my favorite games have a protagonist with a set design. When character customization is an option, I typically just play around with it until I come up with a character design I like.
For me personally, I don't think the protagonist having a set appearance/not being able to make my own character really detracts from my ability to self-insert as them if I want to. When I self-insert, it's typically more in the sense of putting myself in the protagonist's shoes, so as long as I can have them react like I would, I'm usually pretty happy. (And honestly, I think I kinda like having a little bit of distance between myself and a game's protagonist; that way it's easier to separate myself from the game's situation if I want to as well.)

However, something I really do like to see is the ability to change my outfit, or at least the outfit's color. Having those options adds a nice personal touch to the character, so even if their design is set for the most part, there's still a little bit of influence from my preferences there. It's not a dealbreaker for me if it's not a real possibility, but when games give you the option to play as a set male or female protagonist, the deciding factor for me is usually whose outfit I like better, ahaha.

I was trying to think of my favorite game with character customization, and I'm kind of realizing that I really haven't played that many, actually. So, I'll say Dragon Quest IX! Though it's not my favorite DQ game and it's been a while since I played, I remember having a lot of fun designing the protagonist and party members, and I think there was a fairly decent array of customization options, given the chibi art style.

 

[0ni]

@chibibunnyx lmao at *chefs kiss* - I feel the same. When you first start up new game and see that the character creator options are so detailed and intricate... the best feeling (although it means I will be in that thing for hours).

@Holla - you're not even wrong - I can definitely see that games that allow full customisation often have difficulty getting the personality of the character across. Far cry 5 is a good example, the character was a customisable blank canvas and as a result was not voiced like previous protagonists in the franchise. There were a lot of cutscenes where it was kind of strange that you were saying absolutely nothing but that was the price that was payed in order for Ubisoft to explore character creation (the customisation options weren't even that good lol). So I agree, customisation is fun but it can make cutscenes a bit janky and ultimately break immersion a bit.

 

[Mr_Persona]

l actually don't care what feature it is with character in any game. Unless it was one way the whole time in whatever series and they changed it then maybe it would bother me a little.

 

[Seastar]

I think it's a really nice feature to have, but it does not define whether or not I will get the game. I don't believe I've even played the kind that has very detailed options? Well, unless Miis count.
Plus, some of my favorite games don't even have this. It didn't bother me. Sometimes I even really like the pre-set character anyway.

 

[Manah]

If the character is in any way a blank slate/self-insert, I expect customization these days. Even just picking from a bunch of portraits/premade characters should be standard.

If they have a fully fleshed out personality I don't mind not being able to change their looks at all though.