Ah, Role Playing Games. The last bastion for the aspiring adventurer and young at heart explorer. “You can learn all that there is to learn about their ways in a month, and yet after 100 years, they can still surprise you”. Dragons Dogma 2 is the latest fantasy thirst quencher that I’ve embarked on. For me there is no greater balm for the mundanity of working life, than to embark on an epic adventure, across a perilous open world, teething with sorcery, dragons and invariably a cataclysmic event that will annihilate all life, unless a prophesied “Chosen”, with no verbal means of communication, is appointed to intervene (you!). All while pursuing your most primordial need for walking, murder, foraging for supplies and of course, capitalism. Though the stories vary a bit and characters are as valiant or indeed villainous as those portrayed in other fantasy adjacent tales, ultimately they all satisfy that inherent craving for exploration. But like so many of these games, there is one unifying aspect I find perfunctory for my endeavour, despite its importance to player inclusivity: character creation.

This is the fundamental basis for any budding adventurer; the capacity to create a character that resembles themselves. Corroborating the illusion that it is in fact yourself preventing these heinous acts of some world conquering lunatic. But I have little patience for the complexities and nuance of developing a character to a very specific set of parameters. For me I pick a default character, with vague facial similarities to my own. Adjust the height, add a little scruff around the chin and jaw. Top it off with a sprinkling of ashen follicles, that resembles my own greying hair and I’m done. That is about as superficial as I care to get. And that is if I want to create a character that looks like me! Maybe this play through I’m going to be some feline archer. Do you think I’m going to be allocating my precious time adjusting the pattern on my characters fur? Nope! I’m choosing a randomised default character and heading off on my journey to save the world, once I’ve sufficiently procrastinated building my wealth and experience.

I recognise the inventive complexities afforded by such an in depth character creation. The results demonstrated by some creative and dedicated players is exceptional, with many possessing a natural flair for the intricacies of it. Individuals that can seemingly exhaust hours of their time perfecting their chosen avatar, with a passion for invention that is almost inspirational. But despite the expression of individuality, I still find the entire process rather dull. And would sooner cast an amthropromorphic wardrobe as the embodiment of devine heroism, rather than waste my time creating something unique. Particularly if it means I can set off to explore sooner. Perhaps this ideology says more about me than it does about the game.

How do you feel about character creation systems? Is this something you put a lot of effort into? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers.