Creating a model for the process of designing a character that the player may form an attachment to

Abstract: Forming attachments to other creatures and things is not a phenomenon that is contingent on the entity existing in the real world. It’s a common thing in video games that the player grows attached to certain characters in some way, and it can sometimes even be a driving factor for a game’s gameplay. However, the process of creating an entity that the player may form an attachment to, especially for such games where this is a vital aspect, is not defined. By taking the popular virtual pet game Tamagotchi as an example and looking into various character design theories, we developed our own virtual pet game and reviewed our design process in an attempt to establish a baseline model.