better_game_characters_by_design.pdf

If the characters in a game have depth, complexity, consistency, mystery, humanity,

and charm, then they are going to feel real to the player, and that helps the whole

game world feel real, and allows the player to suspend his or her disbelief and get

lost in the world. Everything the player does will be more exciting if they’re doing it

for someone, or with someone, or in opposition to someone who feels real. Simply

put, good character design helps the player to have what we all know can be an

amazing, unforgettable experience. This book is not just about making great charac-

ters, but also about making great games .

—from the foreword by Tim Schafer, Double Fine Productions

Katherine Isbister skillfully draws upon various psychological constructs elevating

game development to a more comprehensive level. Taking a Psych 100 class? This

book transforms the sometimes stuffy theories of Freud, Skinner, Rogers, and

Maslow into fresh and entertaining relevancy as the author weaves these ideas into

game content. The next time you play a favorite video game, read this book—that

game will take on a whole new light and who knows? You may be able to ace that

psychology final .

—Pauline Pedersen, Course Director, Full Sail Real World Education

The notion of using psychological principles in games continues to be of great inter-

est to the games industry, but few researchers have been able to discuss in depth how

psychological research can actually be applied to game design. Katherine Isbister’s

book not only makes complex psychological concepts accessible to the games commu-

nity, but also demonstrates its application in current games through the use of con-

crete examples (on retail products), and possible design tips and recommendations .

—Randy Pagulayan, PhD, User Research Lead, Microsoft Game Studios

Katherine Isbister has crafted a text that covers a far greater scope of psychological

concerns than I would’ve previously thought possible, and each area of psychology

she covers has the potential to bring games to a higher level. For any individual

studying, teaching, or working in Game Design this is a must-have text .

—Robin Koman, Associate Course Director, Full Sail Real World Education

A valuable tool for applying effective principles of psychology to create readable, enter-

taining, and high-impact game characters—a must-have for today’s game developer .

—Andrew Stern, co-creator of the interactive drama Façade and

the virtual pets Dogz and Catz

Well researched and perceptive, this book offers new insights on creating more emo-

tionally engaging game characters. If you have ever been curious about the psychol-

ogy behind better character design, this book is a must read !

—Nicole Lazzaro, President, XEODesign, Inc.

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Better Game Characters by Design

The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Interactive 3D Technology

Series Editor: David H. Eberly, Geometric Tools, Inc.

The game industry is a powerful and driving force in the evolution of computer technology. As the

capabilities of personal computers, peripheral hardware, and game consoles have grown, so has the

demand for quality information about the algorithms, tools, and descriptions needed to take advan-

tage of this new technology. To satisfy this demand and establish a new level of professional refer-

ence for the game developer, we created the Morgan Kaufmann Series in Interactive 3D Technology .

Books in the series are written for developers by leading industry professionals and academic

researchers, and cover the state of the art in real-time 3D. The series emphasizes practical, working

solutions and solid software-engineering principles. The goal is for the developer to be able to imple-

ment real systems from the fundamental ideas, whether it be for games or for other applications.

Better Game Characters by Design: A Psychological Approach

Katherine Isbister

Artificial Intelligence for Games

Ian Millington

Visualizing Quaternions

Andrew J. Hanson

3D Game Engine Architecture: Engineering Real-Time Applications with Wild Magic

David H. Eberly

Real-Time Collision Detection

Christer Ericson

Physically Based Rendering: From Theory to Implementation

Matt Pharr and Greg Humphreys

Essential Mathematics for Games and Interactive Applications: A Programmer’s Guide

James M. Van Verth and Lars M. Bishop

Game Physics

David H. Eberly

Collision Detection in Interactive 3D Environments

Gino van den Bergen

3D Game Engine Design: A Practical Approach to Real-Time Computer Graphics

David H. Eberly

FORTHCOMING

Real-Time Cameras

Mark Haigh-Hutchinson

X3D: Extensible 3D Graphics for Web Authors

Leonard Daly and Donald Brutzman

Game Physics Engine Development

Ian Millington

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