One way a video game transforms into an experience is through character customization. Unless the title has a story to tell about a specific protagonist, devs can provide players with options to create their character however they wish. Character customization has come a long way over the decades–and some people take the extra time to curate every detail to their liking. Are character customizations important to your gaming experience, and if so, how much time do you spend on it?
Long ago, “create your character” options were limited. You may have had a half dozen hair styles and the option to select a gender. Thankfully, we have gone way beyond that, with some games paying so much detail that you can spend upwards of an hour if you want. Some friends explain that they feel more immersed when their avatar is created in their likeness. Others want to create the whackiest looking character, or perhaps, play as someone they wish they could be or look like for a day.
Honestly, I used to care less about making a video game character look like me or take the time to make one look…not like me. I just wanted to fire up the game and play in the shoes of someone else–a “someone” that the dev predetermined for me. However, the astounding number of options that more recent games have provided piqued my interest, and I’ve taken more time to play around with my characters’ looks.
I particularly had fun with Monster Hunter Rise. Even though I identify as female, I love playing as male-appearing characters. It was even fun to play with how my Palamute and Palico partners looked like. Although I will say, after toggling over scores of different shades of fur color, I started feeling overwhelmed.
I also took the time to sculpt my Pokemon Violet character in my likeness–but with a much cooler hairstyle. Never have I guessed that I’d care so much about eyebrow shape. I just got sucked in.
The game I’m looking forward to the most with regard to character creation is Hogwarts Legacy. With the level of detail and breadth of options available, I will likely spend a good half hour creating my protagonist. It’s going to be the person I’ll be spending several (okay, hundreds) of hours with!
Overall, I typically don’t like wasting away time to tweak minute details I likely won’t notice during gameplay, but I do value the time and effort the devs have put in to allow this feature in most games. It adds variety and bolster’s inclusion. Granted, if there are twenty different lip shapes, thirty eyebrow styles, and a half dozen cheekbone structures, I may start to get a little lazy…
How about you? How much value and time do you put into customizing your video game characters? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
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The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and The Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, LeRon, Stephanie, Edward, and their friends from around the internet come together to talk their week in games, entertainment, and more while also bringing topics for conversation, answer listener and community questions, and cover major news and events happening in the video game industry. Watch The Boss Rush Podcast live on Wednesday Nights on Twitch at 8:30PM ET / 5:30PM PT or on Friday mornings at 7AM ET on YouTube and podcast services everywhere. Thanks for listening! You can also get this episode one week early on Patreon.
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