Computer and video games are the entertainment media of the 21st century, and game characters such as Lara Croft and Mario are now as famous as Mickey Mouse or Homer Simpson.
The Art of Game Characters is not only a showcase of the amazing creations being imagined by today's top game artists and designers, but also an examination of the appeal of these iconic characters from the early days of gaming to the present,and a study of the techniques involved in their origination.
WHETHER YOU ARE A DESIGNER LOOKING FOR TIPS, AN ARTIST SEEKING INSPIRATION,OR A PASSIONATE GAMES ENTHUSIAST, YOU WILL FIND EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW IN THIS ESSENTIAL,ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO THE CREATIVITY ON DISPLAY IN GAMES TODAY. CHARACTERS FEATURED HATIL FROM EVERY GAME GENRE, INCLUDING CUTE AND CUDDLY CREATIONS SUCH AS PAC-MAN AND MARIO,THROUGH SEXY,SASSY HEROINES SUCH AS LARA CROFT AND DARK LINEAGE'S KYA, TO BROODING ENIGMAS SUCH AS JERICHO CROSS.
INTERVIEWS WITH THE GAME DESIGNERS REVEAL THEIR SOURCES OF INSPIRATION,ALONG WITH FASCINATING EAR LY DESIGNS THAT SHOW EXACTLY HOW THEY WENTABOUT TURNING A BRIGHT IDEA INTO A CLASSIC CHARACTER.TIPS AND TECHNIQUES EXPLAIN WHAT MAKES A CHARACTER GRAB THE PUBLIC'S IMAGINATION, AND PROVIDE PRACTICAL IDEAS FOR THE WOULD-BE GAME ARTIST.
INTRODUCTION
1
GAME CUTIES
Cute, but Not Necessarily Cuddly
Insider Secrets: Fur Fightin'
2
BIG BICEPS
Muscular Heroes
Hands On: Sources of Inspiration
3
SEXY AND SASSY
Women in a Boy's World
Insider Secrets: The Feminine Kick
Game Character Creation by Sandy Spangler
4
MAD, BAD, AND DANGEROUS TO KNOW
Byronic Heroes
Insider Secrets: Shootout in Ghost Town
5
FEMME FATALE Bad Girls
Hands On: Concept Arl
6
THE RELUCTANT HERO
It's a Bum Rap
Arabian Arts:The Prince of Persia
7
FASCINATING FLAWS
The Anti-hero
Insider Secrets: World Dominat on
8
MAINLY BY CUNNING
The Trickster
insider Secrets:Night Raiders
9
IT COULD BE YOU
The Modern Everyman
Hands On: The Art of Modelling
10
BABY FACE
Manga
Hands On: The Gift of Life - Animation
11
BEHIND THE MASK
Personae in First-person Games
Insider Secrets: Ship Shape
12
DO YOU SPEAK ELVISH?
Fantastic Creatures and Faerie Folk
Hands On: Game Costume
13
MONSTER MASH
Robots, Dinosaurs, and Aliens
Insider Secrets: Odd Glob
14
ODDBALLS
The Wackiest Characters of All
Insider Secrets: Into the Machine
15
BOSSES FROM HELL
Obeying Orders
A Great Lineage: Square Enix
Insider Secrets: Widescreen
Index
Glossary
Acknowledgments