Editing Avatar (computing) (section)

===Video games===
{{Main|Player character}}
[[File:Prince of Persia 1 - MS-DOS - Level 1 - Sword.png|thumb|The player character picks up a sword in the 1989 video game ''[[Prince of Persia (1989 video game)|Prince of Persia]]'']]
Avatars in [[video game]]s are the player's representation in the game world. The first video games to include a representation of the player were ''[[List of Taito games|Basketball]]'' (1974) which represented players as humans,<ref>[http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/video-game-firsts.html Video Game Firsts], The Golden Age Arcade Historian (November 22, 2013)</ref><ref>[http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=wide-flyer&db=videodb&id=4036&image=2 ''Basketball'' Flyer] (1974), Arcade Flyer Museum</ref> and ''[[Maze War]]'' (1974) which represented players as eyeballs.<ref>Damer, B. F. Avatars! Exploring and Building Virtual Worlds on the Internet. Berkeley: Peach Pit Press, 1997.</ref>

In some games, the player's representation is fixed, however many games offer a basic character model, or template, and then allow customization of the physical features as the player sees fit. For example, [[Carl Johnson (Grand Theft Auto)|Carl Johnson]], the avatar from ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]'', can be dressed in a wide range of clothing, can be given [[tattoo]]s and [[haircut]]s, and can even [[bodybuilding|body build]] or become [[obesity|obese]] depending upon player actions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ps2.ign.com/objects/611/611957.html |title=IGN: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2007-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620152954/http://www.ign.com/games/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas/ps2-611957 |archive-date=2013-06-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> One video game in which the avatar and player are two separate entities is the game ''[[Perspective (video game)|Perspective]]'', where the player controls both themself in a 3-dimensional world and the avatar in a 2-dimensional world.

Aside from an avatar's physical appearance, its dialogue, particularly in [[cutscene]]s, may also reveal something of its character. A good example is the crude, [[action movie|action hero]] [[stereotype]], [[Duke Nukem (character)|Duke Nukem]].<ref>[http://www.thecomputershow.com/computershow/reviews/dukenukem3d.htm Duke Nukem 3D<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Other avatars, such as [[Gordon Freeman]] from ''[[Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'', who [[silent protagonist|never speaks at all]], reveal very little of themselves (the original game never showed the player what he looked like without the use of a console command for third-person view).

Many [[Massively multiplayer online game]]s (MMOGs) also include customizable avatars. Customization levels differ between games; for instance, in ''[[EVE Online]]'', players construct a wholly customized portrait, using a software that allows for several changes to facial structure as well as preset hairstyles, skin tones, etc.<ref name="Designing Isometric Avatars"/> However, these portraits appear only in in-game chats and static information view of other players. Usually, all players appear in gigantic spacecraft that give no view of their pilot, unlike in most other RPGs. Alternatively, ''[[City of Heroes]]'' offers one of the most detailed and comprehensive in-game avatar creation processes, allowing players to construct anything from traditional [[superheroes]] to aliens, medieval knights, monsters, robots, and many more. [[Robbie Cooper]]'s 2007 book "Alter Ego, Avatars and their creators" pairs photographs of players of a variety of MMO's with images of their in-game avatars and profiles; recording the player's motivations and intentions in designing and using their avatars. The survey reveals wide variation in the ways in which players of MMO's use avatars.<ref>[[Maria Popova]], Brain Pickings, December 14, 2011, [http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/12/14/alter-ego-robbie-cooper/ "Alter Ego, Portraits of Gamers next to their Avatars"<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Felicia Day]], creator and star of ''[[The Guild (web series)|The Guild]]'' [[web series]], created a song called "[[(Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar]]" which satirizes avatars and [[virtual dating]].

{{Multiple image
| perrow            = 
| total_width       = 250
| image1            = Xbox NXE avatar.png
| alt1              = A Xbox 360 avatar
| image2            = Default Miis.jpeg
| alt2              = A Nintendo Mii avatar
| footer            = Universal animated avatars from the [[Xbox 360]] (shown left) and [[Nintendo Wii]] (shown right)
}}
[[Nintendo]]'s [[Wii]], [[Nintendo 3DS|3DS]] and [[Nintendo Switch|Switch]] consoles allow for the creation of avatars called "[[Mii]]s" that take the form of stylized, cartoonish people and can be used in some games as avatars for players, as in ''[[Wii Sports]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zell-Briefer |first1=Sam |title=The True Origin Of Nintendo Miis May Surprise You |url=https://www.looper.com/430412/the-true-origin-of-nintendo-miis-may-surprise-you/ |website=Looper |access-date=5 November 2021 |date=7 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="ign">{{cite web|last=Casamassina|first=Matt|author-link=Matt Casamassina|url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/745/745708p1.html|publisher=IGN|title=Wii Sports Review|date=November 13, 2006|access-date=January 31, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012231243/http://wii.ign.com/articles/745/745708p1.html|archive-date=October 12, 2007|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In some games, the ability to use a Mii as an avatar must be unlocked, such as in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Parkin |first1=Jeffrey |title=Mario Kart 8 Deluxe unlockables |url=https://www.polygon.com/mario-kart-8-deluxe-guide/2017/4/27/15445610/unlockables-gold-kart |website=Polygon |access-date=5 November 2021 |date=3 May 2017}}</ref>

In late 2008, [[Microsoft]] released an [[Xbox 360]] Dashboard update which featured the introduction of [[Avatar (Xbox 360)|Avatars]] as part of the console's [[New Xbox Experience]].<ref name="gamefest08">{{cite web| author=Christian Nutt|publisher=[[Gamasutra]]|date=2008-07-22|access-date=2008-07-23|title=GameFest: Inside Avatars For The Xbox 360|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/gamefest-inside-avatars-for-the-xbox-360 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080726074506/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=19519| archive-date= 26 July 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> With the update installed users can personalize the look of their Avatars by choosing from a range of clothing and facial features. In October 2018, Microsoft launched a new version of their Xbox avatars for Xbox One and Xbox on [[Windows 10]], featuring increased detail and having a focus on inclusivity.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Warren |first1=Tom |title=Microsoft starts testing new diverse Xbox Live avatars |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/19/17365914/microsoft-xbox-live-avatars-launch-features |website=The Verge |access-date=5 November 2021 |date=19 June 2018}}</ref> [[PlayStation Home]] for [[Sony]]'s [[PlayStation 3]] console also featured the use of avatars, but with a more realistic style than Nintendo's Miis or Microsoft's Avatars.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Agnello |first1=A |title=There's no longer a place like PlayStation Home |url=https://www.engadget.com/2015-04-04-rip-playstation-home.html |website=Engadget |access-date=5 November 2021 |date=4 April 2015}}</ref>