In this 2017 GDC talk, Infinity Ward's Brian Horton proposes some guidelines and approaches for game developers with a desire to create a hero that will feel real to the player.
It was an intensely practical look at a common task in entertainment, and as you might expect Horton drew deeply on both his own work and common touchpoints like Jospeh Campbell's oft-cited The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
His talk was a revealing look at how classic storytelling tropes can be used by game developers to create characters which feel believable and familiar. If you didn't have a chance to see it live, no worries: you can now watch it for free on the official GDC YouTube channel!
About the GDC Vault
In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying 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 or VRDC 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.