Video Game Character Sprites

A lot of fun can be had with freely available video game character sprites. There are various methods for acquiring these sprites as well as a huge variety of ways that you can use them for a good laugh or some creative expression. Not familiar with the term or where you can get your hands on some video game character sprites? Don't worry, because this guide will tell you everything you need to know about the specialized video game pictures.

What are video game sprites, you might be asking? Well, in contrast to three-dimensional video game renders, sprites are completely and strictly two-dimensional. They are most commonly found in 2D games, but you will also find them in 2.5D games like Super Paper Mario for the Nintendo Wii, as well as colorful 3D games.

In a nutshell, video game sprites are often images that are integrated into a larger scene. These can be puffs of cloud, growing trees, or -- in the interest of this particular article -- those of characters. They are easier to create and animate because the third dimension doesn't need to be considered. In a "billboard"-like style, the sprites can be rotated on a 2D plane, as well as enlarged or shrunk in order to give the appearance of depth. This is also aided by occlusion effects. The front of the billboard is always facing the "camera."

One of the most popular avenues that people take with semi-transparent character sprites are with Flash-based video game spoofs. This allows the more creative among us to create surreal animations that would, for example, throw a character like Sonic The Hedgehog into an environment that the blue hedgehog wouldn't normally find himself... like Mortal Kombat. It is through the use of sprites that the online community creates amusing short cartoons, for example, that depict Sonic performing a Mortal Kombat-style fatality.

Other people use the sprites to make video game desktops, among other things.

One of the ways that you can get whatever character sprite you'd like is to download an emulator, get your hands on the video game ROM you want, and then simply do a screen capture on your computer. However, the legalities of such a procedure easily fall into a very grey area, so we would advise against that unless you own the original video game. Even then, the legal landscape is still a little murky.

There are several websites on the internet that offer free video game sprites. Two that I have come across during my web-based journeys that are particularly good for classic video games (like those that were once featured on the now legendary NES) are the following:

• VideoGameSprites.net: It's right there in the name. The collection is still growing, but for the time being, the focus is on RPGs like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger.

• SpritePimp.com: From Dr. Mario to Knuckles, there's a good variety of sprites here, many of which come with built-in speech bubbles for your giggling creative pleasure.

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