Summary
If a game has a character creator, you better know some people will spend more time in that tool than the rest of the game. Most people like to recreate themselves, or the most beautiful character possible, but a devoted segment of gamers always try to make the most grotesque characters for the lulz.
Making the Most Hideous Player Characters on Purpose Is a Fine Gaming Tradition
The first time I caught on to the practice of making purposefully ugly and bizarre characters was with the release ofThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It didn’t help that even “good” Oblivion characters were pretty ugly at the best of times, but many players decided to really lean into it. There are still numerous forum threads where players show off their most hideous characters, such as thisbizarre collection from Funnyjunk.
Of course, I was a latecomer to this, since players had been doing this in game wherever they could for some time. Sports games (e.g. WWE games) that offered the option to create custom player characters are especially fertile ground for bizarre creations.
There’s also a strong tradition among hardcoresoulslikeplayer in games likeDemon’s Souls, Dark Souls,and other games like it, where making a wacky character is a bit of an inside joke, and all the funnier set against the otherwise self-serious tone of these games.
It’s also no coincidence that making characters with hideous faces or body shapes became more widespread with streaming and YouTube, since now other people get to chuckle at your warped sense of humor.
Breaking the Character Creator Is a Game in Itself
I think, for a lot of people, playing around with character creation tools is a fun little game in and of itself. So much so, that some developers have released their character creators separately before the release of a game so that players can start making their characters and have them done by the time the game is ready for release.
For some people, this means making characters that closely resemble characters from other franchises, or from TV shows or movies, but then there are the mavericks who want to see just how much abuse the tool can take, so they go out of their way to make the sliders intersect in ways that no one could think of. I’m always impressed by the sheer creativity and I wish I could make characters as grotesque as these, yet sadly I lack this twisted talent.
Ugly Multiplayer Characters Are Unforgettable
Anyone can make a character that’s half-decent on the eyes, but for those who create characters that make you wish you’d never seen them, they’re the ones that really stand out.
The best place to do this is in multiplayer games, especially in titles likeElden Ringwhere players can “invade” your world and either help or hinder you. Can you imagine being in the fight of your life, and Shrek swoops in to save the day? Ironically, one of the most famous Elden Ring players,Let Me Solo Her, has their character wear a pot over his head, which makes me wonder if there’s a truly hideous visage under there?
Modern Character Creators Are Better Than Ever
Video game technology has advanced along just about every avenue, which includes opening up a huge number of possibilities for character customization. Most of the time, the character creator is based off the same tool that the developers created for their own needs, but simplified for players.
One of the best recent examples is the character creator tool fromDragon’s Dogma 2, which pretty much allows players to create almost any appearance they want.
Of course, this includes making your own abominations (via Reddit).
The better the tools you put in the hands of these lunatic geniuses, the “better” these characters will be, and I, for one, would hate to see this tradition fade away.
I Need to Have at Least One Hideous Playthrough
I love making attractive or cool characters in my game as much as the next person, but if I’m going to play a game more than once (I’m looking at you,Skyrim) then at least one of those play-throughs will be with the most hilariously ugly character I can manage.
It’s often these hopelessly ugly characters that I have the most fun with, or are the most endearing. It’s especially hilarious in games that have romance mechanics, where my character is punchingwayabove their weight.
As game graphics get better and better, I’d hate to see the ugly character tradition fade away, so next time you’re sitting in front of a character creation screen, consider pushing the sliders in all the ways that feel wrong.
