In June 2017 I was hired by Argentina Game Show, a gaming convention from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to design a mascot family, symbolizing the attending public of the show, both young and old.
My take? Gamers as Avatars.
Why? Gaming is a powerful experience in which Players find themselves contested by puzzles, enemies and even other Players, roaming through imaginary worlds taking on idealized versions of themselves. These fictitious identities, known as avatars, manifest everything Players aim to be, deep within themselves.
A Player holding his controller, guarded by his Avatar. The Avatar shares a sense of confidence with the player. It could be said there's a warrior within the Player, in the same way there's a Player within the warrior. This was the starting point for the project.
STAGE 1: A young man, a young woman, an older man, a child and an older woman.
There was no specific parentage at this point, except maybe for the older man and the child, as implied by their hands holding.
STAGE 2: Client feedback suggested to emphasize age disparity.
To this effect, I interchanged the women in order to have an older woman and a young girl.
Every character begins to show a game controller. Also, aiming for diverse body types.
STAGE 3: The thin woman returned in order to establish a nuclear family, including a new version for the young girl: Boy, Girl, Kiddie, Mom & Dad.
Final version.
Dad's face returned its first iteration. Kiddie was conceived intentionally genderless.
Symbols on each shirt were meant as links to their avatars, but this idea was ultimately dismissed.
Boy's avatar, The Knight (fantasy battle games & RPGs)
(First and final version comparison)
Mom's avatar, Proxy (First Person Shooter, sci-fi & action games)
Featuring influences from the Fallout, Overwatch, Borderlands, Portal and Call of Duty games.
Dad's avatar, The Soccer Player (sports games)
(First and final versions)
Girl's avatar, Little Witch, (fantasy, magic & adventure)
This one's interesting, as it's the character that changed the most. Starting as the woman in the middle, turned into the alien (as client feedback suggested one does not necessarily imagine oneself necessarily as human).
Kiddie's avatar, The Butler (puzzle and children's games)
The Mascot.
Additionally I was tasked with designing a mascot, "anything from a cat to an octopus". I chose an alpaca, aiming to remain local.
STAGE 1: Client feedback suggested to soften the stiffness of the posse and add fluffiness.
Additionally I was tasked with designing a mascot, "anything from a cat to an octopus". I chose an alpaca, aiming to remain local.
STAGE 1: Client feedback suggested to soften the stiffness of the posse and add fluffiness.
STAGE 2: "You went too far", "less hair".
Final versions
Texture detail.
I was also tasked with providing the resources to animate the Boy.
Final line-up
Hope you like it :)
