Is character customization a key game element or a “must have” for a game?
I’m debating with my friend if character customization is important for our game, Blox Out.
For our game, our primary target is children (-13); therefore, I believe character customization is a crucial element. Many games like Royale High, Island, Arsenal include character customization in a way. From my standpoint, character customization is necessary for most games to attract children; kids like to flex or share rare, exclusive items. Additionally, it gives the player the chance to adapt to the environment of the game or to handle the situation the way they fit with the items they’ll have. Furthermore, we can develop a trading system down the road; so our players can work their way up to thy rarest items or host giveaways.
His words against mine are,
“No, don’t make an avatar editor.”
“No matter how big you think the game will get the cause of it.”
“It’s off the list.”
“It’s not as easy to make as you think too, and will halt the entire game development process.”
Even though; I will agree, it will slow down the development process, but the outcome will be worth it; in my opinion.
Ignore the debate and focus on the topic, is character customization a “must have”; vote below or reply with your opinion(s).
I don’t think it’s crucial in any way, and I don’t think it will be one of the defining factors of a game getting popular given how many popular games with avatar editors there already are.
What I do think it will do is help maintain a young demographic once a game gets popular, but it’s not crucial.
As for the development side of it, I imagine having a nice looking UI for it would be harder than the scripting aspect. Although, it depends on what limits you’re trying to go to with the editor.
Roblox has also begun rolling out their own Character Editor API but I’m not sure if it will allow users to wear items they don’t own. You may be interested in it, though.
The benefits listed in the OP could also be said of pets and other collectibles. A person’s avatar can be a very intimate thing. People have spent a lot of time and effort crafting the avatar that’s perfect for them, and taking that away can be painful. It can also create UI clutter and harm first impressions if forced. It’s a feature that comes with a steep price so, in my opinion, it should be avoided unless it compliments the specific game’s design or aesthetic.
It would only create UI clutter if the UI was not created in a user friendly way. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it would be painful to take away their roblox avatar look, but with some games it might be nice to allow them to keep that or use other cosmetics, clothes, and features if wanted. Saying to avoid it off the bat like that is ignoring what their game might be about, even if it isn’t considered core gameplay it still might be a nice feature to have. But as I said, it depends on the game. For example, roleplay games would be perfect for character customization mechanics, while a game pertaining to minigames would be better off just letting the player use their default roblox look.
In my opinion, it’s not a bad idea. However, it depends on the type of game. In my opinion, character customization should be added when it comes to games like Adopt Me or Royale High. Making it aswell open and massive would be okay, attracting children to the game so they can flex and/or have fun.