The Importance of Character Creation in First-Person Games

One of the most intriguing parts of gaming is the character customization menu. Delving out of the convention of putting yourself in the shoes of a defined protagonist, some games let you define just who the protagonist is, down to their mustache hairs and cheekbones. So, what’s the point of doing this if you’re playing a first-person game, where you won’t even get to see the face you created? Here are my thoughts on this, as I recently went all-out in Cyberpunk 2077.

A recent personal example of spending entirely too long in a first-person character creator was Fallout: New Vegas. Knowing how Fallout 3 played and how New Vegas utilized its engine, I gave my character a defined face, even if the textures are a bit of an eyesore after ten years. Why does it matter, though, if the majority of the game is spent in a perspective where my body isn’t visible for me to take a gander at for more than a few seconds?

Well, it’s not the entire experience in first-person. You’ll get a look at yourself in several key moments in New Vegas, the most significant of which is when I die. Yes, when the character loses all their health, the screen flips to a camera focused on you, as you watch yourself fall to the ground, lifeless. Sometimes, if the wounds are grievous enough, I’ll lose a limb or even my head in the process. This adds an element of shock and awe during the distress, as it’s me that’s keeling over, me that just failed, not some pre-defined character that I may not have a connection to.

Aside from buying the farm, there are other moments in games where you’ll get a peek at your face. In several games, such as Fallout 4 or Cyberpunk 2077, mirrors will be in your midst to give your custom-made mug some attention. It might not be for long, but it’s enough to add some impact to the time you spent making the protagonist your own. The latter game has conversations with cameras broadcasting yourself, so that early mirror really makes a difference.

So, why bring this up now? Cyberpunk 2077‘s character creation screen has been a hot topic, as the game is played in first-person. With some hands-on time, I can say that I’ve seen V’s face several times in the early proceedings, meriting my 15 minutes of modeling him to my whim. The game utilizes JALI face technology to handle facial animations, and with all the dialogue present in the title, it’s even used on your first-person character, so CD Projekt Red really devoted themselves to making it stick.

Obviously, it isn’t wrong to spend less time in a first-person character customization screen than in a third-person game’s character creator. However, it should be emphasized that the former deserves your time and effort all the same. I’m glad it’s being showcased in Cyberpunk and I hope it gets normalized in the future to add some real emotional depth to the first-person genre. What are your thoughts on creating a character within a first-person game? Let us know in the comments below!