Creating a game character based on Finnish mythology and the impact of Costume design
Masar, Elin (2021)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021052711999
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021052711999
Tiivistelmä
Costume Design and the decisions made from a designer’s perspective is a subject rarely discussed in the game community. More specifically, what emotional impact does clothes and accessories have on a character and how can it help build up the personality of it. This thesis will be based on three characters created for the game Destination: Nowhere, which is a game based on Finnish mythology and old folklore. During the project, research on creatures from folklore was the main focus and presently the focus is on how these charac-ters fit in with what has been said in the designing community about characterization and the emotional impact of getting to know a character through story.
By using the means of artistic research for the actual project when designing the characters based on Finnish mythology and text analysis, as well as literature research for gaining knowledge of the subject costume design, it was concluded how important the latter is when creating characters. The aim of the study was to gain a better understanding on how much impact costume design has on a character, and how much story can be told through the garments and accessories. By combining the research with the rich history of Finnish folklore, characters were created to serve as the story in a game where it was not the focal point.
The end result of the thesis was that by first gaining knowledge and having that as one’s guide, the creation of characters supporting the story and not the other way around resulted in a much easier introduction to who the characters are and what their purpose is.
By using the means of artistic research for the actual project when designing the characters based on Finnish mythology and text analysis, as well as literature research for gaining knowledge of the subject costume design, it was concluded how important the latter is when creating characters. The aim of the study was to gain a better understanding on how much impact costume design has on a character, and how much story can be told through the garments and accessories. By combining the research with the rich history of Finnish folklore, characters were created to serve as the story in a game where it was not the focal point.
The end result of the thesis was that by first gaining knowledge and having that as one’s guide, the creation of characters supporting the story and not the other way around resulted in a much easier introduction to who the characters are and what their purpose is.