Editing Character class (section)

{{Short description|Concept in games}}
{{about|a broad concept in tabletop and video games|information about character classes in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' specifically|Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)|templates in pattern matching|regular expression}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=June 2016}}
{{original research|date=October 2015}}
}}

In [[tabletop game]]s and [[video game]]s, a '''character class''' is an occupation, profession, or role assigned to a [[Player character|game character]] to highlight and differentiate their [[Attribute (role-playing games)|capabilities]] and [[Statistic (role-playing games)|specializations]].<ref name="Voorhees">{{cite journal|last1=Voorhees|first1=Gerald|title=The Character of Difference: Procedurality, Rhetoric, and Roleplaying Games|journal=Game Studies|date=1 November 2009|volume=9|issue=2|url=http://gamestudies.org/0902/articles/voorhees|access-date=12 June 2016|issn=1604-7982}}</ref>

In [[role-playing game]]s (RPGs), character classes aggregate several [[abilities]] and [[aptitude]]s, and may also detail aspects of background and [[Social stratification|social standing]], or impose behavior restrictions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Fundamentals of game design|last=Adams|first=Ernest|publisher=[[New Riders Press|New Riders]]|year=2010|isbn=9780321643377|edition= 2nd|pages=465 to 466|oclc=460601644}}</ref> Classes may be considered to represent [[archetype]]s,<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=The evolution of fantasy role-playing games|last=Tresca|first= Michael J.|date=2011|publisher=McFarland & Co|isbn=9780786460090|location=Jefferson, N.C.|pages=82–85|oclc=697175248}}</ref> or specific [[career]]s.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Basics of game design|last=Moore|first=Michael E.|date=2011|publisher=A K Peters/CRC Press|isbn=9781439867761|location=Boca Raton|pages=133 to 135|oclc=746925670}}</ref> RPG systems that employ character classes often subdivide them into levels of accomplishment, to be attained by players during the course of the game.<ref name=":1" /> It is common for a character to remain in the same class for its lifetime; although some games allow characters to change class, or attain multiple classes.<ref name=":1" /> Some systems eschew the use of classes and levels entirely;<ref name=":0" /> others hybridize them with skill-based systems<ref name=":5" /> or emulate them with character templates.{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}}

In [[shooter game]]s and other [[cooperative video game]]s, classes are generally distinct roles with specific purposes, weapons, or abilities, with only tangential relation to the RPG context. Their differences may range from simple equipment changes, such as [[sniper]] classes armed with [[sniper rifle]]s, to unique gameplay changes, such as [[Combat medic|medic]] classes that are tasked with healing and reviving injured allied players.