Custom Characters in Gaming?

[Reapergurl]

So, I imagine the majority of us have played games where one could make a custom character at least once in our lives.

With that, what I'd like to know is what kind of characters you've created, race, gender/lack thereof, attributes, and so on.

Or, if you really haven't or aren't into making your own but like what some characters others may have created, share with us what you liked about those characters, or what you liked about certain games' customization, and so on.

For me, I've played many games with custom creations, some where it was an option, others where it was mandatory, like the Elder Scrolls games.

Probably my favorite game (or one of the top five) with custom characters is the Rock Band series, and Guitar Hero series post Aerosmith. Of course, the limitations of these custom characters are quite apparent, but since the engines these games were made on focused on camera movement and the game interface, that is not surprising.

That being said, I've made several fan characters of characters from other games, and other game genres like JRPGs.

Of course, completely emulating character designs by Square, even in Guitar Hero 5 or Warriors of Rock (the best character models) is impossible, but I can still make a bloody decent looking Cloud Strife (even though he often looks so out of character because his overall appearance looks moderately happy and not depressed).

I had a lot of fun, making characters in Skyrim; making custom armor with enchantments is not even half the fun.

I had a fully upgraded Elven Armor set with Alchemy/Sneak/Carry Weight/Archery/Pickpocket/Muffle/Stamina/Stamina Regen enchantment set (my Enchanting Level was at 100 so it allowed me to double enchant any item), with an Ebony Bow that had a Soul Trap/Health Absorb enchantment (useful against dragons!)

Let us just say that, with that setup, I was lethal.

Oh, my race in Skyrim? I would either be a Breton, or a Nord.

Thu'um skills are best used by those with decent magic, so a Breton would do better than a Nord or an Imperial (I don't know about the Elven or other races because I've not tried them yet).

Well, I've said my fair share, what about you?

 

[Rhaeami]

I tend to base it around what the customization is capable of. I prefer gentle, slender, kind-faced characters, so they usually end up being female if the options are pretty limited - but, some notable exceptions have been Guild Wars 2, Aion, and Final Fantasy XIV, all of which have let me make rather adorable males.

Since you mention the Elder Scrolls games, those are actually an interesting case for me, because the fairly limited options *would* have me picking female characters by my normal rules of thumb, except that my actual favorite race - Argonians - goes in the opposite direction. Argonian males are significantly cuter than the girls. Frilly fins, big cutesy eyes (in the third game anyway), and voices no more deep or husky than their old-woman-esque counterparts'. Back to females if I play any other race, though.

As for other attributes, I find that the characters I play as kind of mimic one another. They always have brown hair, similar facial structure (engine allowing), smallest possible proportions... I suppose after playing with these customizers for decades I've just settled on a standard look. They tend to wear similar outfits too, come to think of it. At least their abilities and classes are more varied.

 

[Wavelength]

I'm more likely to create male characters in a game with character creation, but much more likely to play female characters in a game with actual characters to choose from. Never really figured out why this is - perhaps an identity vs. curiosity type of thing.

 

[The Stranger]

It all depends, really. Usually, the first time I play a game, I like to play as an extension of myself; so I create a male and simply follow my own morality and what not. However, on subsequent playthroughs I'll roleplay as one of two characters: Ornella (an olive skinned, raven haired, woman with bright green eyes and a playful personality; even if a bit sadistic at times) and Jericho\Gabriel (A black lone wanderer and sometimes warrior priest who is something of an anti-hero. He doesn't go out of his way to do good, but also doesn't harm people for no reason. He'll help others if it doesn't disrupt his own journey too much, but otherwise doesn't involve himself in petty and trivial affairs of those around him.)

I used to have another female character I played as, but she was eventually merged with Ornella.

These two characters use their own sense of right and wrong, which enables me to make different choices and not feel out of character, or like total crap, after making decisions which would otherwise go against my own code of honour.

In Skyrim I ended up rping a vampire at somepoint, too. He was inspired by the vampires from Vampire The Masquerade; he adopted a little girl and had a bodyguard to watch over him as he slept in his coffin in the basement.

 

[Alexander Amnell]

Honestly every time I used to design characters I'd try to recreate myself as much as possible (usually without the right hair though, as only bloodborne ever provided a curly hair option semi-consistent with how my hair looks that I've played) but a couple years ago my middle daughter saw me making a character in Skyrim and fell in love with the avatar creation process and ever since then she tends to create custom characters for me most of the time, which could be anything. Last Skyrim playthrough I think I was a blue-skinned winged(Skyrim is better modded) Argonian and I'm currently messing around in New Vegas as an old, one eyed lady with a mohawk who I'm roleplaying as a former great Khan/powder ganger.

Like the Stranger said above I find it easier to roleplay certain types of characters through the custom toons my daughter makes. Alex the video game npc never did a lot of the darker things that games offered even on multiple playthroughs, Granny Mohawk however has no problem taking over Goodsprings for profit using guns she dug up from their deceased loved ones' own graves, cause Granny Mohawk's the scariest thing in the Mohave Wastes since Marko and Red Bear.

 

[mogwai]

I was "The Punishment" in the WWE Smackdown PS2 game (back when it was still WWF Smackdown).

It was a guy with a white T-Shirt and jeans, all buffed up in body size to the max (tall and obese), and he wore a hockey mask.

His finishing move was the tombstone pile driver. It was the summer of '02, good times.

 

[Reapergurl]

@mogwai Reminds me of when I played the third Spyhunter game for the PS2, lol; it featured Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and he had for one of his finishers, a Choke Slam. I couldn't count on a hundred set of hands how many times I used that maneuver to lay down the law on the baddies.

 

[mogwai]

Choke slam, the Rock Bottom, is always followed be the Poeple's Elbow. Good times.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

In MMO's I tend to keep with using male avatar, as for single player games, I kind of tend to use female ones.

 

[Niten Ichi Ryu]

Dépends on the fantasy, but usually for D&D/crpg games and the likes (neverwinter nights, Dragon age, pillars of eternity...) I'm going for human warrior using usually sword and board or fencing vaguely similar to me. Brown hair, graying if option is there, brown eyes and stuble, either role playing the good guy or the not a dastard guy. Name is always a derivative of my own name depending on flavor. Big though guy will be Matyush or Mathaus, nimble fencer would be Mateo or similar.

Exception is elder scrolls game where I always play first an Orc called Casimir (reference to a show when I was kid)

Then I sometimes create a woman or an elf, going mage or sneaky, but I rarely follow it trough game completion.

 

[Astel]

I have a really hard time when it comes to create a character... i simply can't separate myself from the character. If there are premade character i will always play the male that looks the most like me. In the elder scroll games always end up being a imperial male, i just can't play as anything else.

Also i can't really "roleplay" anything but a good guy, i could never even touch the Dark Brotherhood questline in any of the games...

Anyway, my characters are always male, with black hair and brown eyes, not very muscular, usually wizards or warriors with sword and shield... pretty boring actually.

 

[jezebelthenun]

I try to create my ideal version of myself when there's significant creation abilities. (Athletic build, bright red hair, pale, pale skin, green eyes) My husband always picks on me when I begin a new game, like Mass Effect, for instance, and spend hours in the character creator. He's more of a "make the ugliest possible thing you can" kind of creator.

I like the Sims for creating people, too. Hell, I'll just create Sims for hours and never play them.

 

[Clades]

I create my character how I want it. I use male as well as female characters if possible. I use different genders to check out, if the game has other options depending on which gender you choose. For example in Fire Emblem Awakening thanks to the relationship- and children-features you can bequeath skills of characters to their children. And if the partner has great or exclusive skills nobody else having, the children can become great weapons. And some children can get the same class as one of their parents.
General in the game usually I act to do it as right as possible. In games where you have to choose different options it is interesting to see in the second or third time playing where the different ways go, (you chose to be the good one in the first time, but what happens if you choose different in the next time or being a bad guy?). And that makes the game interesting if you have more options, most of all, if the game is a bit complex (for example Mass Effect Trilogy, where the choices of the game before have influences of the next game).

 

[dragonzx]

I generally just create whatever looks cool. I usually go with male, which coincides with me being male. I don't mind making female characters but if it's an online game, I feel like I'm deceiving a person if I play with a female character. Just for me personally, it doesn't bother me when others play with the opposite gender of their identity. A few male friends and acquaintances prefer playing female characters.

 

[KayZaman]

@mogwai Dude! I also created WWE Superstar too!!
youtu.be/S1n2ioYJ92E

Reason edit: No youtube video on this post that cause lag on this forum. Sorry.

 

[kaukusaki]

I usually play male characters on the first go round, the second is usually female once I figured out the game's quirks. Online, I always play male because folks can get creepy and I hate getting hassled. I always try for other skin tones because after awhile, I get annoyed always playing some pasty dude. Also it gets boring after awhile playing a dark elf if I'm playing an RPG fantasy game.
My character setups are usually similar in every game I play (if they have a custom class function). I'm pretty much a donjon crawling, spell slinging, monster slaying battle mage. I prefer tomb raiding first before getting to the main quest (especially if the game is open ended). I still have yet to finish Morrowind... I owned that game for 10 years and put in so many hours. In think my last run was 80 before the HD crash lolz

 

[Reapergurl]

@kaukusaki If you ever get to play Skyrim, trust me when I say that it'll take 80 hours just to get at most, to level 10 (but the value of everything you could learn is so great).

Also, though this is my personal preference, I highly and strongly recommend joining the Thieves' Guild as quickly as possible because things get expensive in Skyrim REAL QUICK.

I mean, you could go the Master Enchanter/Smithy route too, but that takes a LOT longer.

Probably the best character setup in any of the Elder Scrolls games is one that utilizes both Mana/Magicka and Stamina, but fighting dragons in Skyrim is difficult with a short or mid-ranged weapon.

If I play to the style that of which I get the name 'Reapergurl' from, I usually let the NPCs bring the dragon's health down enough to where the dragon lands, then I go Rambo on it. If I encounter the dragon in an area where NPC assists are unlikely and/or are fruitless, backup bow I always carry and at least 250 arrows.

But if I go the route of Knightess/Axe-Raider/Brawler, I won't seek out many dragons, other than questline.

 

[Starshine]

i always play female; as a girl ive been forced to play as a dude too many times to do it of my own accord. as for customization? ELVES ALL THE WAY. i usually range from wood elf druid, to chaotic good dark elf outcast.

 

[HexMozart88]

Depends on what I feel most appealing. I haven't played these games in a while, but I know I have made so many Mii's in both male and female, so it doesn't really matter. As an avatar, I don't know, I'd probably have it look as far from me as possible to avoid turning people to stone, XD. Could be male, could be female, I've done both before. Honestly though, I've yet so see a game where is actually is possible to make non-binary characters.

 

[M.I.A.]

It's kinda funny..

If a game offers no character customization, I'm fine with that and I'll watch the story unfold for them while I observe.
If a game offers character customization, in my head I come up with these elaborate back stories and personalities for that character.

There really isn't an in between for me.
-MIA