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[Kadve]

(edit, people seems to have misunderstood me. Meant how everyone seems to have followed the same design language. Not that everyone looked the same. And yes not all of these are from Ps3/x360 games but i think you get the idea)

(edit 2; Yes. I can tell these guys apart. Not the point as stated above)

Ran across this image recently and had honestly forgotten how every (male) character seems to have been cut from the same mold back then. Also the entire AAA gaming industry (atleast in the west) seems to have been allergic to smiles.

Also this could serve as a bingo card. How many do you recognise/from what game without looking it up?

 

[Werewolf Jones]

This represents the toxic masculinity era this board wants back though.

 

[Guilty_AI]

And now every character has to look "quirky", which i honestly find worse.

And i don't need to point out the cherry picking that comes with this pic.

 

[Guerilla Munch]

all of those characters look completely different

 

[Imtjnotu]

Any one of them could be wolverine lol

 

[ManaByte]

Unreal 3 could only render bald space marines. Thanks Cliffy.

 

[Flabagast]

dark times of gaming.

Although still flawed PS4 and PS5 gens are much better

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

 

[SirKicksalot]

List of faceblind people I'm aware of:
Brad Pitt
OP

 

[Hypereides]

I don't see the issue here. Some characters in the collage are similar, but they're not all identical. If you're trying to convey they were all "generic bald spacemarines" then you're kinda owning yourself.

 

[rofif]

What's the prolem? They are all different people and for whatever reason they didn't include black characters in there. Marlow briggs ftfw

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Back when game makers and marketers aimed their main characters at probably the biggest gaming target audience: White looking dudes with brown hair.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

Are they generic because they are male?

And oh, you must have conveniently left out...

 

[skybaby]

I don't see the issue here. Some characters in the collage are similar, but they're not all identical. If you're trying to convey they were all "generic bald spacemarines" then you're kind owning yourself.

all white men! consequently they all look the same for op

 

[SirTerry-T]

In hindsight, what was going on with (western) character design during the HD (PS3/X360) era?​

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

 

[Bonfires Down]

Also the entire AAA industry seems to have been allergic to smiles.

Feel better now?

Anyway, while I do agree there were generic characters, I instantly recognize most of them.

 

[HL3.exe]

I recall, It had something to do with hair rendering as well. A lot of military buzz cuts in that era, or short spiky hair, because of the rendering limitations at the time. Combined with everything being 'grim-dark'. (It was The Dark Knight era, remember)

Other than that, personally I didn't mind that there was such an overlap in looks. I'd say I even prefer it to the quirky/witty tone everything has now. There needs to be a better middle ground in the future.

 

[Kadve]

Anyway, while I do agree there were generic characters, I instantly recognize most of them.

Those arent from video games.

Also might be English not being the best here. By generic i mean how everyone seemed to have followed roughly the same design language (short black/brown hair + stubble). Not that everyone looked the same.

And yes. Probably should have specified among male characters.

 

[BennyBlanco]

dark times of gaming.

Although still flawed PS4 and PS5 gens are much better

Yeah I love 8 year dev cycles and battle passes.

 

[Rudius]

This represents the toxic masculinity era this board wants back though.

I would love a return to that.

 

[MALpractice311]

Oh boy. It's this topic again. I'm going to assume the character design is based on AAA gaming companies always focus testing and conducting market research and that testing/research showed that the majority of reliable customers for those types of games were white males.

 

[Danjin44]

Big Boss is not from 360/PS3 era....MGS Snake Eater is from PS2 era.

 

[Sleepwalker]

It was awesome, don't see the problem.

 

[Kadve]

Oh boy. It's this topic again. I'm going to assume the character design is based on AAA gaming companies always focus testing and conducting market research and that testing/research showed that the majority of reliable customers for those types of games were white males.

Just to make sure im on the same page as people are there still lingering controversies surrounding this thing? Posted this mostly as a laugh towards gamings "grey" era that we (in my mind) long since moved past.

 

[Shits_McGiggles]

Yeah, good thing we moved from that to intentionally ugly black women as the dominant character design.

 

[Hypereides]

This represents the toxic masculinity era this board wants back though.

I just want to see masculine/manly characters back and less of that emasculation BS that's being pushed.

 

[Ozzie666]

No different to marketing and what test audiences respond to back then, with consideration to maximizing pofits and target audiance. Those characters are are reflection of the safest audience and the majoirty of the gaming audiance back then. Soley driven by sales with no fucks given to politics or social concerns.

Just reminds me how Mass effect was so a head of it's time.

 

[Holammer]

That's an golden oldie, from the time before the woke fall.
Anyway, it is what I would call the He-man problem. Back when they designed the toy character marketing experts & creatives wanted to make him appeal to the widest possible audience by making him tan with dark hair (project was a Conan clone after all). According to the story, Tom Kalinske, (Later Sega of America CEO) told them to make him Blonde and a give him a lighter skin tone.

Sometimes you need someone with balls to take an unusual decision and not design by committee.

 

[Spyxos]

Leave Snake out of it But yes, I also forgot how similar they looked.

 

[OverHeat]

This represents the toxic masculinity era this board wants back though.

You just had to start this shit up again…

 

[TGO]

As opposed to modern game character design

There is more but you get the point

 

[Gambit2483]

I'd rather have that than whatever this is...

But that's just me.

 

[keraj37]

I prefere these days look

 

[Shakka43]

dark times of gaming.

Although still flawed PS4 and PS5 gens are much better

In those "dark times" we used to get 3 or 4 high quality games from the elite studios now we are lucky if we get one. I'd take those dark times any day.

 

[T-0800]

I suppose all white people look the same to you, OP.

 

[Wildebeest]

Focus grouped to hell and back.

 

[simpatico]

Looks good to me. We have to go back.

 

[nial]

In hindsight, what was going on with (western) character design during the HD (PS3/X360) era?​

Deadly Premonition, Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid are there...

 

[kiphalfton]

"Masculine white man bad"

GTFO here OP.

People bitching about "character design" is exactly why we are where we are today. For both male and female characters.

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

They couldn’t do hair, at least in part.

 

[Kadve]

I suppose all white people look the same to you, OP.

Did you read my edit? Its literally at the top.

 

[nial]

"Masculine white man bad"

GTFO here OP.

People bitching about "character design" is exactly why we are where we are today. For both male and female characters.

Current thing being bad doesn't equal past thing being good.
Most of these designs were and still are dull and boring.

 

[T-0800]

Did you read my edit? Its literally at the top.

I'm joking. Stop stomping on my awesome humour.

 

[diffusionx]

that looks way better than what we have now

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

dark times of gaming.

Although still flawed PS4 and PS5 gens are much better

More manly time of gaming.

 

[Xenon]

Back when game makers and marketers aimed their main characters at probably the biggest gaming target audience: White looking dudes with brown hair.

Also know as gatekeepers. By making gaming less lucrative, popular and social, they purposely kept out other people who didn't care about gaming.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

that looks way better than what we have now

You must be wearing them nostalgia-tinted glasses... and one game vs all the games?

 

[MALpractice311]

Also know as gatekeepers. By making gaming less lucrative, popular and social, they purposely kept out other people who didn't care about gaming.

So you're blaming white males for how a bunch of over payed, under brained, no imagination corporate execs chose to design their characters?

Just to make sure im on the same page as people are there still lingering controversies surrounding this thing? Posted this mostly as a laugh towards gamings "grey" era that we (in my mind) long since moved past.

Yes, it is. Your collage of images has been posted and talked about for literally years. I think it was first posted to Kotaku.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

I'd rather have that than whatever this is...

But that's just me.

Please tell me these are customized player characters and not actually in the game.