| Summary: | The digital age has given us tools to tell stories that have been passed from generation to generation for centuries before our time. When transitioning from oral and written tradition to modern audiovisual experiences, the artist needs to be mindful of the original source and be able to identify what is needed to visually depict the original story and its characters in a way that remains respectful and loyal to the source. The purpose of this thesis was to answer the question “What needs to be taken into consideration when designing video game characters from a culture that is not your own?” The thesis researches methods most commonly used in character development in video games and then compares them to a design process, where a cultural background is used as an inspiration. Video games discussed include Never Alone (2014), Civilization VI: Rise and Fall (2018) and Blasphemous (2019) that all have used folklore, real-life historical figures, or mythology as their inspiration. As a case study, the thesis explored the character design processes of Skábma – Polar Night, an adventure game based on Sámi mythology and culture.
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