Game characters are the imaginary people, creatures or objects that players control, meet, help or fight. They are shaped by character design (how they look, move and behave) and by character archetypes – familiar story roles such as the hero, shadow, mentor, ally, guardian, trickster and herald. The game environment is the world those characters exist in, described by its scale, time of day, physical characteristics and camera view.

Visual character design was covered in Character Design: Genre, Shape Language and Silhouette and Character Turnarounds and Model Sheets; environment art in Environment Design, Genres and Digital Artwork and Conceptualising Environments: Layers and Depth of Field. Here we look at the role characters and environments play in a game’s design.

Character design for games

Game characters must work in ways film characters do not:

• Readability: they must be recognisable at small sizes and in fast motion, so silhouettes and colours must be clear.
• Gameplay fit: a heavy character should move heavily; a speedy character should look light. Appearance should hint at abilities.
• Animation needs: every character needs a set of animations (idle, walk, run, jump, react), so designs should be practical to animate.
• Player connection: a player character may be a blank slate the player projects onto, or a strong personality the player accompanies.

The seven character archetypes

Archetypes come from Joseph Campbell’s study of myths and Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey. They are roles, not fixed personalities – one character can play different roles at different times.

Archetype	Role in the story	Game example of the role
Hero / protagonist	The main character who grows and drives the story; usually the player.	The player character setting out to save the kingdom.
Shadow / villain / antagonist	Opposes the hero and represents the main conflict.	The final boss or a rival.
Mentor	Guides, teaches and gives gifts or advice to the hero.	The tutorial character who explains the controls and gives the first tool.
Ally	Helps the hero on the journey, offering friendship and support.	A companion who fights alongside the player or gives hints.
Guardian (threshold guardian)	Blocks the way and tests the hero before a new stage.	A gatekeeper or mini-boss who must be beaten or convinced.
Trickster	Brings humour, mischief and change; questions the rules.	A cheeky sidekick or a folklore figure like Anansi.
Herald	Announces change and calls the hero to adventure.	A messenger, letter or radio call that starts the quest.

Screenwriting teacher Christopher Vogler explains these character types in this interview:

Describing the game environment

Scale

Scale is the size of the world and objects compared to the player. Huge spaces make players feel small and adventurous; tight spaces feel tense or cosy. Scale also affects gameplay: a large open map needs fast travel or vehicles, while a small room suits a puzzle.

Time of day

Time of day changes light, colour and mood. Morning feels hopeful, midday is clear and easy to read, sunset is dramatic and night is mysterious. Some games have a day–night cycle that changes gameplay: certain characters appear only at night, or shops close in the evening.

Physical characteristics

Physical characteristics are the features of the place: terrain (hills, water, sand), weather, vegetation, buildings, materials and hazards. They should support both story and play – ice is slippery, deep water blocks the path, tall grass hides the player.

Camera view

The camera view decides how the environment is shown. A top-down view shows layout and routes; a side view emphasises jumping and height; a first-person view makes the world feel immediate. Environment artists design differently for each view – for example, the roofs matter a lot in top-down games but hardly at all in side-scrollers.

Example

Here is a character and environment description for an adventure game called River of Lights:

• Hero: Kai, a 12-year-old boat builder; small, quick and curious, with a bright red scarf for readability.
• Mentor: Grandma Mira, who teaches Kai to read the stars.
• Herald: a glowing firefly that appears on the first night and leads Kai away from the village.
• Guardian: a giant river turtle who will only let Kai pass after solving her riddle.
• Trickster: a mischievous monkey who steals items but sometimes reveals shortcuts.
• Shadow: the Mist, a silent force that dims all light along the river.
• Environment: a wide river valley (large scale), explored mostly at dusk and night (time of day), with mangroves, rapids and stilt houses (physical characteristics), shown from a third-person camera behind the boat (camera view).

Exercise

1. Identify the seven archetypes in a game, film or folk tale you know. Is any character playing more than one role?
2. Design a game character. Draw it and explain how its appearance tells players about its abilities and its archetype.
3. Describe the environment of a game level using the four headings: scale, time of day, physical characteristics and camera view.
4. Change one of those four features for the same level (for example, day to night). Explain how the gameplay and mood would change.

Next: The Game UI Design Process and How to Tell Good UI From Bad UI

Syllabus link: This post is relevant to the CAPE® Animation and Game Design Syllabus, Unit 2: Interactive Design and Game Development, Module 2: Game Design and Development – Specific Objective 12 (“describe the characters in a game”); Specific Objective 13 (“describe the environment in a game”).

Attributions to media used in this post:

Big Buck Bunny – forest.jpg – Blender Foundation / Project Peach – CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Environments-02-shaman-hut.png – David Revoy / Blender Foundation – CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

© 2026 Vedesh Kungebeharry. All rights reserved.