Casting your people: photo tips and who should play who

A personalised game is only as funny as its cast. The jokes are already written and the game styles are ready to go, but the moment that makes someone shriek is seeing their actual mum, their actual boss or their actual dog come flapping across the screen. Getting that right starts with two decisions: which photo, and who plays who.

This guide covers both. It’s practical advice for choosing photos that turn into great cartoon characters, the rules about who has to agree, what happens to your photo afterwards, and a casting sheet for the most common occasions. If you’re brand new, how it works explains the four steps from start to finish.

What makes a good photo for a cartoon character

We draw each person or pet as a cartoon in a standing pose and an action pose, facing both ways. The clearer we can see them, the more they’ll look like themselves. Think of it like briefing a caricature artist at a fair: they can’t draw what they can’t see.

• Faces fully visible. No sunglasses, no hats pulled low, no hands in front of the face, no hair across the eyes. If you can’t see their eyes in the photo, neither can we.
• Good, even light. Daylight by a window is brilliant. Harsh shadows, dark pubs and the orange glow of a bonfire are not.
• Sharp, not blurry. That action shot of Dad mid-dance is a treasure, but if he’s a smudge, pick another.
• Facing the camera, or close to it. A dramatic side profile is very arty and not very helpful.
• Recent. Use a photo that looks like them now. The cartoon should be recognisable to the people playing the game, not just to their old school friends.
• No heavy filters. Bunny ears, beauty filters and black and white make it harder to see what they really look like.
• Show their signature look. If they always wear glasses, or they’re famous in the family for that beard, pick a photo where it shows. Everyday glasses are fine. Sunglasses hide the eyes.

Quick photo sense-check

Before you upload, look at the photo on your phone at normal size and ask: could a stranger pick this person out of a crowd from this picture? If the answer is “sort of”, keep scrolling through your camera roll.

Group photos: several people (and pets) in one go

One photo can include several people and pets. You upload it and tell us who’s who, and each one is drawn as their own character. That makes a good family photo very efficient.

A few things help group shots work:

• Nobody half-hidden. Everyone you want as a character should have their whole face visible, not peeping over a shoulder.
• Crop out strangers. The bloke in the background at the beach hasn’t agreed to be in your game. Crop him out before you upload.
• Only include who you need. Each person or pet you turn into a character counts as one of your characters, so if a photo has six people and your game needs two, a photo of just those two is tidier.
• Pets looking roughly at the camera. Good luck with this. A bit of ham held just above the lens is a time-honoured technique.
• Your cast doesn’t have to come from one photo. Grandma can come from her birthday photo and the dog from a different one.

Consent: everyone in the photo has to say yes

This is the important bit, and it’s simple. Everyone in the photo must agree to be turned into a character. Our acceptable use policy has the full rules, but the short version is:

• Ask everyone. “Can I turn you into a video game character?” gets a yes from most people, and some will want to choose the photo, which usually means a better photo.
• You can ask and still keep a surprise. “Can I use a photo of you for something silly I’m making? It’s a surprise” gets consent without giving the game away.
• Children only with permission. Use photos of children only if you’re their parent or guardian, or have their parent’s or guardian’s permission. Games with characters made from children’s photos are always in family mode. Our guide to making a game starring your kids goes into more detail.
• No celebrities, politicians or other public figures. Not as the hero, not as the boss, not as a cameo, not even as that cardboard cutout from the hen do.
• Use photos you have the right to use. Your own photos, or ones the people in them are happy for you to use.
• You must be 13 or over to make an account. Younger players should ask a parent or guardian to make a game for them.

If you’re planning anything in cheeky mode, remember it’s only for creators aged 18 or over and only when every character in the game is an adult.

What happens to your photo

Your original photo is used only to draw the cartoon characters, and it’s deleted as soon as they’re made. We keep the cartoon, not the photo. Photos are also checked by automated moderation along the way.

The finished games are unlisted, so only people with the link can play, and they aren’t indexed by search engines. Our privacy page has the full picture.

The quality check, the free redraw and the full re-do

Once you’ve uploaded a photo and said who’s who, it takes a minute or two for your characters to appear. Here’s what happens if something isn’t quite right.

1. Every drawing is checked automatically. If one doesn’t come out right, we redraw it for free. You don’t need to spot it or ask.
2. If you’d like to start again for another reason, perhaps you’ve found a better photo, or he’s shaved off the famous beard since, a full re-do costs 3 credits, the same as a new character.
3. If something genuinely goes wrong with a character, we’ll re-do it or refund you.

The cheapest way to avoid a re-do is the advice above: a clear, well-lit photo with the whole face visible.

Pro tip: Build the game first with our free demo characters before you make any characters of your own. Playing it through shows you exactly which roles you need (a hero, a boss, someone waiting at the end), so you only turn the people you actually need into characters.

Casting roles: who should play who

Players choose who to play on the character select screen, so nobody is stuck in one role. But the way you set up the cast shapes the story, and a little thought here goes a long way.

The hero

The main character, usually the person the game is for: the birthday girl, the retiring dad, the colleague who’s finally escaping. They’re the one dodging the obstacles and collecting the goodies.

The person waiting at the end

In the story climber, a partner, family or friends wait at the top of the climb. In the flappy flyer, reaching the win level brings a big reunion ending, and in the endless runner the hero runs the distance to reach whoever is waiting at the finish. Cast whoever the hero would most want to see: their partner, the grandkids, or you, if you’re feeling brave.

The boss

In the platformer the end boss can be another member of the cast, and in the arena battle the final-wave boss is always one of your cast. Classic picks are the older sibling, the best man, the actual boss (with a sense of humour), or Mum, who has secretly been the final boss of the household for decades.

Cameo fly-bys

In the flappy flyer, other cast members fly past to cheer or heckle. This is the perfect role for friends, cousins and colleagues who want to be in it without being the star.

The dog (or cat, or tortoise)

Pets become characters too, and they’re often the biggest hit. A dog can be the hero, a heckling fly-by or the one waiting at the end. A cat as the final boss is just realism.

Casting examples for real occasions

Here’s a starting point for some of the most common games. Swap anyone you like, as long as everyone’s agreed.

Situation	Hero	Boss or waiting at the end	Cameos	Game style
Partner’s birthday	Your partner	You, waiting at the top	The dog	Story climber
Dad’s birthday	Dad	Mum as the end boss	The grandkids	Platformer
Best mate’s stag do	The groom	The best man as the boss	The rest of the stag party	Arena battle
Colleague’s leaving do	The leaver	Their manager (if they’re a good sport)	The whole team	Arena battle
Grandparents’ anniversary	Grandad	Grandma, waiting at the top	Children and grandchildren	Story climber
Child’s birthday	The birthday child	A parent as the boss	Siblings and the cat	Platformer
Christmas sibling rivalry	The youngest	The eldest as the final-wave boss	Cousins	Arena battle
Long-distance partner	The one far away	You, for the reunion ending	Their friends	Flappy flyer
Secret Santa at work	The recipient	The team, for the ending	Colleagues heckling	Flappy flyer
The dog’s birthday	The dog	The whole family at the end	The cat, unimpressed	Flappy flyer
Commuter friend’s birthday	Your friend	You, waiting at the finish line	Their flatmates	Endless runner

Not sure which style suits your crowd? Our guide to which game style to choose compares every live style side by side.

Pro tip: Cast against type. The quietest person in the office as the terrifying final boss, or the dog as the hero rescuing the family, is funnier than the obvious choice every time.

Characters are reusable, so cast once and cast well

Characters you’ve made can be reused in other games. Make the family once and they can star in a birthday flyer in spring, a Christmas platformer in December and a story climber for the anniversary. You can also edit and re-theme an existing game for free, and the link stays the same.

That’s why it pays to get the photos right the first time, and why the Yearly plan, with 10 characters up front, suits a whole family (and the dog). Pricing has the details on plans and extra characters.

Your casting checklist

1. Build the game with demo characters and work out which roles you need.
2. Decide who plays the hero, the boss, the one waiting at the end and the cameos.
3. Ask everyone in the photo, and get a parent’s or guardian’s permission for any children.
4. Pick clear, well-lit, recent photos with every face fully visible.
5. Crop out anyone who isn’t in the cast.
6. Upload, tell us who’s who, and wait a minute or two.
7. Put your cast in the game, then read how to share your game for the big reveal.