Bold. Focused. Charming. - Motiga's Design Pillars (That Should Be Everyone's...)
So, PAX South has just wrapped. The gaming pundits are going back and forth about the necessity for yet another Penny Arcade Expo and I'll leave them too it. Me, I'm just hype to see the new stuff coming out this week.
And top of my list is Gigantic, the MOBA/RPG/Shooter hybrid PvP PC game that has launched an unrelenting blitzkrieg on my eyes and brain. I thought Blizzards Overwatch game took me by storm. It didn't have nearly the impact that this baby has!
Apparently I'm late to the party and this game's been the topic of some discussion since well before Pax Prime.
Which is where the video above was shot.
Motiga's art bigwigs sat down at a panel at the Big Show and walked the audience through the process of creating each of their characters. They started with concept and lead us through the process to animating them, showing off the finished product for us all.
It's all super interesting and would worth a look (even at nearly an hour in length) regardless but Vinod Rams, Sr. Concept Artist, begins the panel with something that really resonated with me.
He talks about the Motiga art team's core "pillars," those three things that each character has to have, needs to have, and won't enter the game without. They are: Bold, Focused, and Charming.
This really struck me and I knew I had to stay tuned. The panel didn't disappoint and they really reinforced what I've always known, that good characters (aesthetically and otherwise) really need to be fleshed out and focused.
Bold characters have to grab your attention. They need to punch you in the face with how different and brave they are.
Focused characters need to have rhyme and reason to be worthwhile. You have to hone in on what makes the character "pop" and really drive that home.
Charming characters need to have lasting power. They have to be more than some cool prop or a neat backstory. A character with charm won't be universal in appeal but will at least earn its place in the world you're reading about or viewing.
So, hit play on the video above and listen to these guys show you better than I can tell you.
Oh, and you can be sure I'll be talking about this game at length in the months to come.
Gigantic is currently gearing up for Alpha testing and you can sign up here.
