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PGC Helsinki 2018 Pecha Kucha sessions: King's Sabrina Carmona
Key insights
6 takeaways- 01Because successful characters often evolve into long-term cultural legacies, studios must prioritize thoughtful and representative design from the outset.
- 02Physical disabilities and non-traditional character classes should be integrated as functional gameplay mechanics rather than used as shorthand for weakness or villainy.
- 03Character design must intentionally challenge traditional tropes, such as the over-sexualization of women, the portrayal of elderly characters as villains, and the use of gendered color palettes.
- 04Modern game developers have a responsibility to move beyond the industry-standard 'white, male, and able-bodied' protagonist model to better reflect the global mobile gaming audience.
- 05Developers should evaluate whether specific design choices serve a legitimate narrative purpose or if they are merely reinforcing outdated biases.
- 06Abandoning impractical armor designs and swapping traditional role archetypes can lead to more authentic, compelling, and commercially successful character experiences.
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Transcript
[Music] alright so I'm gonna talk about diversity actually we're make video games and more and more different people are playing video games a lot of people are playing video games all sorts of people are playing video games and we make them so I'm gonna talk a little bit about bringing diversity into your game via characters and why that is important for you so basically everyone is welcome in theory we design games for all sorts of people you can pick who you are you can have people that identify with fighters and you can have people that identify with healers it still it doesn't matter what happens is that we have to question that and it's important for us we were developing games to do so but what is diversity is it just men and women absolutely not it's religion its ethics its culture its beliefs its experience it's everything
that needs to be taken into consideration and then questioned that's our job we were building games but of course it doesn't mean that when you're building your game you need to put all sorts of characters in it it means that you need to take into consideration who you're making and then properly represent them that is the beauty of building characters and that's the beauty of knowing your target audience I mean it doesn't mean that you have to go from A to Z but it means that you need to take some things into consideration especially when we make games for this can you imagine how many people have one of these do you have one of these yeah right how many millions and millions of people you can reach are you taking them into consideration when you're building your game are you thinking about who you're representing and how when we make games it's it's clear that you create them based on your experience of who you are it's clear that of course if I create a concept of something I'm gonna
put what I know not what I don't know and that's when we need to question things what we believe might not be what you believe and that's when you should question all stereotypes I mean how many different things can be done in the same game how many people can identify with all sorts of differences that's the beauty of the power creating that we have right now you need to be mindful also when you're creating that diverse space so let's say we talk about ethnicity say that you have someone of color in your in your game is it well represented are you putting it in a stereotype or a secondary is that necessary or is there something else that you can do with them anything in a game I mean you have mushrooms that talk and when you're talking about women yeah women don't over-sexualize them if it's not needed it I mean you don't have to dress them up in black like everyone else or
put a proper armor I mean yeah we're amazing but you don't have to put that all the time that's not the need it and let's say let's talk about sexuality because we all love sex right there's time there's ten seconds for that Mario saved the princess good job Mario but can't the princess save Mario can the princess save the princess can the Prince save the prince exactly so that's what I'm talking about and let's talk about disability does the pirate with the wooden leg needs to be the bad guy all the time no he doesn't you can use that in your favor they can be heroes they can even make gameplay better it's just a matter of thinking of how you want to represent that and it's a matter of think bigger and age why old people are evil I mean why why old
witches are always evil I mean I met a lot of young people that can be pretty evil to be honest so we need to think about that when we make our villains they don't need to be so old when you build the character is important that you take into consideration the legacy you want to build I mean I don't know if you know this game but there's a lot of different characters there and someone will prefer someone and you will move she's someone because that's why you play Mass Effect yeah uh-huh it's not because you want to have sex with them we talk about sex so many times if you talk about armor it's important that it's well represented who here won a war in bikini I tried didn't succeed dress them appropriately please and the men as well do you don't need to carry all that weight you know it just a little cool if we talk about colors you don't need to put your female characters all colorful and happy and your male all you know dark colors and badass mix it up and cover some stuff
because some of those fly out yeah you're actually gonna jump they're gonna fly out so please cover that up but make them match be creative boys can be blue and girls can be pink will be creative and they talk about personality smart people don't eat or wear glasses even though I do this art contacts but not all they need to wear glasses or you don't need to have people like me lazy I mean I am but don't make your game about me but you know just go there and challenge that and again shape body shape unfortunately triangle boobs are dead okay they're gone forget about them and the men don't need to be v-shape to do the leg day guys come on represent it better doesn't have to be like that question things that have been done before and the same with classes the blonde white male is not nice it's not the hero and the girl doesn't have
to be the healer as well and the old guy doesn't have to be the villain question that question those classes I mean a lot of game companies have done brilliantly in creating diverse characters I bet that there is at least one here that you love and it's our job it's our duty as game developers and people that create things to make sure that you would dress a proper audience it's 2018 it's time for us to think outside the box it's our duty to do that as well and if your characters are successful enough they will not live only in one game there will be part of franchise they'll be part of many many other things and people will get inspiration from what you create so here I am preaching triangle boobers argon bikinis don't go to war but make sure that you're at least think outside the box if you have the power thank you [Applause] [Music]
Summary
The integration of diversity into character design serves as a critical responsibility for modern game developers, as the global reach of mobile and digital gaming necessitates broader representation. Developers must move beyond narrow archetypes and challenge traditional industry tropes to better reflect the diverse experiences of their actual player base. By questioning established norms regarding ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, and physical ability, creators can foster more inclusive environments that resonate with a wider audience.
Effective character design requires a conscious effort to avoid lazy stereotypes, such as the over-sexualization of female characters, the consistent portrayal of elderly characters as villains, or the reliance on limited, gendered color palettes and body types. Instead of defaulting to familiar tropes, developers should evaluate whether a character’s design serves a narrative purpose or merely reinforces outdated biases. For instance, physical disabilities or non-traditional character classes can be leveraged to enhance gameplay mechanics rather than serving as shorthand for villainy or weakness.
Ultimately, the goal is to move beyond the default white, male, and able-bodied protagonist model that has historically dominated the industry. Because successful characters often transcend individual titles to become part of larger franchises and cultural legacies, developers have a duty to ensure their creations are thoughtful and representative. By intentionally designing characters that defy conventional expectations—such as swapping traditional roles for healers or fighters or abandoning impractical armor designs—studios can create more compelling, authentic, and commercially successful experiences that align with the realities of a modern, global gaming community.
