Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
WHY DO WE HAVE CHARACTER LEVELS?
The notion of character levels is so ingrained in the culture of role-playing that most
players take it for granted. However, there's no intrinsic mathematical reason why we, as
game designers, should implement character levels. We already have experience points
as a measure of character growth; why have levels as well?
Levels are convenient in tabletop RPGs because they reduce the amount of bookkeeping
required by the player and the GM: A character's characterization attributes change only
when the character levels up, except in rare circumstances. However, now that we have
computers to simplify the bookkeeping for us, that in itself is not a sufficient reason to
use character levels. It's perfectly possible for the computer to gradually give the player
additional powers on a continuing basis every time he earns some more experience.
By using a system based on fractional values rather than integers, characters can experi-
ence steady continuous growth rather than big “stairstep” jumps in power.
The big jumps resulting from leveling up also harm the player's immersion; they're artificial
and don't correctly model the increases in strength that a real person would experience
in a training regimen, for example. It would be interesting to see a level-less role-playing
game in which the player became aware of his gradually increasing strength without
knowing what the actual numbers were. Such a game might appeal to an audience who
prefers an immersive storylike experience over knowing their character's precise numeric
state; a hybrid of adventure game and RPG, perhaps.
However, there are good entertainment reasons for including character levels in an RPG.
First, the levels give players a quick method of comparing the relative strengths of differ-
ent characters, especially enemies. This is unrealistic but useful when the player is trying
to decide whether to include a particular character in the adventuring part or whether to
attack an enemy character. Because most games don't display a character's strength
visually, the player needs some other way of judging it, and the level provides that.
Second, character levels provide players with a goal to work toward and a sense of
achievement when it has been attained. Being granted points that they may add to their
attributes feels like they are being given a reward, too. Finally, the leveling-up process
lets the players decide where they want to distribute their new points, allowing them to
upgrade their character as they see fit. If the system was continuously increasing their
attributes, they wouldn't have as much control, nor would they notice the difference
so much.
In short, character levels reduce the realism of a game but offer a number of useful
compensations.
