Player character

Not to be confused withNon-player character.

A player character named "Contar Stoneskull" inLegend of Grimrock.The squares contain icons representing items he is wearing and items he is carrying on his adventure. Statistics such as his health and experience are also listed.

The player-controlled character ofMadeline(left) talks to anon-player characteroutside a building in the gameCeleste.

Aplayer character(also known as aplayable characterorPC) is a fictionalcharacterin avideo gameor tabletoprole-playing gamewhose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not controlled by a player are callednon-player characters(NPCs). The actions of non-player characters are typically handled by the game itself in video games, or according to rules followed by agamemasterrefereeingtabletop role-playing games.The player character functions as a fictional, alternate body for the player controlling the character.

Video games typically have one player character for each person playing the game. Some games, such asmultiplayer online battle arena,hero shooter,andfighting games,offer a group of player characters for the player to choose from, allowing the player to control one of them at a time. Where more than one player character is available, the characters may have distinctiveabilitiesand differing styles of play.

Overview

Avatars

Main article:Avatar (computing)

A player character may sometimes be based on a real person, especially insports gamesthat use the names and likenesses of real athletes. Historical figures and leaders may sometimes appear as characters too, particularly instrategyorempire buildinggames such as inSid Meier'sCivilizationseries. Such a player character is more properly anavataras the player character's name and image typically have little bearing on the game itself. Avatars are also commonly seen incasinogame simulations.

Blank characters

In many video games, and especiallyfirst-person shooters,the player character is a "blank slate" without any notable characteristics or evenbackstory.Pac-Man,CronofromChrono Trigger,LinkfromThe Legend of Zelda,ChellfromPortal,andClaudefromGrand Theft Auto IIIare examples of such characters. These characters are generallysilent protagonists.

Some games will go even further, never showing or naming the player character at all. This is somewhat common in first-person videogames, such as inMyst,but is more often done instrategy video gamessuch asDune 2000,Emperor: Battle for Dune,andCommand & Conquerseries. In such games, the only real indication that the player has a character (instead of an omnipresent status), is from thecutscenesduring which the character is being given a mission briefing or debriefing; the player is usually addressed as "general", "commander", or another military rank.

In gaming culture, such a character was called Ageless, Faceless, Gender-Neutral, Culturally Ambiguous Adventure Person, abbreviated as AFGNCAAP; a term that originated inZork: Grand Inquisitorwhere it is used satirically to refer to the player.

Character action games

Main article:Action game

1989 platformer gamePrince of Persia

Characteraction games(also called character-driven games, character games or just action games) are a broad category of action games, referring to a variety of games that are driven by the physical actions of player characters. The term dates back to thegolden age of arcade video gamesin the early 1980s, when the terms "action games" and "character games" began being used to distinguish a new emerging genre of character-driven action games from the spaceshoot 'em upsthat had previously dominated thearcadesin the late 1970s. Classic examples of character action games from that period include maze games likePac-Man,platformers likeDonkey Kong,andFrogger.

Side-scrollingcharacter action games (also called "side-scrolling action games" or "side-scrollers" ) are a broad category of character action games that were popular from the mid-1980s to the 1990s, which involve player characters defeating large groups of weaker enemies along a side-scrolling playfield.Examples includebeat 'em upslikeKung-Fu MasterandDouble Dragon,ninjaaction games likeThe Legend of KageandShinobi,scrolling platformers likeSuper Mario Bros.andSonic the Hedgehog,andrun and gunshooters likeRolling ThunderandGunstar Heroes.

"Character action games" is also a term used for 3Dhack and slashgames modelled afterDevil May Cry,which represent an evolution of arcade character action games. Other examples of this sub-genre includeNinja Gaiden,God of War,andBayonetta.

Fighting games

Fighting gamestypically have a larger number of player characters to choose from, with some basic moves available to all or most characters and some unique moves only available to one or a few characters. Having many distinctive characters to play as and against, all possessing different moves and abilities, is necessary to create a larger gameplay variety in such games.

Hero shooters

Similarly to MOBAs,hero shootersemphasize pre-designed "hero" characters with distinctive abilities and weapons that are not available to the other characters.Hero shooters strongly encourageteamworkbetween players on a team, guiding players to select effective combinations of hero characters and coordinate the use of hero abilities during a match.

Multiplayer online battle arena

Multiplayer online battle arenagames offer a large group ofviableplayer characters for the player to choose from, each of which having distinctive abilities, strengths, and weaknesses to make the game play style different. Characters can learn new abilities or augment existing ones over the course of a match by collecting experience points. Choosing a character who complements the player's teammates and counters their opponents opens up a strategy before the beginning of the match itself.Playable characters blend a variety of fantasy tropes, featuring numerous references topopular cultureandmythology.

Role-playing games

In both tabletop role playing games such asDungeons & Dragonsand role-playing video games such asFinal Fantasy,a player typically creates or takes on the identity of a character that may have nothing in common with the player. The character is often of a certain (usually fictional) race and class (such aszombie,berserker,rifleman,elf,orcleric), each with strengths and weaknesses. The attributes of the characters (such as magic and fighting ability) are given as numerical values which can be increased as the gamer progresses and gains rank and experience points through accomplishing goals or fighting enemies.

Sports games

In manysports games,player characters are often modelled after real-lifeathletes,as opposed to fictional characters. This is particularly the case for sportssimulation games,whereas manyarcade-stylesports games often have fictional characters instead.

Secret characters

See also:Alternate character

A secret orunlockablecharacter is a playable character in a video game available only after either completing the game or meeting another requirement. In some video games, characters that are not secret but appear only asnon-player characterslikeBoss esor enemies become playable characters after completing certain requirements, or sometimescheating.

See also

• Alternate character
• Avatar (computing)
• Non-player character