Scott, you’re right on about avatar vs. character, for me an avatar is a virtual representation of me whereas a character is a role I take up in game.

Oh wait, no it won’t. :D

THAT is an Avatar to me.

I attempt to think of my game pieces as “characters” . I will even go to the extreme of having an outlook for that character and may even make sure he (or she) does something specific in the game to tell them apart in guild chat.
Certain way of speaking, certain way to type or certain characters used in chat..

But, it is what I do.

This whole issue on what rights we have over these pieces..deals with other areas of discussion with how the developers treat these “characters”/”avatars” as if the player who created them do not own them.

When we sign that EULA (i.e: by clicking OK) we give away the rights to those characters.
They can change the way your armor looks, the way your home or horse looks, and yes, the way your face looks.
It is THEIR property.
It is like a loan from the bank. We do not own the item until it is paid for.

The characters are NEVER fully paid for if you think about it.

Thus, we have no major rights within these games, and the only way we can control our own rights is to go on strike…

Quit that game when a change takes place you hate. Yell it out that the change sucks, and leave the game..

Watch how fast they will fix it.

But, no, forums are used, and threads are deleted, and we live on with the fact that we have no control.

Welcome to the MMO.

@Diane: Ugh… ya know, originally when I got into MMOs and kept hearing “toon” being bandied about, I was just disgusted. I think eventually I just heard it so much that I took a “when in Rome” approach and adopted it myself. I don’t say it often, but if it happens to pop out of my mouth I just let it go; it’s one syllable as opposed to three. I still don’t like it necessarily, but I hear it constantly, whereas I only hear “avatar” in blogs and forums; I can’t think of a single time in any game over the years that I read anyone calling their character an avatar in chat.

As MMO’s progressed you were allowed more characters to create so there was never truly one “Avatar” that represented the player in the virtual world. True, you don’t have to play multiple characters, but with the option now firmly in place, you can’t really use the word “Avatar” when discussing your representative in the gaming world. They are more or less referred to as Toons, or characters and have less valued meaning as an actual “Avatar” would, I think.

Again, all of this is subjective and stylized to the individual playing the game. If they role play their one and only character then it might take on a more “Avatar” feel than someone who has eight 80 level characters and spends most of their time making money and farming the crap out of Northrend.

I’m curious to read the next in the series.