For those who like talking about games as much as playing them.

Back in 2006, the Nintendo Wii introduced the concept of "creating a Mii," and it was huge hit. You could go full cartoon, opt for realism, or try to approximate a meme-like monstrosity. Various games and apps on the Wii let you see your character move around and interact in funny ways. The player self-expression was a big part of the system's appeal.

Now, in 2023, character creators are more detailed than ever. Whether you're spending an hour adjusting sliders in Elden Ring or recreating a celebrity in Cyberpunk, lots of games offer even more optionality and realism than ever before.

But does it really matter once you start playing the game?

Cyberpunk is probably the most egregious example. You configure your character using one of the most detailed toolsets ever made, then spend the entire game playing in 1st person. Most of the cutscenes remain in first person. You can go out of your way to "look in a mirror," but this mostly feels like an afterthought.

Souls games aren't quite as bad, but some of the same problems exist there too. You adjust a dozen sliders, configure your character just so, then find gear that covers up your creation with minutes of starting the game. Practically speaking, only your choices around basic body type and hair style meaningfully impact your experience with 95% of the game.

Finally, there are some games that go out of their way to show off your character creation or customization, but do so in every place besides actual gameplay. Halo Infinite and Diablo 4 are two more recent examples (though admittedly, Halo is more about the cosmetics you place on your spartan, rather than initial character creation). I think this is a more understandable approach, but it still feels a bit odd to me. In Halo in particular, it seems like the pre-game intro poses were stapled on purely to actually let you see your character for a few seconds before you disappear back into your 1st person helmet.

So I come back to my question: why do so many games develop super detailed character creators or customizers, only to hide what you created for most of the experience?

To be clear, I'm coming at this from a place of curiosity. I don't think developers are dumb. I think they probably have good reasons. For example, here are a few hypotheses:

• Character creators help sell games. Simply having the feature as a "hook" is well worth the development time, even if the fine print says you won't really get to see your character after you make them

• Players don't mind not seeing the character much. Simply knowing that their personal character is "under the gear" or "behind their eyes" carries intrinsic satisfaction, even if they don't get to see them much (This does not describe me at all, but I could see why others might feel that way)

• Players like to showcase their character for social purposes. In this theory, it's less about seeing the character in the moment of playing, and more about sharing screenshots, videos or other media that proudly displays their character avatar.

• Developers run out of time. They start with plans to showcase the character more in-game, but run out of time, and so the character creator feels less relevant in the finished product. (This seems likely at least with Cyberpunk)