There was a time when video game characters didn't really need anything to flesh out their personalities other than a central goal that would drive the player to accomplish the objectives of the game as well. Now, as games have developed over time, characters in these titles have developed more complex motivations and personalities that many players resonate with.
The complexities that video game characters exhibit mean that they are bound to have several interesting caveats of their own that make them all the more endearing to players. This includes several hobbies that these characters engage with from time to time that really flesh their character out quite a bit. Here are some examples of video game characters who have really interesting hobbies that are fleshed out quite a bit.
10 Gardening And Taking Photos (Basil From Omori)
Omori is a great RPG that deals with dark themes in a mature manner. There are many great characters in this game, including the main character's best friend, Basil.
This character loves growing plants, and players need to water the flowers left behind in his absence if they wish to witness a secret cutscene in the good ending. Basil also loves taking photos, and both these hobbies tie in pretty well with the main story of Omori.
9 Collecting Illegal Stuff (Yusuf Amir From The Ballad Of Gay Tony)
Sometimes, people are so rich that they want to own things that money can't buy. Such is the case with Yusuf Amir, the son of a billionaire who tries to impress his father despite living a reckless lifestyle.
He constantly hires Luis Lopez to get things for him that he can't acquire by simply throwing cash at them, such as weaponized choppers and S.W.A.T. tanks. For what it's worth, Yusuf is a man who is good at heart despite his various eccentricities.
8 Cooking (Ignis From Final Fantasy 15)
Final Fantasy 15 might've had its fair share of flaws, but there's no denying that the camaraderie between the main party is pretty great. They genuinely feel like friends, with their hobbies aiding the party quite a bit.
Ignis' cooking is easily one of the most fleshed-out hobbies in the game, letting this party member rejuvenate his friends with some great delicacies. It helps that the food in Final Fantasy 15 is rendered so beautifully that these dishes look even more delicious.
7 Knitting And Sewing (Kanji Tatsumi From Persona 4)
Kanji is one of the most complex characters in Persona 4, serving as a way to show just how ridiculous the entire idea of masculinity really is. Despite portraying himself as a tough guy, Kanji has several interests that can be interpreted as girly by others.
This includes knitting and sewing, with Kanji rejoicing in making cute plushies and other such items in his spare time. Thankfully, after clearing his dungeon, Kanji comes to terms with his hobbies and stops being insecure about them, becoming a core part of the Inaba Investigation Team in the process.
6 Possibly Everything (Sims From The Sims)
The Sims is one of the most complex and beloved life simulation games of all time, featuring four games that are all great in their own right. Players essentially get to play God for a household as they govern each and every action they take.
Depending on the actions a player takes, a Sim can do everything from taking up the guitar to painting. The possibilities are endless, and various expansions for the games add even more hobbies for these virtual characters to engage with!
5 Taxidermy (Alfred Drevis From Mad Father)
Mad Father is one of the best horror games around that explores a haunting and mesmerizing story. The idea of one's own father being a mad villain is pretty harrowing, especially when their child refuses to believe that their father is anything but evil.
For what it's worth, players can slowly make Aya come to her senses and fight back against her father's urge to turn her own daughter into a taxidermy doll! It's a pretty disturbing thing to deal with, with Alfred's interest in taxidermy arising from a pretty early age before veering into a rather disturbing angle.
4 Sword Collector (Gilgamesh From Final Fantasy)
Gilgamesh is one of the best characters in Final Fantasy, becoming one of the best characters in the series ever since his memorable appearance in the fifth game. He's shown to be a collector of swords and goes to different worlds to get unique blades that he can add to his collection.
While he's an antagonist in Final Fantasy 5, he appears as an ally in Final Fantasy 8 where he uses this collection of swords to great effect. Of course, there are times when he uses Excalipoor to deal negligible damage, but the odds of inflicting more damage are always high for this character in the game.
3 Tinkerer (Lucca From Chrono Trigger)
It takes a special brand of genius to develop mechanical constructs during a time when people are just grasping this technology. Her inventive mind is precisely what makes Lucca such a valuable addition to the party in Chrono Trigger.
She might have low HP, but her strong Tech skills more than compensate for this drawback. She also helps out quite a bit during the events of Chrono Trigger whenever the party needs to interact with anything mechanical, with her intervention leading to Robo becoming active and a solid member of the party as well!
2 Singing Karaoke (Kazuma Kiryu From Yakuza)
While this is far from the only hobby that Kiryu can engage with in Yakuza, there's no denying that karaoke has been an enduring aspect of the series ever since the first entry. Watching a hardened gangster like Kiryu singing along with all his might to the various tracks in these karaoke bars makes for a great time indeed!
There are several songs that have unique cinematics of their own in Yakuza as well, adding to the entertainment factor even more. Players who go through the Yakuza games without interacting with a karaoke bar even once are really missing out on one of the best parts of the series!
1 Painting (Bowser Jr. From Mario)
Given Bowser Jr.'s villainous heritage, most people would assume that he would follow in his father's footsteps and just hound Mario every step of the way. While this is definitely the case, that doesn't mean that this young foe can't have any hobbies of his own.
Bowser Jr. loves painting and even uses his Magic Paintbrush to cause no end of problems for Mario and his friends. That being said, it's pretty hard to hate this character since his design is simply too cute!