Each of us are attracted to different things in video games. Whether it’s open-world exploration in RPGs, massive weapons in FPS releases or special moves in fighting games, there’s always an element unique to a genre which draws us towards our preferred type.

But there’s one feature which has gradually been introduced across many of them over the years and is now a staple of gaming: the character-creation screen. Customisation options now seem to be available in most new releases regardless of genre. They might be simple decisions such as hair-style and t-shirt colour; or they could be at the other end of the spectrum, where a long list of sliders allow you to adjust every aspect of your protagonist’s appearance.

So why do we make the choices we do? Sometimes it has nothing to with visuals at all and our decisions are instead based on the fact that…