Every game tells a story, but it's not always the one its creators hope to convey. Many developers struggle to not only tell an interesting story, but to do so through characters that are themselves intriguing, compelling people that players want to spend time with.

The Danganronpa series of games is known in Japan (and increasingly in the West) for its uniquely charming characters, to the point where each cast member has their own fan base; behind this eclectic cast is a well-defined and structured process used to create every man, woman, and sociopathic animatronic bear.

At GDC 2015, Danganronpa series writer/director Kazutaka Kodaka explained the methods and explored the principles used to craft memorable game characters and stories.

It was a remarkably frank look at how a game creator can mix-and-match personality characteristics, seemingly almost at random, and come up with striking, memorable characters. If you missed it in person, you can now watch it for free (and translated from Japanese to English) over on the GDC Vault.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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