Innovation of the Week: The Human(oid) Player Avatar

Today, it's time for the innovation that let human make human in their own image - the human player avatar!

The concept of a human player avatar was important because it allowed players to more easily project themselves into the game world. This not only added a personal touch to video games but also added another layer of immersion and engagement. Before this innovation, most games relied on abstract representations of players, such as spaceships or paddle controllers. The introduction of a human-like avatar created new possibilities for storytelling, characterization and gameplay.

Let's start with the first example - the arcade game TV Basketball/Basketball from 1974. This pioneering game (it was also one of the first sports games besides Tennis for Two and Pong, as well as one of the first JP games to be released in the US) allowed players to control two basketball players at the same time, representing their team while another player controlled the opposing team in what is essentially a variation on Pong. A rudimentary representation for sure, something akin to caveman paintings using pixels instead of paint, but it was a start and it got the ball rolling.

Some Other Notable Examples:

​Donkey Kong (1981) - In this game, players were asked to identify with a male, working class hero in a scenario clearly inspired by the movie King Kong. The introduction of Mario (although still called Jumpman then) not only introduced one of the most iconic video game characters but also marked a significant step in the development of human-like avatars. Mario had facial features, distinct clothing and an almost cute, chubby anatomy (in the game anyway, the arcade artwork gives him a less sympathetic appearance).

Temple of Apshai (1979) - While a minor evolution of what we saw before in TV Basketball, this early computer RPG combined the concept with manual character creation, allowing players to determine their character's initial skills and traits (represented by numeric stats: intelligence, intuition, ego, strength, constitution, dexterity) as well as name their character before beginning their dungeon crawling quest.

Galactic Saga IV: Tawala's Last Redoubt (1981) - While the first black protagonist in a video game seems to be one of the players in Basketball (Atari 400/Atari 800, 1979), this game seems to be the first to feature a black protagonist with something of a backstory and personality, as well as a female protagonist. In this strategy game, players take on the role of Benthi, a commander of a rebel force who is romantically involved with the series previous protagonist, Julian du Buque of Sparta. Players are tasked with scouting, diplomacy and ultimately conquest of emperor Tawala's last fortress.

Sorcerian (1987) - In this JP Action RPG, players can create and control their own party, including choosing one or more characters' gender, portrait, starting stats and class. They can even select a job for them in-game. This was a significant step towards allowing players to have more personalized avatars in the RPG genre.

Street Fighter II (1991) - This arcade fighting game let players choose from a roster of distinct characters, each with their own fighting style and special moves, represented by some of the largest and most detailed sprite characters seen up to that point. While not the first similar game to do so, obviously, it was the most popular and had the largest, most diverse roster up to that point, while also giving each character their own backstory and ending cutscene. Players could embody characters like Ryu and Chun-Li, and the concept of the "main" was born.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) - This game gave us a cool, fast character to control that would popularize the concept of the anthropomorphic player character (a second wave of them really, though I figured some might object to Pac-Man being a humanoid character), this time crossing a human with another animal. Sonic's design and gameplay were intended to create a relatable avatar that resonated with players in the US in particular. Of particular note is Sonic's detailed idle animation which conveys a lot with just a few frames.

Tomb Raider (1996) - Lara Croft, the adventurer, quickly became one of the most recognizable female avatars in gaming after her debut in this game. Known for her intelligence, confidence, and action-packed adventures, she was also an early voiced character in console gaming with a distinct and fleshed out personality, featured in the game's various cutscenes where she'd negotiate job offers, perform stunts, investigate mysteries and face off with the villains. It's worth nothing that she was also used as a sex symbol of sorts by the games media at the time, mainly targeting a young male demographic.

Do you have any favorite examples of human player avatars, or any experiences with these characters that left a lasting impact? Share your thoughts!