Designing Characters for Healthy Communities

Characters in your game have the power to shape perceptions at any age. Their dialogue, attitudes, and actions subtly influence what players see as acceptable. This article will help you avoid some common pitfalls as well as responsibly portray in-depth or flawed characters.

Note: While this guide provides helpful insights, crafting nuanced, inclusive characters is a complex skill. Consider consulting experts in game writing or sensitivity consultants for further guidance.

big idea Introduction to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

DEI is a powerful tool for creating more engaging games, building stronger communities, and fostering a more vibrant gaming landscape.

Characters that Promote Thriving

The following are some general practices that can help you develop characters that are in line with your digital-thriving goals and values.

Design characters that demonstrate:

Depth and nuance — Avoid simple “good” vs. “bad” portrayals. Even aspirational characters face doubts and struggles. Flawed characters can still have moments of kindness or vulnerability.
Realistic growth — Character arcs should feel believable. Sudden changes or unearned redemption can undermine your message.
Internal vs. external motivation — Great characters, regardless of flaws, are driven by more than plot events. What are their individual desires and fears?

In general:

Show impact — Illustrate how positive behaviors benefit the character in their journey. Such as, problem-solving leading to success, empathy building relationships, resilience helping them overcome adversity, et cetera.
Avoid the “magical minority” — Ensure characters from marginalized groups have depth and individual flaws, and in particular not just those reflecting stereotypes associated with their identity. For example, everyone deserves to be heroic regardless of race, gender, et cetera.
Aim for authentic representation — Help normalize the richness of human experience. This will help increase tolerance, and also support players with marginalized identities who can see themselves and their experiences reflected in the game.

Creating aspirational characters

Aspirational characters not only create a more inclusive game world but also positively impact gameplay. Players drawn to these characters are more likely to model their behavior, fostering teamwork and healthy collaboration within your community.

When designing aspiration characters, keep in mind the following:

Emphasis on positive traits — Highlight empathy, resilience, kindness, and a willingness to learn and grow. Even in a world of conflict, characters striving for positive change can be inspiring.
Teamwork and collaboration — Characters who achieve success by working together showcase the power of cooperation and healthy relationships.
Problem-solving and critical thinking — Characters who overcome obstacles with ingenuity and strategy model resourcefulness and agency for players.
Challenging norms — Create characters who defy harmful stereotypes and push for change, showcasing that progress is possible even within problematic systems.
Diverse sources of strength — Strength can be physical, intellectual, or emotional. Ensure you showcase a breadth of traits considered admirable, not just a narrow definition.

big idea Beyond Mechanics: The Power of Words

Use words wisely to create a space where players connect and thrive.

What if my characters are flawed?

Stories thrive on imperfect characters, conflict, and even darkness. When writing flaws, however, it is important to ensure that your characters don’t ultimately perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Doing so will make for richer storytelling and a healthier game community.

When designing flawed characters, consider applying the following:

Go beyond the “flaw” — Give your characters depth. Is their aggression tied to a backstory of trauma? Is their insensitivity a defense mechanism? Adding nuance will make them more compelling while avoiding reducing these challenges to one-dimensional plot devices.
Show growth arcs — Consider allowing a character with a bad attitude to be shown evolving. Redemption can resonate when genuine remorse and effort toward becoming a better communicator are part of the portrayal.
Offer counterbalance — Pair problematic characters with those who model healthy communication styles. Highlight how empathy and respectful disagreement lead to better outcomes within the game’s narrative or mechanics.

Impactful portrayals — When including negative behaviors, do so with purpose. Look to add consequences within the game or counterbalancing portrayals to help mitigate the risk of normalizing harmful ideas.
Give contextual clarity — Is a bad attitude meant to be comically exaggerated or ironic? If so, make sure the tone, other characters’ responses, and gameplay consequences avoid sending mixed signals to players.
Have consequences that matter — Show that disrespectful behavior, even by beloved characters, leads to in-game consequences. Rejection by allies, failed missions, or the player directly losing influence are powerful counterpoints to what can be otherwise seen as glorification or tacit approval.

Also, complement character portrayals with strong community guidelines that discourage harmful language. This reinforces the message that negative behaviors aren’t aspirational, even for fictional characters

big idea Harmful Tropes in Game Design

By critically examining common tropes and assumptions, we can create truly inclusive games.

Best practices for quick, one-dimensional characters

For many games, these characters are design devices that provide a quick justification or personification of a game element to help serve the mechanics or core loop. In these cases, it’s understandable that you don’t want to invest a great deal into extensive character backgrounds and world building.

The following are some techniques that can help keep your process efficient while ensuring that you’re still taking care in the impact of your work:

Diverse casting — Include a mix of backgrounds, genders, and appearances even if characters have minimal dialogue. This promotes inclusion without extensive writing.
Avoid “Bad = X” — Don’t make all antagonists conform to a single ethnic group, gender, etc. Spread out negative traits to avoid harmful association.
The power of neutrality — If character depth isn’t feasible, opt for neutral rather than negative portrayals. A forgettable guard is better than a rude one with a stereotyped accent.
Focus on balance — If characters must be problematic, ensure in-game mechanics or the narrative counterbalance it. Players can face in-world consequences for bad behavior, for example.
Seek assistance — As always, sensitivity consultants can help you avoid pitfalls and help you find streamlined ways to achieve your goals responsibly.

It’s easier than you think

Character design doesn’t always mean a huge time investment. Small, thoughtful tweaks can make a big difference, and prioritizing conscious design from the start saves time and effort by avoiding major reworks later.