A Study on Game Character Design Based on Mythical Motif : Focused on League of Legends

1.1 background and purpose

Among the online games, the genre that has the highest number of users is Role Playing Game(RPG)[7]. And among the many types of RPG Games, the Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game(MMORPG) provides, unlike other games, the users a function called "customizing," where users can change the external shape of the characters based on their preference to a certain degree. MMORPG Games allow the users to directly customize their characters, which can increase the users' preference level. But it also poses the threat of destabilizing the unique characteristic of the character due to diverse external changes and lowering the general public recognition of the character[8]. Meanwhile, the public recognition level of the character is extremely important in MOBA Games. Because the map is limited and the only thing that changes are the characters, the recognition level of the characters plays an important role inside the game. In reality, users can enjoy an easier game-playing if they are actually aware of the character. Therefore, if a cognitive design is inputted on these characters appropriately, it is a lot easier to quickly recognize these characters. Going forward, it allows users to have an easier understanding of the game, leading to a larger inflow of users compared to other games. Also, because of the characteristic of the MOBA genre, the style of the gameplay changes based on the game characters. This makes the characteristic of each character distinct and unique. LOL was launched in 2009 by the Riot Games, and started service in Korea in 2011, LOL is a MOBA Genre Game that has increasingly shown a high user rate[9]. In LOL, users can play many game characters and select the character that best suits them. Also, because each character has a different role and special abilities, they can enjoy many types of playing experiences even in the same map. This shows how, compared to other type of game genre, the MOBA genre values the diversity of inherent skills for each character and the distinct external appearance of each character.

This paper aims to analyze characters of LOL by doing an extensive research on the mythological-based characters in LOL. In the process, we'll be focusing on the characteristics of each character and also explain their external design. The analysis will include a reference of each character's external shape and abilities from the official homepage of LOL to provide an original and accurate concept design of mythology-motif MOBA game characters.

1-2 Design Approaches

Characters are distinct subjects that each have an unique characteristic and expression. They are individualized beings that were created to stimulate the human emotion and make people feel a level of intimacy with them[10]. Characters are main subjects that have a personality and character. Thus, each character requires an "identity." Because most users tend to choose the game based on the character, rather than taking into consideration the in-game character demand[11], the identity of the character becomes an important evaluation standard of the game. Thus, the image of the game characters in the game plays a decisive role in which game, and ultimately, character, the user plays. Thus, many game developers are putting a lot of effort in the design stages of the game character to create a good first impression. Also, game characters have an important role of allowing the users to communicate mutually within the game[12]. Also, while it's possible to think that players would access the characters for the first time during the game, the reality is that users are given access to these characters during advertisements or the official home page illustration. When taking this into consideration, the design of the game characters play a very important role in the selection of game characters for the users.

The selection critique and method of the game characters for this research are as follows. First, we'll create a list of characters that have mythology-motif in LOL. Second, we’ll select the mythological character through the survey about the presence of myth motif for characters. Also, we also analysis the current mythological character status in LOL. Third, we categorize identity, creativity, and diversity in character component, and human, half-human, half-animal, and animal as composition type in the LOL. Forth, we’ll design the character based on the mythical motif.

2-1 Mythology and Character

Mythologies are not only stories about the world's origin, but are also humanity's greatest philosophical stories. Mythologies are stories of worlds that transcend human values and judgment. As people repeatedly passed on these stories, mythologies have survived through a tautology mechanism. Thus, as mythologies have integrated themselves through the modern society, they have become not only an interesting story on the fascinating world of gods and the world's origin, but also an important part of historical and cultural identity[13].

The greek mythology has, after the hellenism era and the roman age, become an important part of cultural and artistic artworks. Not limited to greek mythology, each culture in the world has managed to create their own unique mythology[14]. Many of these mythologies are now the main sources for diverse contents that can be found easily in your daily life. As a result, there are many cultural characters that have a mythology-motif. Because the mythology of creation is very similar for each culture, cultures near each other have very similar mythologies and legends, However, because each culture is unique regarding their language and culture, no two mythologies are the same, as each possess their individual characteristic[15]. Mythologies were the origin of creativity from the ancient times, and is now a major part of many fantasies[16]. Han, Dong hoon (2009) has said that "the pastiche tendency we have for the characters inside the mythology stemmed from the fear of nature that people had, way before human intelligence started to evolve[17]." It is why, in these mythologies, one can find a tree talking or characters of half-man, half-animal as shown in Figure 1[18].

Fig. 1.

Eugène Fromentin ‘Centaures’(1868)

In mythologies, there are characters that have abilities and powers that the normal person could only imagine in their dreams. It wasn't simply gods that had this mythological ability- monsters inside diverse games also each had a distinct appearance and storyline. The reason for non-human characters having such distinct characteristics is because people used to believe that animals were divine beings, substitutes for God, targets for worshipping and cooperators. Thus, they were often targets for worshipping[19]. Because of this, animals inside mythologies frequently had abilities that weren't possessed by humans. Characters inside mythologies had appearances and abilities that surpassed humans. For example, they could be animals of shape that didn't exist in the world. They could also be normal animals, like a bird or a fish, that could fly in the air or swim in the sea. They could also frequently use magic. Also, animals that were born from imagination had enormous ability, allowing them to fly even though they didn't have wings as shown in figure 2[20].

Fig. 2.

Dragon painting in the Tongdosa Temple

2-2 Mythical Characters in MOBA Games

Characters in mythologies not only match the aesthetic values of the modern era, but they also represent idealized values. The mission of the game originates from the spirit of an adventure, where users can experience extreme events[21]. That is there reason why mythological characters often appear in games. Among the many type of game characters in MOBA games, mythology-motif characters are good characters to use because they are relatively well known by the general public.

Smite is one of the mythology-based game where players can select gods or characters from diverse mythologies in the game. There are many other MOBA games that use mythological characters as a motif. Mythological characters can both be directly brought into the games or incorporated after a slight modification. Game characters that have mythology motif in the game Dota 2 include Medusa, Zeus, Naga Siren, Phoenix and others[Figure 3].

Fig. 3.

Mythical characters in Dota 2

Mythological creatures also appear not just as main characters, but also as secondary characters. A good example is the griffin that the hero "Falstad" rides in Heroes of the Storm from Blizzard entertainment(2015) as shown in Figure 4. The latin name of the griffin is Gryphios. A griffin is a creature shaped like an eagle but has 4 feet. It was hired by the new god of wine, Dionysus, in greek mythology to protect his cellar of wine[22]. Also, most of the mythological characters have distinct characteristics inside their gameplay. This not only has a positive influence on the users' impression of the character, but it also makes the individual characteristics of the character more distinct and unique.

Fig. 4.

Greek mythology-motif characters in LOL

2-3 Mythology Motif Characters in League of Legends

In greek mythology, most creatures that are half-man, half-animal are treated in a negative light as monsters. The reason for this is because, as mentioned previously, the greeks thought that humans were the best out of all creation[23]. Individuals of complex shape are most vividly expressed in the "stories of morphing" of Ovidius, but characters in these stories were considered less sacred compared to half-animal, half-human creatures in the asian mythologies[15]. Most creatures that appear in mythologies show an integrated form of organisms, such as gorgons, hydras and others. These monsters usually appear to give victory and glory to the heroes through their defeats[24]. Greek mythology was centered around mankind, and while some half-human, half-animal creatures appeared as good characters, most of them appeared as monsters who were killed by the heroes. The characters of the greek mythology, who appear in LOL, that this research would like to investigate are Medusa, Minotaur, Centaurs and Siren as shown in figure 4.

Egyptian mythology was born with a unique identity that has a deep connection with the egyptian culture[25]. Egyptian mythologies are very developed to the degree that the mythology had extremely tight structure, and it even influenced the greek mythology. Egyptian mythology has a very unique perspective on afterlife- they believe that there is a world after death, and that life is eternal. This "afterlife perspective" is recorded in a document named the "Book of the Dead[26]." Egyptian mythology has a belief around death, rebirth and an afterlife. It was the origin of after-life realities. The mythology was especially related to celestial bodies related to agriculture, the sky and animals[27]. Most gods in egyptian mythology have animal heads- this can be seen in the drawings of egyptian walls. This is considered as a sign of totemism. The ancient people in the primitive times also had totemism, as they worshipped animals. This was identical to the totemism in Egypt. Therefore, gods were depicted as having animal heads, and these animal heads were considered superior to humans. Egyptian gods were either depicted as humans with the head of an animal, or as an animal itself. However, as these stories got passed on, the animalistic appearance started to reduce, eventually changing the gods into human-centered shapes. It's believed that this is the main reason why egyptian gods are now depicted not as full animals, but as people with the head of an animal[26]. The characters of the egyptian mythology, who appear in LOL, that this research would like to investigate are Anubis, Sobek, Horus and Bennu as shown in figure 5.

Fig. 5.

Egypt mythology-motif characters in LOL

Ancient northern europe had polytheism. The world that the gods governed were separated into 9 realms and 3 dimensions. Like the gods of Greece, the gods of Northern Europe each played an important role in human life and would protect/guide those who would pay tributes to them. Although the gods of Northern Europe mythology were more rough and violent compared to the gods in Greek mythology, they were also more unique and innovative. Also, because there was a lot of magic, the mythology is used frequently in many contents. Stories like the tale of the vikings, the story of the seven dwarves, Jotunn and the trolls and others are all based on Northern Europe mythology[4]. Also, characters that appear in the Northern Europe mythology are individuals with traits of humans, dwarves, fairies, gods and other weird creatures. These creatures live in three dimensions- Asgard, Midgard and Niflheim[25]. Thus, the Northern Europe mythology had diverse and unique ethnicities each living in their own world. Thus, creatures like the trolls, Ymir, dwarves and others, who frequently appear in diverse contents, are characters that have a deep connection with the Northern Europe mythology. The character of the North European mythology, who appear in LOL, that this research would like to investigate is troll as shown in figure 6.

Fig. 6.

Norther Europe mythology-motif characters in LOL

Gods that are recorded in ancient asia are not completely human, but instead beings created through a combination of diverse animals. By borrowing the shape of these animals, gods in ancient East Asia mythology possessed the strength of these animals. Also, it represented the respect and friendliness that the people had with nature, and symbolized the complete symphony between man and nature[28]. Thus, people had a sacred feeling of awe towards nature. This is the reason why gods were forms of different animals combined[29]. Also, although there were monsters other than gods who were a combination of different animals, they were different than the Western monsters who were cast in a negative light[30]. Also, in East Asia mythology, there are four sacred animals such as the Blue Dragon, White Tiger, Red Bird, and Black Tortoise. These four sacred animals each protected the four bearings, and they can also be found in the Gogu-ryeo walls. The character of the North European mythology, who appear in LOL, that this research would like to investigate is the nine-tailed fox as shown in figure 7.

Fig. 7.

Asia mythology-motif characters in LOL

3-1 Characteristics and Categorization Criteria

While doing research on character design development as cultural symbols, Kim Yong-sik and Kim Hong-san(2008) have categorized the character's important attributes as identity, communication and entertainment value[31]. The identity attribute delivers the internal, figurative meaning of the character and creates an effective character message and identity for efficient communication. The communication function aims to visually deliver the image of the character to the user. The entertainment value is giving the users entertainment and fun through these characters. In comparison, the requirements of a character were categorized as familiarity, creativity, diversity and entertainment value.

Familiarity is the main reason why users are initially familiar with the characters. They also have the advantage of bringing people's attention and interest on the character, and it's defined that familiarity is an essential element that can help make a positive image of both the company and the product. Creativity is defined as making the characters with original and differentiated shapes and colors. The entertainment value is making the characters not simply joyful to play, but also extremely comfortable and interesting to play. Diversity means being able to change the character into diverse forms to fit diverse types of mediums. Now, the identity of the game character is defined as having a specialized design, through a combination of different elements. to make the character unique and unlike other contents or characters[32]. Based on our research, we aim to re-categorize the character evaluation criteria into three things.

First, the dictionary definition of an identity is a property that defines the creature's existence. The character's identity is designing the character to have unique and original visual aspects that aren't found in other characters. This type of identity helps recognize the game character easily. Also, it has a large influence on diverse character traits, such as their ability, tool, costume and others. Thus, an identity is the inherent property of the character and is an important aspect of recognizing the character.

Second, creativity is thinking of something new from things that already exist[33]. Creativity isn't simply an imitation or a derivative copy, but a new, voluntary creation. Normally, it means combining a strong individual personality on a existing target's universal attributes, creating a completely new entity in the process[34]. Thus, it focuses on the differentiated characteristics of the character- not the original components of the character.

Third, diversity means the many different types of properties that the character may possess. These included shape, color, form, type and others. Diversity in character designing means strengthening the already created image of the character with diversity so that it can have diverse application purposes[35]. The main method of distinguishing between the characters are their clothes, skin color and the tool they use. One must firmly determine the basic settings of the character, and these settings, such asclothes, body type, skin color, weapon, etc, must all work in harmony to express the characteristics of the character[36]. Thus, diversity means the many shapes, color, weapons, etc that the character possesses.

3-2 Ability and characters' Shape

As games in the MOBA genre are mostly battle games, characters in these games have an exact numerical value and type when it comes to combat power. These values can be increased through items or levelling up. The inherent ability of each character is different. In LOL, the characters are separated based on the type of damage they inflict. There are two types of damage which are physical damage and magical damage. These two types of damage prevent the game from being boring. The type of damage that the users inflict is different based on the playing style and the items they buy each game. Also, what character they select plays a huge role as well. Thus, the abilities of the game character must fit nicely with their appearance. These abilities must not ignore the character's shape or the storyline- they must fit perfectly with the character in terms of personality and storyline. While other type of content characters center on the characters' outer shape, game characters must have appearances that match their role and attributes inside the game[37]. As a result, all external attributes of the characters are deeply related with the inner abilities and attributes of the characters. As advanced animals, humans have intelligence and creativity. When designing a character, if the characters have humane attributes, their personality must also have a connection with intelligence. Meanwhile, the animalistic attributes are mostly related to the character's unique ability or living habit[38]. As mentioned before, animals have abilities that humans do not possess. This is because humans believed, from the ancient times, that animals in nature were both targets of respect and cooperators who helped the human life[39]. Thus, attributes that humans cannot possess are great sources of usage in the fantasy genre, and greatly influence the game character's external shape and ability. With this in mind, I've divided the characters that have animal attributes, in LOL, into 4 categories- Human-type, Half-human type, Half-Animal type and Animal-type. First, Human-type are those that are either humans or designed to closely resemble a human. Most of these "humans" possess the intelligence of being able to use tools. These characters usually walk on two feet, as characters that either walk on four feet or have hands that are too similar to those of an animal cannot use tools properly. Thus, most of these characters have a body the shape of a human, and possess the hands and intelligence necessary to use a weapon. Thus, human-type characters are beings that use the tools of civilization- not the forces of nature. Second, characters that are half-human type have weapons and have the hands to use weapons. However, these weapons are tools to use magic and are not used as weapons for physical damage. Although their appearance is similar to that of a human, they use magic that humans cannot. These abilities are either connected to the inherent abilities that the animal possess, or are connected to the abilities required for their storyline. Thus, half-human characters have human-like hands and can use weapons, but these weapons are for magical damage. hird, half-animal types are characters that are shaped more animal than man. These characters have the ability of an animal. Half-animal characters have both the outer shape of an animal and a human. Thus, they can be designed using much more diverse methods. They do not have tools- instead, they only use the abilities of the inherent animal. In conclusion, half-animal characters have a shape more closely resembling an animal than a human. They are also an exact combination of humans and man, and use the animal's ability as magic. Third, half-animal types are characters that are shaped more animal than man. These characters have the ability of an animal. Half-animal characters have both the outer shape of an animal and a human. Thus, they can be designed using much more diverse methods. They do not have tools- instead, they only use the abilities of the inherent animal. In conclusion, half-animal characters have a shape more closely resembling an animal than a human. They are also an exact combination of humans and man, and use the animal's ability as magic. Fourth, animal-type characters are characters who all have animal motif. They can not only use the abilities of the animal, but also have supernatural powers that humans cannot possess. The outer shape of these characters are either monsters that do not exist in reality or a perfect resemblance of an animal. These characters have a similar external look to that of an animal and do not use either magic or human weapons and types of machinery. They instead use their supernatural power.

3-3 The analysis framework of mythology-Motif Character design

Based on previous research, we will produce an analysis tool on the mythology-motif LOL characters. This analysis tool includes the aforementioned 3 attributes of a character and the 4 different type of character designs in LOL. The analysis framework is shown as in figure 8.

Fig. 8.

The analysis framework of character design

By comparing the mythological characters and mythology-motif characters, we've created an analysis chart on the specific qualities of the character. This will be used to analyze the characters as shown in table 1.

Table 1.

Comparison Analysis of Mythical-Motif Character