Character name: Cody Smith
Developer name: Mariah Petsas
Backstory:
Cody was born and grew up in Detroit, which has one of the highest crime rates in America. From a young age his parents were hardly around as they were always in and out of prison for many different crimes including sexual assaults, drug crimes and even murder. He was forced to leave school at the age of 13 and was made to get a job to survive. As he was so young not many places allowed him to work but after searching for ages he eventually found one at a local supermarket where he was being paid only $4 an hour. Although this was a small amount, Cody knew it was better than nothing and it was needed for him. He lived by himself when his parents weren't around, which meant he didn't have much money and that led him to stealing food, money and clothes. He was always in trouble with the police but as he was so young they usually let him off with a warning. Although he had stollen things multiple times he had never attempted to hurt or kill anyone. When he was 15 both his mum and dad were sentenced to life in prison for a joint murder. Growing up where he did automatically set him back in life and he assumed it was ok to commit crimes as that is what his parents always did.
Personality:
As a result of his rough childhood codes personality can be described as dark, i dependant and bad tempered. Due to quoting school early he never developed many interacting skills leaving him always alone. Although he was alone he didn't quite mind as he was used to it and didn't know better. He is very dark in the sense that he is never out apart from when he is at work or at the shops. He spends most of his time locked in his one bedroom house in Detroit. After the shooting he is constantly on the run from police and only re visits his house to grab a bag.
Appearance and clothing:
As he is fairly poor and doesn't have enough money to buy new clothes he is nearly always seen wearing the same clothes which are a black tracksuit pants which are all torn and dirty with a grey top. He also wears a plain pair of black runners. Walking down the streets he is constantly looked at by others due to his grubby and suspicious appearance. He is Caucasian with a medium build, he has blue eyes and brown hair and a beard and is in his mid 30's. He speaks English
Skills and movements:
Cody is physically very strong, but lacks a proper education. This is shown during the game when he is able to fight off police but due to his lack of education he always ends up in tricky situations. Throughout the game he ends up with more and more weapons which he uses mainly to spend himself. He is a very fast runner allowing him to escape from police easily.
Influences:
Cody draws from a range of different characters for inspiration. His main influence comes from Finn from The 100. Just like Cody, Finn is physically strong but mentally unstable. Finn also kills innocent people as he thinks it's ok and doesn't know better.
Archetypes:
Cody is automatically known as a mass murderer, but what makes him different is that he is an average poor American citizen. When most people think of situations like these, they are usually convinced the shooter is a terrorist from the Middle East. In our video game we wanted to display how an average man can still be capable of such an event no matter of his race. It is different from most video games as they mainly portray the 'bad' guys as someone from the Middle East. Although it is never stated, it is evident from what they wear and even their facial features and how they are depicted. We wanted to show that this isn't always the case.
Developer name: Mariah Petsas
Backstory:
Cody was born and grew up in Detroit, which has one of the highest crime rates in America. From a young age his parents were hardly around as they were always in and out of prison for many different crimes including sexual assaults, drug crimes and even murder. He was forced to leave school at the age of 13 and was made to get a job to survive. As he was so young not many places allowed him to work but after searching for ages he eventually found one at a local supermarket where he was being paid only $4 an hour. Although this was a small amount, Cody knew it was better than nothing and it was needed for him. He lived by himself when his parents weren't around, which meant he didn't have much money and that led him to stealing food, money and clothes. He was always in trouble with the police but as he was so young they usually let him off with a warning. Although he had stollen things multiple times he had never attempted to hurt or kill anyone. When he was 15 both his mum and dad were sentenced to life in prison for a joint murder. Growing up where he did automatically set him back in life and he assumed it was ok to commit crimes as that is what his parents always did.
Personality:
As a result of his rough childhood codes personality can be described as dark, i dependant and bad tempered. Due to quoting school early he never developed many interacting skills leaving him always alone. Although he was alone he didn't quite mind as he was used to it and didn't know better. He is very dark in the sense that he is never out apart from when he is at work or at the shops. He spends most of his time locked in his one bedroom house in Detroit. After the shooting he is constantly on the run from police and only re visits his house to grab a bag.
Appearance and clothing:
As he is fairly poor and doesn't have enough money to buy new clothes he is nearly always seen wearing the same clothes which are a black tracksuit pants which are all torn and dirty with a grey top. He also wears a plain pair of black runners. Walking down the streets he is constantly looked at by others due to his grubby and suspicious appearance. He is Caucasian with a medium build, he has blue eyes and brown hair and a beard and is in his mid 30's. He speaks English
Skills and movements:
Cody is physically very strong, but lacks a proper education. This is shown during the game when he is able to fight off police but due to his lack of education he always ends up in tricky situations. Throughout the game he ends up with more and more weapons which he uses mainly to spend himself. He is a very fast runner allowing him to escape from police easily.
Influences:
Cody draws from a range of different characters for inspiration. His main influence comes from Finn from The 100. Just like Cody, Finn is physically strong but mentally unstable. Finn also kills innocent people as he thinks it's ok and doesn't know better.
Archetypes:
Cody is automatically known as a mass murderer, but what makes him different is that he is an average poor American citizen. When most people think of situations like these, they are usually convinced the shooter is a terrorist from the Middle East. In our video game we wanted to display how an average man can still be capable of such an event no matter of his race. It is different from most video games as they mainly portray the 'bad' guys as someone from the Middle East. Although it is never stated, it is evident from what they wear and even their facial features and how they are depicted. We wanted to show that this isn't always the case.
CHARACTER NAME: Mark Barrett
DEVELOPER NAME: Eimear Breen
INFLUENCES:
Inspiration for this character’s personality traits and appearance have come from the photos below. For the first picture, I took inspiration for the suit that Mark wears on the day of the mass shooting and the picture shows a navy blue suit, with a white shirt and a grey tie, just like Mark’s. The second picture is inspiration for what mark would wear on weekends, this shows a blue adidas sports polo and black adidas shorts. Inspiration for Marks parents replacing love with money came from American Horror Story, Season 4 Freak Show where the character Dandy Mott was the son of Gloria Mott, Gloria was prone for spoiling her only child to make him happy. This is similar to Mark since Mark’s parents were constantly spending money on things to make him happy and also to make him feel loved.
ARCHETYPE:
Mark could be considered a hero in someways but what makes him different from your average ‘super hero’ is that he is a normal working father. The aim of the game is for the main character, Mark, to change dangerous laws for guns in America and to catch the violent and intimidating shooter who we later find out is named Cody Smith. This character has a large impact on the game as he changes gun laws for the safety of american citizens which is a very heroic act and catches the cruel shooter who is the nemesis, Cody Smith. Other archetypes that fit his personality rather than his actions are, the boss since he is a politician he has power and authority over a lot of people which can make him the solver of problems and the go-to person. Mark is also the achiever, since he is focused on how he is going to change the laws and is very ambitious when it comes to creating a safer America.
BACKSTORY:
Mark was born in Poland while his parents were on a work trip, when he was 2 months old his parents moved back to their home country, America. He grew up in a wealthy family which consisted of his mother, father and himself. Mark’s mother didn’t want him when he was a child and intended on putting him up for adoption but his grandmother would not allow his mother to do so because it goes against their family values. As an only child he was often neglected by his parents since their main priority was work. He often felt a sense of loneliness, his parents often realised how lonely he was as a child and they would use money to try and fill the place in his heart which longed for the attention and love from his mother and father. As for Mark’s education, he was sent to a strict private school where he was then taught discipline and order. His parents died when he finished school, they were shot while driving home. Even though Mark felt as though his parents didn’t care about him, he still cared about them, deep down. He felt as though the gun shot out angry bullets that were just waiting to explode. This left a bitter taste in his mouth about guns, he grew up absolutely hating the thought off guns, hating the thought that a single bullet can end someone’s life. Guns symbolised grief and sorrow for Mark since they reminded him of his parents death. Before going to university, Mark spent 2 years traveling around the world helping kids in third world countries that were not as financially fortunate as himself. After meeting his wife in university, they settled down, married and had kids. In the early stages of his career Mark tried to change laws about guns but failed.
PERSONALITY:
Mark doesn't let anything stop him from doing what he wants to do. Even though he does focus on work, he puts his family first. He makes time for his children and is a great father, unlike his parents when he was a child. He has a drive to complete things and always keeps focused. He could be considered intelligent, diplomatic and reserved. Its as though he has a the mind of a computer, quick thinking and can do almost anything.
APPEARANCE AND CLOTHING:
As for clothing, Mark’s style is business most days when he is working and on weekends he wear sporty attire. His business attire shows his professional side and his work ethic. During the week, when Mark works, he generally wears a suit with a tie and dress shoes. On the particular day of the shooting, which is a Sunday, Mark is wearing casual sports attire. After receiving the call from his colleague he changes into a navy blue suit with a white shirt and a grey tie with white spots, as for shoes he is wearing tan brown dress shoes. As for facial features his eyebrows are very dark and bushy, his eyes are as blue as the sky, with long straight eyelashes. Mark’s lips are long, thin and they curve upwards on either side. His face is thin and long, his hair is brown with a slight curl on the ends and is styled with gel. He also wears glasses when he is reading and writing.
SKILLS, WEAKNESSES AND MOVEMENT:
Mark takes care of his body and is fairly fit. Throughout the video game, there may be times that he has to run after someone/something but he mostly is in the office since he is a politician. On the weekend he jogs and plays golf which keeps him healthy. His largest strength, physically, is his ability to run and sprint. As for weaknesses, he doesn't have a lot of strength to lift heavy things. This could be helpful in a lot of everyday situations but this character unfortunately lacks in this quality. He is skilled when it comes to quick thinking and being able to run long distances quickly.
DEVELOPER NAME: Eimear Breen
INFLUENCES:
Inspiration for this character’s personality traits and appearance have come from the photos below. For the first picture, I took inspiration for the suit that Mark wears on the day of the mass shooting and the picture shows a navy blue suit, with a white shirt and a grey tie, just like Mark’s. The second picture is inspiration for what mark would wear on weekends, this shows a blue adidas sports polo and black adidas shorts. Inspiration for Marks parents replacing love with money came from American Horror Story, Season 4 Freak Show where the character Dandy Mott was the son of Gloria Mott, Gloria was prone for spoiling her only child to make him happy. This is similar to Mark since Mark’s parents were constantly spending money on things to make him happy and also to make him feel loved.
ARCHETYPE:
Mark could be considered a hero in someways but what makes him different from your average ‘super hero’ is that he is a normal working father. The aim of the game is for the main character, Mark, to change dangerous laws for guns in America and to catch the violent and intimidating shooter who we later find out is named Cody Smith. This character has a large impact on the game as he changes gun laws for the safety of american citizens which is a very heroic act and catches the cruel shooter who is the nemesis, Cody Smith. Other archetypes that fit his personality rather than his actions are, the boss since he is a politician he has power and authority over a lot of people which can make him the solver of problems and the go-to person. Mark is also the achiever, since he is focused on how he is going to change the laws and is very ambitious when it comes to creating a safer America.
BACKSTORY:
Mark was born in Poland while his parents were on a work trip, when he was 2 months old his parents moved back to their home country, America. He grew up in a wealthy family which consisted of his mother, father and himself. Mark’s mother didn’t want him when he was a child and intended on putting him up for adoption but his grandmother would not allow his mother to do so because it goes against their family values. As an only child he was often neglected by his parents since their main priority was work. He often felt a sense of loneliness, his parents often realised how lonely he was as a child and they would use money to try and fill the place in his heart which longed for the attention and love from his mother and father. As for Mark’s education, he was sent to a strict private school where he was then taught discipline and order. His parents died when he finished school, they were shot while driving home. Even though Mark felt as though his parents didn’t care about him, he still cared about them, deep down. He felt as though the gun shot out angry bullets that were just waiting to explode. This left a bitter taste in his mouth about guns, he grew up absolutely hating the thought off guns, hating the thought that a single bullet can end someone’s life. Guns symbolised grief and sorrow for Mark since they reminded him of his parents death. Before going to university, Mark spent 2 years traveling around the world helping kids in third world countries that were not as financially fortunate as himself. After meeting his wife in university, they settled down, married and had kids. In the early stages of his career Mark tried to change laws about guns but failed.
PERSONALITY:
Mark doesn't let anything stop him from doing what he wants to do. Even though he does focus on work, he puts his family first. He makes time for his children and is a great father, unlike his parents when he was a child. He has a drive to complete things and always keeps focused. He could be considered intelligent, diplomatic and reserved. Its as though he has a the mind of a computer, quick thinking and can do almost anything.
APPEARANCE AND CLOTHING:
As for clothing, Mark’s style is business most days when he is working and on weekends he wear sporty attire. His business attire shows his professional side and his work ethic. During the week, when Mark works, he generally wears a suit with a tie and dress shoes. On the particular day of the shooting, which is a Sunday, Mark is wearing casual sports attire. After receiving the call from his colleague he changes into a navy blue suit with a white shirt and a grey tie with white spots, as for shoes he is wearing tan brown dress shoes. As for facial features his eyebrows are very dark and bushy, his eyes are as blue as the sky, with long straight eyelashes. Mark’s lips are long, thin and they curve upwards on either side. His face is thin and long, his hair is brown with a slight curl on the ends and is styled with gel. He also wears glasses when he is reading and writing.
SKILLS, WEAKNESSES AND MOVEMENT:
Mark takes care of his body and is fairly fit. Throughout the video game, there may be times that he has to run after someone/something but he mostly is in the office since he is a politician. On the weekend he jogs and plays golf which keeps him healthy. His largest strength, physically, is his ability to run and sprint. As for weaknesses, he doesn't have a lot of strength to lift heavy things. This could be helpful in a lot of everyday situations but this character unfortunately lacks in this quality. He is skilled when it comes to quick thinking and being able to run long distances quickly.
FIRST PICTURE: SECOND PICTURE:
- Navy Blue Suit - Blue Adidas Sports Polo
- White Shirt - Black Adidas Sports Shorts
- Grey Tie
- Navy Blue Suit - Blue Adidas Sports Polo
- White Shirt - Black Adidas Sports Shorts
- Grey Tie