Keira Muir

In the West, fighting game characters has historically lacked cultural depth and accuracy. Recent games have been pushing for a more realistic visual style. With this, representation becomes increasingly important. Through the use of practice-based research, I designed and created a fighting game character focusing on a realistic art style achieved with the emphasis on the creation of hair, realistic skin texture, culturally inspired clothing, and the use of a 3D scan which I altered. This character takes influences from Vietnamese culture and the fairy-tale Rapunzel. I aimed to accurately and respectfully represent a Vietnamese character by researching their culture and history. The fairy-tale of Rapunzel was also incorporated into the design to give further depth to the character as well as add a relatable dimension for a western audience that does not interfere with the representation of Vietnamese culture.