The Fury said:
Developers do what? One is a real life photo of a model taken where she has makeup and is a specific pose vs a character in a video game in a specific pose and angle the game allows to make a point, presumably not made by the devs. Meanwhile, Aloy:
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The point I'm making isn't just about posing or makeup, it's about how the developers intentionally altered the character’s features to the point where she looks noticeably different from the real-life model. Posing and lighting might explain some minor differences, but when you really compare the two images, there are changes that go beyond that.
For example, Aloy’s face in the game seems broader, her jawline softer, and her overall appearance less refined than the model's. These changes aren’t accidental, they're deliberate design choices made by the developers. My question, "Why do they do this?" is a valid question about why developers would alter so much from the real-life reference. Is it a stylistic choice? Does it serve the story? These aren't small tweaks, and that’s why it stands out.
Ryuu96 said:
If I'm being honest I don't really know what point the comparison images in Deskpro's post are making anyway, they don't look that much different to me, Lol. You can see clearly the same facial structure, the only differences I can spot are Aloy's cheeks are more flush red which makes sense in the context of the game (being outside a lot), Aloy has a different hairstyle and Aloy's hairstyle is giving us a wider view of her face, alongside her open mouth expression which elongates her face vertically just a tad whilst the model has a closed mouth and isn't really doing any pronounced expression and likely has makeup on and/or digitally altered slightly. There are always comparisons between videogame characters taken in intentionally awkward poses or pulling silly faces compared to the models photo which are often taken in a professional setting and digitally edited on top of the makeup they're already wearing. We always talk about how Instagram is setting a dangerous example for young children about beauty standards because people will only post the most perfect looking photos so you'd think people would understand the world of lighting, digitally edited, makeup, etc. But people still do the "Here's a single awkward shot from a videogame character compared to a professionally taken and digitally edited photo of the real person" Lol. I wonder how many photos it took for that model to get that shot? Likewise I wonder how many photos these people took to intentionally get these characters in a "negative" view. Aloy has been subject to these attacks in the past but I've always thought she looked fine, absolutely nowhere near to "ugly" |
I get where you’re coming from, but I think you’re missing the heart of my question by a mile (probably my fault for being vague). Sure, lighting, angles, and makeup explain some of the differences, but the changes go beyond that. If you look closely, Aloy's in game face doesn't just look rugged or weathered from being outdoors it's structurally different.
Take the facial proportions, for instance. Aloy's jawline is less defined, her cheeks are fuller, and her features feel more exaggerated compared to the real-life model. These aren't things that happen just because of an open mouth or different hairstyle, these are conscious design choices made by the developers.
Now, I’m not saying Aloy looks bad, she doesn't. But why do the developers tweak her features so much in the first place? It feels like a trend in western gaming where characters are deliberately altered to seem less "perfect" or polished, maybe to make them more relatable. That’s fine, but when the character starts to look significantly different from the model, it raises the question "Why?" There are real-life beautiful women around the world.
Your point about Instagram and beauty standards is interesting, but this isn't about taking an awkward screenshot to make someone look bad. Developers control every aspect of how the character looks in the game. If the real-life model is the inspiration, then why move so far away from her appearance?
At the end of the day, no one's attacking Aloy's design or calling her "ugly." This is just about understanding why these changes are made when the reference model already has such a striking, natural look. It’s a fair question, and the differences are noticeable enough to discuss.
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