Video game character
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A video game character is a character appearing in a video game or computer game. It is useful to distinguish player-controlled player characters and computer-controlled non-player characters.
In the early days of gaming, most characters were little more than generic figures with little in the way of personality, depth, or likability. The first game character to gain massive popularity was Mario in the 1980s.[citation needed] With Mario began the concept of the "game mascot," the idea that a character could become representative of a game company while being marketable to a wide audience. In the years since, many game characters have become bona-fide pop-culture phenomena.[citation needed] There are many types of video game characters.
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[edit] Mascot character
A mascot is a character who represents a company.
[edit] Notable examples
- Mario (Nintendo) from the Super Mario Bros. series
- Pikachu (Nintendo) from the Pokémon series
- Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega) from the Sonic the Hedgehog series
- Kirby (HAL Laboratory, Inc.) from the Kirby series
- Pac-Man (Namco) from the Pac-Man series
- Rayman (Ubisoft) from the "Rayman" series
- Moogle (Square Enix) from the Final Fantasy series
- Mega Man (Capcom) from the Mega Man series
- Master Chief (Microsoft) from the Halo series
[edit] Main Character
A Main Character is a character is a character who goes first, appears in the middle of the picture, and leads the whole video game. It is also a most often considered the most important character in the series and is the character that you play as for the majority of the series.
[edit] Notable examples
- Mario from the Super Mario Bros. series
- Link from The Legend of Zelda series
- Sonic the Hedgehog from the Sonic the Hedgehog series
- Donkey Kong from the Donkey Kong series
- Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series
- Kirby from the Kirby series
- Sam Fisher from the Splinter Cell series
- Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series
- Samus Aran from the Metroid series
- Master Chief from the Halo series
- Mega Man from the Mega Man series
- Ryu from the Street Fighter series
- Liu Kang from the Mortal Kombat series
- Slash Kamei from the Snowboard Kids series
- Spike from the Ape Escape series
- Tempest from the Speed Punks series
- Banjo and Kazooie from the Banjo Kazooie series
[edit] Villain
A villain is a character who acts against the hero/heroine or other good/neutral characters for the sake of accomplishing an act of evil.
[edit] Notable examples
- Bowser from the Super Mario Bros. series
- Bowser Jr. from the Super Mario Bros. series
- King K. Rool from the Donkey Kong series
- Doctor Eggman (a.k.a Dr. Robotnik) from the Sonic the Hedgehog series
- Dr. Wily from the Mega Man series
- Dracula from the Castlevania series
- Ganon from the Legend of Zelda series
- Ganondorf from the Legend of Zelda series
- King Dedede from Kirby series
- Kaiser Vlad from Battalion Wars
- Astaroth from the GNG series
- Ridley from the Metroid series
- Donkey Kong from the Super Mario Bros. series
- Gruntilda Winkybunion from the Banjo and Kazooie series
[edit] Damsel in distress
A damsel in distress is a character that has been kidnapped by a villain, requiring the hero to come to their rescue.
[edit] Notable examples
- Princess Peach from the Super Mario Bros. series
- Princess Daisy from the Super Mario Bros. series
- Princess Zelda from the The Legend of Zelda series
- Amy Rose from the Sonic the Hedgehog series
- Princess Prin Prin from the GNG series
[edit] Supporting character
A supporting character is a character who most often acts as a sidekick or lesser character to the main character(s).
[edit] Notable examples
- Luigi from the Super Mario Bros. series
- Miles "Tails" Prower from the Sonic the Hedgehog series
- Cortana from the Halo series
- Navi from the The Legend of Zelda series.
- Midna from the The Legend of Zelda series.
- Diddy Kong from the Donkey Kong series.
- Epona from the The Legend of Zelda series.
[edit] Anti-hero
An anti-hero can also mean a character who is usually a villain or antagonist who stars in their own game and is considered the hero/heroine of that game.
[edit] Notable examples
- Wario from the Wario Land and WarioWare series
- Waluigi from the Super Mario Bros. series
- Shadow the Hedgehog from the Sonic the Hedgehog series
- Kain from the Legacy of Kain series
- Red Arremer from the GNG series
[edit] Secret character
A secret character is a character who is only available for use once the player accomplishes a certain number of tasks required to play as them.
[edit] Notable examples
- Bass.EXE from the Mega Man Battle Network series
- Metal Sonic from the Sonic the Hedgehog series
- Smoke from the Mortal Kombat series
- Petey Piranha from the Super Mario Bros. series
[edit] Joke character
A joke character is a character who exists in a serious game and is often a bumbling, weak, and/or unimportant character who thinks highly of him or herself.
A joke character can also mean a fake character who eventually was made into a real character in one or more games by the developers.
[edit] Notable examples
- Dan Hibiki from the Street Fighter series
- Sheng Long from the Street Fighter series
- Meat and Mokap from the Mortal Kombat series
- Tingle from the The Legend of Zelda series
- Bowser Jr. from the Super Mario Bros. series
