Some people might feel nostalgic for the original gaming characters that came with the birth of gaming. And indeed, these novelties definitely deserve a place in the gaming Hall of Fame. But even if you do like to harken back to the days of old, you can’t deny the amazing technical evolution that gaming characters have undergone.
If you’re not familiar with the details of this history, it is worth recounting. At this point, the technology has gotten so advanced that you can even create your own characters with the help of AI. For that matter, you can even design your AI character to the specifics of your ideal girlfriend!
A look back at early gaming characters
Are you old enough to remember early video games? Perhaps you’ve seen references to them made in old movies or pop songs. Early characters were simplistic, but super cool. And they helped to define the generation that grew up with them. Characteristics of these 70s-80s superstars included:
- Very basic shapes. You’ve surely seen references to Pac-Man, for example. The reason for its simplistic shape was because of limitations in computer processing power and memory. Also, graphics were far less sophisticated than they would be even by the 90s.
- 2D sprites. Many of the early characters took this form, namely 2D images used to represent popular characters. The name came about because the word sprite refers to a character that appears to be floating over a background. Mario from Super Mario Brothers is a good example of this.
- A focus on the core mechanics of gameplay, rather than nuances having to do with storylines and special effects. Early computers were not capable of producing these kinds of things yet.
Late 80s-90s
Characters started taking off big time in the late 80s. The explosion in popularity of early computers prompted developers to create massive improvements in games, and this included character development. Characteristics of this period included:
- Much better graphics. This era is often referred to as the “16-Bit Era” because this was the type of system that was used. These systems allowed for over 65,000 colors, and much finer resolution.
- Greater expression in characters. Mario took on a new face during this period, gaining much greater detail and the agility in his movement. Other characters were similarly much more complex than those in the 80s. Accordingly, storylines also became more advanced.
The move to 3D
Starting in the mid-90s, characters finally started popping out of the screen. This is what players really wanted to see as flat characters are hard to get into. Although the early versions were somewhat simplistic, they were still superior to their 2D counterparts in design.
Gradually, GPU technology improved and characters such as Tomb Raider started taking on more detail. This included improvements in texture and dynamic effects.
AI comes in
The real revolution has come with the addition of AI. And this is where even players can play a major role. AI can influence animation capacity in amazing ways:
- Procedural animation. Previously, every frame of an animation sequence needed to be captured manually. With the addition of AI algorithms, animations can be generated based upon game context, or many other factors. This makes characters much more realistic and able to react to things like obstacles, terrain changes, and other things they encounter in games.
- AI-enhanced motion capture. AI algorithms are capable of refining motion capture data and use it to create real world-type movements in games. This goes far beyond simply making for smoother transitions: it can transfer styles between movements, change motion proportions, and perform other sophisticated actions with regard to motion change.
- Generative AI for assets. This can allow you to create 3D models, textures, and even sound effects. All you need to do is give the program a few prompts. Game features can take on amazing new forms – realistic or fantastical, as you wish. AI algorithms can also generate facial animations that illustrate emotions and speech.
- Adaptive animation. AI is capable of adjusting to character animations based upon what a player does or how a particular environment changes. This takes place in real time and can be remarkably accurate.
Where are we headed?
Given the amazing changes that have taken place in gaming character development over just the last few decades, the next logical question is: Where are we going? Surely there must be even further changes afoot. And there are. The trends continue in exciting directions:
- Characters will have even more complexity to them. They will have sophisticated backstories, personalities, and motivations. And players will have an increasing ability to help generate them.
- There will be increasing agency for players to interact with their characters and customize them as games go along. Overall, players will have an increasing hand in being able to shape their games in many respects.
Hold on tight
So there you have it: The history of gaming characters in two minutes. In the future, players will be able to dream up, create, and manipulate characters and their surroundings in ways never before thought possible. It will allow people to really tap into their creative faculties and come up with amazing ideas both for their characters, and the environments of their games.
But we shouldn’t forget where we came from. Old-style games definitely represent a pivotal time period in technological development, and something that we should remember as we create the building blocks of the future. After all, we are still the same people that we were in the 80s. And Pac-Man will remain an icon for centuries to come.