User:Lag16116/Idle Animation

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Idle animations refer to animations within video games that occur when the player character is not performing actions. They serve to give games personality, as an Easter Egg for the player, or for realism.

History
The first games to introduce idle animations to games were Door Door and Maziacs released in 1983. Idle animations grew in usage throughout the 16 bit era. Incorporating idle animations was done to give personality towards games and their characters as they are the only in-game actions aside from cutscenes where the characters are free to act independent of the player's input. The length and details of the idle animations can depend on interaction the player will have with the character, such as third person player idle animations are longer to avoid looking robotically repeated. In modern 3D games are done to give realism. For games targeting towards younger audiences the idle animations are more likely to be complex or humorous. In comparison games targeted towards older audiences tend to include more basic idle animations.

Examples

 * Maziacs- The sprite character will tap his feel, blink, and sit down.
 * Sonic the Hedgehog- Sonic will impatiently tap his foot when the player does not move.
 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest - Diddy Kong juggles a few balls after a few seconds without input.
 * Super Mario 64- Mario looks around and eventually will fall asleep.
 * Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas- Carl "CJ" Johnson will sing songs including "Nuthin' But A'G' Thang" and "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)."
 * Red Dead Redemption 2- Arthur Morgan when left on a horse for a while will pet the horse.