Here's a fun challenge: How do you convey unique character traits and quirks in a game primarily played from a first-person perspective?

That's exactly what Blizzard had to figure out while designing its character-packed multiplayer shooter Overwatch. At GDC 2017's Animation Bootcamp, Blizzard's own Matthew Boehm took the stage to explain how the Overwatch team ulled it off -- and what other devs can learn from the experience.

It was a fun talk that dug into the artistic and technical challenges of expressing personality in first-person animation while staying true to the designer's intent for gameplay. How would a gunslinger like Overwatch's McCree reload a revolver, for example -- and how can you do it in 45 frames?

Boehm's talk was interesting to developers of all stripes, and if you missed it the first time around you can now watch entirely for free over on the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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