GridStream Productions

This has to be crying out for a trox in a thong!

Narcotic totally needs to post her Lei and Tentacle Thong outfit on there!

I guess i should go high res and get a good screenie

Don't make me break out my Opi chick toon Narcy

I can't take this. YEARS and people still do this. It is not habit, it's downright sacriledge.

Avatar.

Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar Avatar.

Avvie or avi works in a pinch. Hell, even "character" or "char" is just fine.

But this is not Bugs Bunny Online, nor is it Virtual Disney. They are not toons. They are AVATARS: Visual representations of persona.

This has been your daily dose of insane psycho-moderator hangups. Thank you.

I'm actually glad you did that... All I ever seem to hear in game is "my toon this..." and "my toon that..." and being an easygoing type and relative newcomer to the game I just try to go with the flow.

BUT it's never sounded right to me and I always have to make a real effort to say "toon" and not "character" when I'm talking to people... so it's good to know that not only I don't have to, but that it's better not to!

Tarryk public information service FTW

LOL well, I'm glad you took it well, some people get defensive about their right to use that horrendous term. I have to flip out over that at least once every few months.

Avatar = character with no stats, such as in virtual realities like Second Life. (Or Ultima series main character, this here is an exception but it's "enforced" in the story and timeline). Usually represents the player as close as possible.

EDIT: Stop being mean, Tarryk. Restating:

Celestyna wrote:Avatar = character with no stats,

I don't agree, being that whether or not a representation has statistics attached to it does not have any effect on the historical origin of how one would refer to that representation.

such as in virtual realities like Second Life.

Or Anarchy Online. Or any other virtual environment, whether or not it's based in 3d visuals.

See: MUDs, MUSHs, and MOOs. This is a term that's been around long before some 10-year-old made up the word "toon" because he didn't know what to call his "little guy" in Everquest.

As far as I see it, if your characters in MUD-based environments have all sorts of stats, no visual representation, and they are referred to as "avatars", not "toons", then why should it be any different for the generation of MMOs that brought the visual aspect to it? (and for that matter, why would it then be undone all over again when the "game" is removed from the representation? that makes even less sense to me.)

If it's a pointer to a RL person that exists in any virtual environment, no matter what kind it is, forums, chatlines, VR, VRG, MUD, MMO, what-have-you, it's an avatar.

i though avatars where the nifty little thangs by our names , and toons were the characters online, ingame? toons is a new word in my book of froob, so i need to be set straight now before i make a total ass outta myself in public chat

*frets*

In the case of us normal players, Tarryk, your view may stand true, but not so much for true Roleplayers, where the idea is to take on a persona OTHER than your normal self (or at least that's how I understand it. Not really into the whole RP'ing stuff myself).

Mental Elf wrote:...so i need to be set straight now before i make a total ass outta myself in public chat

*frets*

Don't worry, I think I already did that so that others don't need to

Although now I come to think about it, surely it's only an avatar when it's in a yalm?

*ducks*

i have to admit that i am now more confused as ever. i really thought that avatars was just a forum thang. you know, that nifty pic of me under tuned in, isnt that my avatar? and in game, Mentalelf is my toon/characher? god, i picked a bad day to quit sniffing glue

To be honest, it's all a matter of personal preference.

For me:
Avatar = picture under name on forum or visualization of character in a game.

Toon = Bugs Bunny

"avatar", as defined above, means a "pointer to a real person". It refers to your icon in the forums, your character in the game, your name in a MUD, your icon in a chatline, etc. It has nothing to do with how immersed you get in the game (as others here are so quick to leap onto, in which case I could counter with the same faulty logic and say that "toon" must just be reserved for use by griefers, noobs, and zombified PLers).

It is statable, therefore, that "avatar" is synonymous with "toon" when applied to MMORPGs.

So what's the real difference, you ask? It's easy:

1. "Avatar" is about 25 years older as an established term.

2. "toon" sounds downright #$*&ing stupid.

End of discussion.

EDIT: Oops, countering before the inevitable arguement pops up: Yes, I know "avvie" sounds stupid to you and/or "avatar" might make you think of Ultima. But if that's your best arguement to use the word "toon", I have some air to sell you.

I tend to use main or alt or char. I think there may have been a time when I used toon for the same reason as Myz, but Tarryk set me straight on that long ago. Anywho, I'd mention my LOL peeve, but I'm not sure it's fair to re-jack an already jacked thread.

And now...its time for '24'.

ValliKat wrote:but I'm not sure it's fair to re-jack an already jacked thread.

Remind me to jack another thread later with my counter-culture philosophy on thread-jacking and why it's ALWAYS appropriate.

at this point id just like to add that ive never used the word toon ingame, becuz it really is quite lame, but then again, i dont use the word Pwn (or however its spelled) for the same reason.

Getting back to the hot or not discussion AO avatars are so much sexier than other games avatars, we need some peeps to represent !

(the term 'toon' also bugs the hell out of me. heh.. 'Bugs'..)

Drhecate wrote:Getting back to the hot or not discussion AO avatars are so much sexier than other games avatars, we need some peeps to represent !

Agreed.