This document discusses the relationship between gameplay, graphics, and character attachment in video games. It outlines a gameplay spectrum consisting of six modes - Observation, Guidance, and Symbiosis (each with two submodes) - that categorize different levels of player interaction with game characters. The document also describes the creation of the interactive character Ann and discusses how graphics and gameplay both impact a player's emotional experience.

1. Gameplay, Graphics & Character Attachment
Kaitlyn Harris
Interplaying Emotions

2. Index
Abstract & Definitions 2
Background 3
Research 4
Visual Research 5
Project Beginnings 6
Pixels in Particular 8
Creating Ann 9
Gameplay vs. Graphics 10
Character Attachment 11
Gameplay Spectrum 12
Style Guide
Observation Mode 13
Guidance Mode 14
Symbiosis Mode 15
Applied Design Guidelines 16
Playground 18
Conclusion 19
Bibliography 20
1

3. Abstract
2
VIDEO GAMES are a unique blend of interactivity and visuals. When a player interacts with
a character in a game, gameplay and graphics work together to create a unique experience and
character attachment within the player. I believe that different styles of gameplay can be grouped
into categories based on how a player interacts with a character. Nuances in graphic styles within
the gameplay categories can cause varying degrees of character attachment. It is important to
explore these different combinations in order to better understand how the way that games are
made can effect player’s emotions.
In order to explore the relationship between graphics and gameplay, I have created a Style Guide
that outlines the gameplay spectrum I have created as well as a design supplement that explains
how to design games with the gameplay spectrum in mind. There is also an interactive demo
Playground where the user can explore the different categories outlined in the Guide.
The Style Guide and Playground represent only a portion of what is possible in games, but it’s a
way of exploring the potential of this unique art form to leave its mark on people.
DEFINITIONS
§ Character Attachment - a psychological merging of a player’s and character’s minds
§ Player - an individual who plays video games and interacts with their characters
§ Character - a virtual avatar used for interaction in video games
§ Interaction - the ability for a player to influence a game’s actions or events
§ Gameplay- the way coded controls effect a game or character’s actions or events

4. Background
3
AS AN ARTIST I have always been interested in the unique visuals that video games have
to offer. I got into independently developed games a few years ago and fell in love with the graphic
diversity they had to offer me. My first meaningful experience with an indie game came from
playing Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery. The graphics in that game are completely pixelated, but
they were done so in such a way that I found extremely compelling. My interest in this game led me
to explore video game graphics and the effect they have on their players in terms of an emotional
connection with the characters present in the game.
Through initial research and personal experience, I
began to realize that the graphics were simply the
cherry on top of a game’s interactive potential.
What makes video games unique, of course, is
their ability to be played. Allowing a player to have
some sort of input into a character’s actions is
what has the most influence over our experience
with characters in video games. A video game’s
graphics simply provide a tangible way for us to
better proces and experience this interaction.
This project has since evolved to focus more on
the different ways we can interact with characters
in a video game while also demonstrating the
difference visual changes can make.
Ann, your interactive companion in the Playground
portion of this project, in the iconic Sworcery style.

5. Research
4
IN THE BEGINNINGstages of this project my research focused on how graphic elements
in a video game can effect a player’s emotional attachment to the game’s characters. I interviewed
developers and designers with this graphic approach in mind and they all seemed to have similar
responses to my questions. They often stated that the character’s design and a game’s mechanics
were developed in tandem and worked together to create a player’s experience.
Based on these responses, I should have noted sooner the importance of interactivity and
gameplay when considering character attachment. Despite this, the visual research I did has helped
me in the process of creating the graphics for this project. Graphics, of course, are how a player
visually experiences a game and are very important to the game as a whole. However, through my
research I’ve noticed that having a unique visual style does not necessarily dictate levels of
character attachment, but rather serves to enhance them.
“It's never one thing then another. Everything
is developed in parallel. We have ideas for
the mechanics and visuals, and how they tie
together. We implement, test, and iterate on
both, for months.”
- Ken Wong, artist for Monument Valley, regarding the
visual development and gameplay mechanics of
Princess Ida (right)

6. Visual Research
5
MY INTERESTin exploring indie game visuals came from my own personal experience with
games that I had played. As an artist interested in game design, I was impressed by and drawn to
the unique visual styles of the games I had played. I took a very direct approach in assuming that
these visuals played a key role in my emotional attachment to the game and its characters. Before
shifting my focus to gameplay as the core facilitator of character attachment, I did some extensive
research into the effect of a game’s graphics on character attachment.
ARTISTRY & EMOTIONS
I drew inspiration from a few artistic theories on character design for this project. For instance, I
referenced Scott McCloud’s theories about facial complexity and its impact on our emotional
connections to characters. A majority of my inspiration comes from Chris Solarski, an artist and
designer interested in studying the way traditional art history practices can be applied to video
game design. His book, Drawing Basics & Video Game Art puts his ideas into writing, and I found
them to be quite useful in my initial research. He covers the fundamentals (lines, shapes, colors,
etc.) and discusses how they apply to game and character design. For example, he breaks down
basic shapes into their connotative emotions: the circle is friendly and safe, the square is strong
and stable, the triangle is sharp and aggressive. A character’s proportions usually suggest how
childish or heroic they are. Simplistic facial expressions allow for players to project themselves and
their feelings onto a character, similar to McCloud’s writings.
While these meanings don’t necessarily translate the exact same way every time to different
people, he notes that basic shape psychology calls form these emotions. He emphasizes that
simple elements are able to come together to create more complex emotions.

7. Project Beginnings
6
ORIGINALLY, I was going to use Solarski’s principles as a sort of exploration of character
design. My focus was placed more on how different characters could be presented and designed
based on his principles. I had planned to presenting the player with a series of characters that could
be played with in a variety of visual styles, ranging from 8bit pixels to simple 3D models. The player
would have been able to choose from a selection of original characters and then be able to choose
what style they interacted with that character in.
While this would have been an interesting study in character design and its effect on a player’s
emotions, it seemed as though it was already done in Solarski’s research. Additionally, I seemed to
be missing a core component to the depth of my own research. It seemed arbitrary to present the
player with these different options with no real basis of comparison between characters.
It was then that I shifted my attention and research on developing the gameplay spectrum that is
outlined in the Style Guide. Standard gameplay guidelines would be the common thread that tied
the visual styles together. However, I still used my initial research to develop my visual aesthetic in
the interactive portion of my project. The qualities I found in pixel art matched the calm and
explorative nature of my project and so I used pixels to create the visuals for the final product.
Figure 1
Character selection screen from early stages of
project development.
Figure 2
Individual character style selection screen.

8. 7
Figure 1
Figure 2

9. 8
Pixels in Particular
PIXEL ARTin games has had a long history that dates back to the first games that used pixels
and limited color palettes as a response to technological restraints. As graphic capabilities got
better, the need to use pixel art was not as strong. So why is pixel art used so frequently in indie
game design today? What makes it so appealing?
Pixels are a product of technological necessity, but also nostalgia. A lot of indie developers today
grew up playing older systems with those limited graphics capabilities. Now, in the digital age, we
have the ability to make pixels as crisp and clear as ever. And so, there seems to be a revisiting of
the pixel aesthetic as an opportunity to explore artistic possibilities and challenges.
While I myself have grown up playing games with more cutting edge and realistic graphics, I find the
raw allure of the pixel artistically enticing. And so, for my project I am exploring the expressive
capabilities of the pixel. Pixels are the most basic building block of digital graphics and also echo
the strong and stable emotions associated with the square. It is for these reasons that I want to use
pixel art to explore the emotions elicited by gameplay to create character attachment.
“There seems to be something more to the
pixel... An alluring rawness of freedom in its
simplicity.”
- Simon Cottee, Pixels: A Pixel Art Documentary, 2010
Feat. right: Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery

10. 9
Creating Ann
YOUR COMPANION in the interactive demo Playground area of the project application is
Ann, originally referred to by me as “flower girl.” This character was originally conceived as a tribute
to my mother for an unrelated idea. Her design was meant to be simplistic and to create an image
of my mother’s childhood spirit. When considering a character to use for this project I thought that
Ann would be a good fit.
A combination of Solarski’s drawing basics theories and Scott McCloud’s emotional projection
theories were used when designing Ann. Her design is simplistic enough to facilitate at least a
basic level of character attachment. When creating her stylistic variations I wanted her to be
progressively more expressive while still allowing for emotional projection. While Ann is her own
character with a personal connection and inspiration, she does not have enough distinguishing
features to establish her own emotions and intentions separate from the player’s.
While interacting in the Playground, the player has the ability to alternate between three different
stylizations of Ann. Each style has its own graphic nuances and reactions to player input.
Early concept drawing of Ann beside
her final pixelated variations seen in
the Playground area.

11. 10
Gameplay vs. Graphics
“WITHOUT INPUT,graphics are not interactive... Just by holding the controller you have
a more visceral experience.” Solarski mentioned this in my interview with him and I believe this
statement is what caused the shift in my research. What makes games unique is their capacity for
interaction. Graphics are important, but it seems that unique visual styles do not have as much of
an impact on character attachment as I had originally assumed.
Solarski also mentioned that stylistic differences between games often don’t effect the basic
statements communicated by shapes and other elements. The core statement remains the same
but the style is a superficial layer, like the cherry on top of a player’s experience.
While it is crucial to recognize the importance of shapes and other elements of composition used
in game design, one must also realize the vital role that input plays in communicating emotions.
Through research, I have created my own gameplay spectrum that hopefully further develops the
language we have to talk about character attachment.
“The shape spectrum of emotions
should NOT be used as a design
formula -- but as a conceptual tool to
assess artwork and identify problem
areas.”
- Chris Solarski, Drawing Basics & Video
Game Art

12. 11
Character Attachment
THE STUDY OF character attachment in video games is not an entirely new one. There are
several studies used in my research that approach and measure character attachment in different
ways. My approach to character attachment is inspired by research studies done by Dr. Nicholas
Bowman, Dr. Jamie Banks, and Dr. Melissa Lewis.
Each of these researchers start with the basic understanding that character attachment relates to
the psychological merging of a player and avatar. They also extend their research to cover topics
such as emotional intimacy versus agency, game enjoyment versus appreciation, and the various
types of character attachment. Are we in control of a game’s character or do we feel responsible
for its fate? Do we enjoy a game’s mechanics more or appreciate a game’s narrative more through
character experience? Questions like these and more are addressed in their research. One study
even establishes a metric system for predicting levels of character attachment based on the
ranking of various game features.
None of these studies, however, seem to establish a solid connection between attachment and
different types of gameplay. One study by Bowman simply asks participants to think of any game
character and rate their level of attachment based on their experience. Another study by Lewis only
looks specifically at role-playing games. There doesn’t seem to be an established spectrum or way
of breaking down games into different gameplay categories.
Through my research and experience I have created a spectrum of gameplay that categorizes a
player’s level of interactive capabilities with a character. With this spectrum, I hope to establish a
connection between character attachment and gameplay. While certain genres are often geared
more toward a particular type of gameplay, I hope that this spectrum allows for us to talk about
character attachment across all genres and levels of intensity.

13. 12
Gameplay Spectrum
THE STYLE GUIDE outlines six total modes (3 modes with 2 submodes each) of
gameplay developed for this project through research and experience. Each of the six unique
modes within the gameplay spectrum represents a different style of gameplay that determines how
a player interacts with a character within a game. The modes developed for this project are only an
observation of various styles of gameplay seen in games and are by no means the boundaries for
all games. Additionally, modes do not have to be mutually exclusive, and more than one mode can
be used within the same game. The Style Guide and its design supplement serve to break down and
explain how each of these modes function regarding player-character interaction.
The following pages will provide a written outline of the six categories as well as examples of
games that could fit within each. An extended version of the Guide is written in the project’s
companion application.
The diagram below illustrates the contents and order of the gameplay spectrum.
Least amount of
player control &
lowest CA potential
Most amount of
player control &
highest CA potential
Observation Guidance Symbiosis
Static Mobile Perpetual Finite
Button
Based
Action
Based

14. 13
Style Guide
OBSERVATION
Observation mode has the least amount of interactive capabilities with a character. A player’s
actions within the game have little to no influence on character actions. Most non-playable
characters (NPCs) would fall into this category. Emotional attachment to characters is possible but
it is on a very shallow or superficial level.
Static Observation
§ Character “idles” in place and has no independent actions to complete
§ Rarely acknowledges or reacts to player input, if at all
§ May provide textual or visual feedback regarding game elements not related to character
§ Examples: Two Dots, Green the Planet, Feed’em Burger, NPCs
Mobile Observation
§ Character performs independent actions without input from player
§ May acknowledge player input, but reactions are not directly related to input
§ Examples: Tiny Tower, Happy Street, Tap Titans, Disco Zoo, Clash of Clans, NPCs
Style Notes
§ Characters presented in this mode are typically graphic enhancements to the main functionality of the
game (micro-management, puzzle, etc.) and not designed for emotional attachment
§ Graphic complexity can vary from game to game

15. 14
GUIDANCE
Guidance mode is a step up from observation mode in terms of character interactivity. A player has
limited control over a character’s actions. Character interaction in this mode usually has a limited
range of actions that can be performed by the player. This mode provides a higher level of
emotional attachment because the player has responsibility and control over the character.
Perpetual Guidance
§ Character continuously or repeatedly performs an action until given other input from player
§ Lower attachment because player is only partially in control of character actions
§ Game objective to “survive” as long as possible by avoiding obstacles, etc.
§ Examples: Jetpack Joyride, Temple Run, Mega Dead Pixel, Miika
Finite Guidance
§ Character performs single action based on player input
§ Relies solely on player input to navigate through an environment
§ Game objectives to navigate environment and/or narrative
§ Examples: Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery, Monument Valley, Limbo
Style Notes
§ Character designs relatively simplistic to indicate a limited range of motion
§ Game objectives visible on screen (collectible items, new areas, etc.)
Style Guide

16. 15
SYMBIOSIS
Symbiosis mode has the highest level of character interactivity. A player has direct control over all
character actions. Characters in this mode typically serve as an extension of the player and have a
variety of actions to perform. This mode provides the highest possibility of strong character
attachment because the player is either directly assuming the role of the character or is completely
responsible for them.
Button Based Symbiosis
§ Character performs actions directly from player input based on game interface
§ Player interaction with game’s UI directly correlates to character action
§ Buttons provide thin layer of emotional separation from character
§ Examples: Revolution 60, Arcane Soul, Mage Gauntlet
Action Based Symbiosis
§ Character performs actions directly from player input based on controls
§ Player has direct control over actions through coded gameplay, not UI
§ Examples: Reaper: Tale of a Pale Swordsman, The Deer God, Lili
Style Notes
§ Ability to perform complex actions allow for more complex character designs
§ Simplified designs allow for player projection onto character
§ Games may utilize interfaces to display information but they do not always effect character actions

17. 16
THERE ARE MANY WAYS that games can be designed using the gameplay spectrum
as a guide. However, there are particular examples that were used when compiling research for this
project. There are no real hard set rules for game design as a whole, however it is important to
establish some guidelines when designing a game based off the gameplay spectrum while
attempting to create some level of character attachment.
As part of this project I developed a series of applied game design guidelines that serve as a design
supplement to the gameplay spectrum and Style Guide. Outlined in the document are notes for
different ways that levels and games can be designed based on their relationship to the gameplay
spectrum. Like the other elements of this project, this design document is a base that should be
used for reference.
Each of the six modes of the spectrum will have a visual mock up as well as design notes on how
to create a level or game based off that mode.
Applied Design Guidelines
Figure 3
A sample page from the design
guideline supplement.

18. 17
Symbiosis Mode Design
C.
A. B.
D.
Button-Based Symbiosis:
Interaction with a character is the
main focus of the game. A player
experiences the main content of a
game through character actions.
A. Navigational button elements.
These move the character through
the game.
B. Action button elements. These
initiate character actions such as
attacking or dodging.
C. A Button-Based Symbiosis
character. This character has access
to a wide range of actions based on
button input.
D. Represents a potential hazard, in
this case an enemy character.
Figure 3

19. 18
The Playground
GAMEPLAY AND INTERACTIVITY are the main elements that facilitate
character attachment. The Playground serves as an interactive area for users to explore character
attachment based on the gameplay spectrum outlined in the Style Guide. In the Playground, users
can interact with Ann in 3 demo stages corresponding to the 3 main gameplay modes. Users will be
able to choose what mode they interact in as well as alternate between different visual styles in real
time. The mode will determine a user’s interactive capabilities with Ann. Through this format, I hope
to emphasize the role of gameplay in character attachment and demonstrate the superficial
enhancement graphics provide that attachment.
A sample screen from the Playground,
in Observation mode.
Users can cycle through the different
visual styles using the tabs on the right.
Signs within each level will highlight
features of the gameplay, or, in this
case, the lack thereof.

20. Conclusion
19
THIS PROJECT has been very exciting for me to work on, both from an artistic and game
design standpoint. I feel that I was able to combine elements of existing theories and research and
create something new. With further development, I think the gameplay spectrum has the potential
to influence how we talk about game design in the future.
FURTHER QUESTIONS
§ Could the gameplay spectrum help predict levels of attachment in the same way that
existing character attachment does?
§ Is there an expectation for certain types of gameplay when a player is presented with
particular visual styles?
§ Are there more categories that could be incorporated into the gameplay spectrum?
§ Can gameplay styles be geared toward eliciting certain emotions?
§ How can this be applied to focus game experiences around character interaction?
§ Can this research be applied to virtual reality video games?
These questions, and others, can certainly be asked as a response to my thesis and can hopefully
be answered by continuing the research started with this project. All of the elements presented in
this project - gameplay spectrum, Style Guide, and Playground - are presented from my limited
experience and have a lot of potential to be expanded upon.
VIDEO GAMES are an ever changing art form. Their emotional impact on us is complex and
requires continuous study. I hope to use the concepts developed as a result of this project to
enhance our understanding of this exciting medium.

21. Bibliography
20
WORKS REFERENCED
Banks, J., & Bowman, Close intimate playthings? Understanding player-avatar relationships as a
function of attachment, agency, and intimacy. Selected Papers of Internet Research, 3. 2013
Bowman, N. D., Rogers, R., Sherrick, B. I., Woolley, J., & Chung, M-Y. “In control or in their shoes”:
How character attachment differentially influences video game enjoyment and appreciation.
Paper presented at the Broadcast Education Association Research Symposium, Media and the
Social Life. Apr. 2013.
Frome, Jonathan. "Eight Ways Videogames Generate Emotion." Conference of the Digital Games
Research Association. Tokyo, Japan. Sep 27, 2007.
Lewis, M. L., Weber, R., & Bowman, “They may be pixels, but they’re MY Pixels: Developing a
metric of character attachment in role-playing video games”. CyberPsychology and Behavior,
11(4). 515-518. 2008.
McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics:. New York: HarperPerennial, 1994. Print.
PIXEL - A Pixel Art Documentary. Dir. Simon Cottee. YouTube.com. N.p., 21 May 2010. Web. 11
Apr. 2014.
Preston, Alex. E-mail interview. 4 Nov. 2014.

22. 21
Solarski, Chris. Drawing Basics and Video Game Art: Classic to Cutting-Edge Art Techniques for
Winning Game Design. N.p.: Watson Guptill, 2012. Print.
Solarski, Chris. Online interview. 20 Nov. 2014.
Wong, Ken. E-mail interview. 13 Nov. 2014.

23. Interplaying Emotions: Gameplay, Graphics & Character Attachment
by Kaitlyn Harris
was realized for:
The Pennsylvania State University
Interdisciplinary Digital Studio (IDS)
School of Visual Arts (SoVA)
Fall 2014 AA 410 Professor: Carlos Rosas
Spring 2015 AA 411 Professor: Eduardo Navas