One of the most effective ways to hook players on your game is to have unforgettable, unique characters for them to inhabit, meet, and learn more about. While some of that labor may involve creating intricate personalities and backstories, players will first judge those characters by their distinct visual appearance. 

If you're a game developer or artist looking for tips on making unique characters, you shouldn't miss out on today's presentation on the GDC YouTube channel, in which concept artists Simon Stafsnes Andersen, Laurel Austin, Claire Hummel, Richard Lyons and Justin Thavirat share some of their philosophies and ideas on how to create compelling characters from four very different perspectives.

It was a helpful, practical set of talks that'll be sure to improve all of the characters in your next game. You can watch it now in the video up above, or over on the official GDC YouTube channel.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying 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 or VRDC 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.