Video gamers spend a lot of time being someone else. We might be Kratos, or Commander Shepard, or Travis Touchdown. Once MMORPGs get in on the action, we become our own creation, characters that we build from the ground up to suit our fantasy and amusement. So how much is the character, and how much is us? Further, can a real personality even exist within the narrow confines of what choices a limited game world allows to us? Check out this essay on the nature of characters and the people we sometimes might be in our digital worlds. What Games Are has the story.
Characters in gaming can be a lot of things. Those from linear adventures might not be more than a vehicle to get from one cutscene to the next, but MMOs are a different thing. We can actually talk to other people in those games, which gives our characters a whole lot more power.
I propose that the guise of a character can make someone into a better person than they really are. Free of the constraints of reality, a character can become who you want to be, rather than what you’re forced to be by time, place, and circumstance. Reality is overrated.