Editing Player character

{{short description|Character controlled by a game player}}
[[File:Legend of Grimrock screenshot 01-cropped.jpg|thumb|A player character named "Contar Stoneskull" in ''[[Legend of Grimrock]]''. The squares contain icons representing items he is wearing and items he is carrying on his adventure. Statistics such as his health and experience are also listed.]]
[[File:Celeste screenshot 00.png|thumb|The player-controlled character of [[Madeline (Celeste)|Madeline]] (left) talks to a [[non-player character]] outside a building in the game ''[[Celeste (video game)|Celeste]].'']]

A '''player character''' (also known as a '''playable character''' or '''PC''') is a fictional [[Character (arts)|character]] in a [[video game]] or tabletop [[role-playing game]] whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not controlled by a player are called [[non-player character]]s (NPCs). The actions of non-player characters are typically handled by the game itself in video games, or according to rules followed by a [[gamemaster]] refereeing [[tabletop role-playing game]]s. The player character functions as a fictional, alternate body for the player controlling the character.<ref name="believer">{{cite journal | last = La Farge | first = Paul | title = Destroy All Monsters | journal = [[The Believer Magazine]] | date = September 2006 | url = http://www.believermag.com/issues/200609/?read=article_lafarge | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080920141500/http://www.believermag.com/issues/200609/?read=article_lafarge | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2008-09-20 | access-date = 2008-12-25 }}</ref><ref>TSR Hobbies, Understanding Dungeons & Dragons, 1979. Quoted in Gary Alan Fine, Shared Fantasy: Role-Playing Games as Social Worlds (Chicago: U Chicago Press, 1983)</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Waggoner |first=Zack |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uf9QosYeuX4C&pg=PA8 |title=My Avatar, My Self: Identity in Video Role-Playing Games |date=2009 |publisher=University of Michigan |isbn=978-0-7864-4109-9 |page=8 |access-date=2014-11-12}}</ref>

Video games typically have one player character for each person playing the game. Some games, such as [[multiplayer online battle arena]], [[hero shooter]], and [[fighting game]]s, offer a group of player characters for the player to choose from, allowing the player to control one of them at a time. Where more than one player character is available, the characters may have distinctive [[Attribute (role-playing games)|abilities]] and differing styles of play.

==Overview==
===Avatars===
{{Main|Avatar (computing)}}

{{RPG}}

A player character may sometimes be based on a real person, especially in [[sports game]]s that use the names and likenesses of real athletes. Historical figures and leaders may sometimes appear as characters too, particularly in [[Strategy game|strategy]] or [[4X|empire building]] games such as in [[Sid Meier]]'s ''[[Civilization (computer game)|Civilization]]'' series. Such a player character is more properly an [[avatar (computing)|avatar]] as the player character's name and image typically have little bearing on the game itself. Avatars are also commonly seen in [[casino]] game simulations.

===Blank characters===
In many video games, and especially [[first-person shooter]]s, the player character is a "blank slate" without any notable characteristics or even [[backstory]]. [[Pac-Man (character)|Pac-Man]], [[Crono (Chrono Trigger)|Crono]] from ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'', [[Link (The Legend of Zelda)|Link]] from ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'', [[Chell (Portal)|Chell]] from ''[[Portal (series)|Portal]]'', and [[Grand Theft Auto III|Claude]] from ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' are examples of such characters. These characters are generally [[silent protagonist]]s.

Some games will go even further, never showing or naming the player character at all. This is somewhat common in first-person videogames, such as in ''[[Myst]]'', but is more often done in [[strategy video games]] such as ''[[Dune 2000]],'' ''[[Emperor: Battle for Dune]]'', and ''[[Command & Conquer]]'' series. In such games, the only real indication that the player has a character (instead of an omnipresent status), is from the [[cutscene]]s during which the character is being given a mission briefing or debriefing; the player is usually addressed as "general", "commander", or another military rank.

In gaming culture, such a character was called Ageless, Faceless, Gender-Neutral, Culturally Ambiguous Adventure Person, abbreviated as AFGNCAAP; a term that originated in ''[[Zork: Grand Inquisitor]]'' where it is used satirically to refer to the player.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jeremy|last=Douglas|date=December 2007|title=Command Lines: Aesthetics and Technique in Interactive Fiction and New Media|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jvfsQ5G9S7MC|page=199|publisher=University of California, Santa Barbara |isbn=9780549363354|access-date=2014-11-12}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Character action games===
{{Main|Action game}}
[[File:Prince of Persia 1 - MS-DOS - Level 1 - Sword.png|thumb|left|1989 platformer game ''[[Prince of Persia (1989 video game)|Prince of Persia]]'']]
Character [[action games]] (also called character-driven games, character games or just action games) are a broad category of action games, referring to a variety of games that are driven by the physical actions of player characters. The term dates back to the [[golden age of arcade video games]] in the early 1980s, when the terms "action games" and "character games" began being used to distinguish a new emerging genre of character-driven action games from the space [[shoot 'em ups]] that had previously dominated the [[Arcade game|arcades]] in the late 1970s. Classic examples of character action games from that period include maze games like ''[[Pac-Man]]'', platformers like ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'', and ''[[Frogger]]''.<ref name="RG80s">{{cite magazine |last1=Thorpe |first1=Nick |title=The 80s: The Golden Age of the Arcade |magazine=[[Retro Gamer]] |date=March 2014 |issue=127 |pages=28–31 |url=https://archive.org/details/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_127/page/28/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name="Williams">{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xLVdDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA79 |title=History of Digital Games: Developments in Art, Design and Interaction |date=16 March 2017 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=978-1-317-50381-1 |pages=79–84, 143–146, 152–154}}</ref>

[[Side-scrolling]] character action games (also called "side-scrolling action games" or "side-scrollers") are a broad category of character action games that were popular from the mid-1980s to the 1990s, which involve player characters defeating large groups of weaker enemies along a side-scrolling playfield.<ref name="Williams"/> Examples include [[beat 'em ups]] like ''[[Kung-Fu Master (video game)|Kung-Fu Master]]'' and ''[[Double Dragon]]'', [[ninja]] action games like ''[[The Legend of Kage]]'' and ''[[Shinobi (series)|Shinobi]]'',<ref name="Williams"/> scrolling platformers like ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Horowitz |first1=Ken |title=Playing at the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games |date=21 October 2016 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=978-0-7864-9994-6 |page=82 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hxhmDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT94}}</ref> and ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'',<ref>{{cite book |title=Conference Proceedings: Conference, March 15–19 : Expo, March 16–18, San Jose, CA : the Game Development Platform for Real Life |date=1999 |publisher=The Conference |page=299 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_UA-AQAAIAAJ |quote=what do you get if you put ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (or any other character action game for that matter) in 3D}}</ref> and [[Run and gun video game|run and gun]] shooters like ''[[Rolling Thunder (video game)|Rolling Thunder]]''<ref name="Williams"/> and ''[[Gunstar Heroes]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Viewpoint |magazine=[[GameFan]] |date=September 1993 |volume=1 |issue=10 |pages=14–5 |url=https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_1_Issue_10/page/n13/mode/2up}}</ref>

"Character action games" is also a term used for 3D [[hack and slash]] games modelled after ''[[Devil May Cry]]'', which represent an evolution of arcade character action games. Other examples of this sub-genre include ''[[Ninja Gaiden]]'', ''[[God of War (series)|God of War]]'', and ''[[Bayonetta]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hovermale |first1=Chris |title=How Devil May Cry's arcade inspirations shaped character action games |url=https://www.destructoid.com/stories/how-devil-may-cry-s-arcade-inspirations-shaped-character-action-games-545783.phtml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210518055447/https://www.destructoid.com/stories/how-devil-may-cry-s-arcade-inspirations-shaped-character-action-games-545783.phtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |access-date=30 April 2021 |work=[[Destructoid]] |date=2019-03-10 }}</ref>

===Fighting games===
[[Fighting game]]s typically have a larger number of player characters to choose from, with some basic moves available to all or most characters and some unique moves only available to one or a few characters. Having many distinctive characters to play as and against, all possessing different moves and abilities, is necessary to create a larger gameplay variety in such games.

===Hero shooters===
Similarly to MOBAs, [[hero shooter]]s emphasize pre-designed "hero" characters with distinctive abilities and weapons that are not available to the other characters.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wood|first=Austin|date=2016-10-25|title=What the strange evolution of the hero shooter tells us about the genre's future|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/what-the-strange-evolution-of-the-hero-shooter-tells-us-about-the-genres-future/|access-date=2021-01-15|website=PC Gamer|language=en-US}}</ref> Hero shooters strongly encourage [[teamwork]] between players on a team, guiding players to select effective combinations of hero characters and coordinate the use of hero abilities during a match.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wawro|first=Alex|title=Hero Shooters: Charting the (re)birth of a genre|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/271933/Hero_Shooters_Charting_the_rebirth_of_a_genre.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507142751/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/271933/Hero_Shooters_Charting_the_rebirth_of_a_genre.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 7, 2016|access-date=2021-01-15|website=www.gamasutra.com|date=6 May 2016|language=en}}</ref>

===Multiplayer online battle arena===
[[Multiplayer online battle arena]] games offer a large group of [[Game balance|viable]] player characters for the player to choose from, each of which having distinctive abilities, strengths, and weaknesses to make the game play style different. Characters can learn new abilities or augment existing ones over the course of a match by collecting experience points. Choosing a character who complements the player's teammates and counters their opponents opens up a strategy before the beginning of the match itself.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Crider |first=Michael |date=Nov 6, 2017 |title=Why Are MOBA Games like League of Legends So Popular? |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/331389/why-are-moba-games-like-league-of-legends-so-popular/ |access-date=2020-07-17 |website=How-To Geek |language=en-US}}</ref> Playable characters blend a variety of fantasy tropes, featuring numerous references to [[popular culture]] and [[mythology]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Marshall|first=Cass|date=2019-12-05|title=Riot's new games are League of Legends' best asset (and biggest threat)|url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2019/12/5/20992482/riot-games-announcement-lore-storytelling-legends-of-runeterra-league-of-legends|access-date=2020-09-07|website=Polygon|language=en|quote="Now it has lore that’s legitimately worth reading, in a collection of genres ranging from Lovecraftian horror to knights and banners fantasy to pirate power struggles."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-04-20|title=Blizzard's Worlds Collide When Heroes of the Storm Launches June 2|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150420005352/en/Blizzard%E2%80%99s-Worlds-Collide-Heroes-Storm%E2%84%A2-Launches-June|access-date=2020-09-07|website=Business Wire |language=en|quote="The free-to-play online team brawler brings together a diverse cast of iconic characters from Blizzard’s far-flung realms of science fiction and fantasy"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Higgins |first=Chris |date=Nov 27, 2015 |title=The making of a Smite god: from mythology to main stage |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/smite/how-smite-s-gods-go-from-mythology-to-main-stage |access-date=2020-09-07 |website=PCGamesN |language=en-GB |quote=Obviously we’re a game about mythology, so one of the things we look for is a mythological character that would be good to bring into the game}}</ref>

===Role-playing games===
In both tabletop role playing games such as ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' and role-playing video games such as ''[[Final Fantasy]],'' a player typically creates or takes on the identity of a character that may have nothing in common with the player. The character is often of a certain (usually fictional) race and class (such as [[zombie]], [[berserker]], [[rifleman]], [[elf]], or [[clergy|cleric]]), each with strengths and weaknesses. The attributes of the characters (such as magic and fighting ability) are given as numerical values which can be increased as the character progresses and gains rank and experience points through accomplishing goals or fighting enemies.

===Sports games===
In many [[sports games]], player characters are often modelled after real-life [[athletes]], as opposed to fictional characters. This is particularly the case for sports [[simulation games]], whereas many [[Arcade genre|arcade-style]] sports games often have fictional characters instead.

=={{anchor|hidden character}}Secret characters==
{{see also|Alternate character}}
A secret or [[unlockable (gaming)|unlockable]] character is a playable character in a video game available only after either completing the game or meeting another requirement. In some video games, characters that are not secret but appear only as [[non-player character]]s like [[Boss (video games)|bosses]] or enemies become playable characters after completing certain requirements, or sometimes [[Cheating in video games|cheating]].

==See also==
* [[Alternate character]]
* [[Avatar (computing)]]
* [[Non-player character]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Video game gameplay|state=expanded}}
{{MUDs|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:MUD terminology]]
[[Category:Role-playing game terminology]]
[[Category:Video game terminology]]