A game designer must create NPCs with drama and distinct personality.

If you can’t design a memorable, vivid character, it means you don’t know what you want — and you shouldn’t expect the artist to magically draw it for you.

Expanded Breakdown:

1. Drama comes from identity — not from appearance

• An NPC is not their costume. They are their voice, attitude, quirks, and contradictions.
• If a character could be swapped out with any other and the story remains unchanged — you haven’t built a character. You’ve built an asset.
• Great NPCs don’t just fill space; they create friction.

2. If you can’t describe them in words, they don’t exist yet

• A good rule: You should be able to pitch an NPC without visuals.
  → “She’s a broke fortune-teller who always lies, but lies in a way that makes players trust her.”
  → “He’s a retired war hero turned bartender who pretends to have forgotten the past — but hasn’t.”
• That’s drama. That’s character.

3. Artists need direction, not open-ended vagueness

• “Cool female character with attitude” is not a brief. It’s a cop-out.
• Designers must author the emotional blueprint.
  Visual designers translate it, amplify it, stylize it — they don’t invent it from nothing.
• A strong NPC starts with:
  • Their wound
  • Their desire
  • Their contradiction
  • Their signature behavior

4. Why it matters in games

• In narrative-driven games, this is obvious. But even in casual games or idle games, great NPCs drive retention.
  Think: Clash Royale’s emotes, Brawl Stars’ characters, or AFK Arena’s myth-based heroes.
• Players return for gameplay, but they bond through characters.

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One-liner takeaway:

If you can’t write it, don’t expect others to visualize it.
Drama starts on the page. Not on the screen.