Ugly? Yeah Probably.

I read MMO Gamer Chicks recent post about her characters and how they all have certain things in common (Adventure Historian made a post on the topic as well!) . It got me thinking and I decided that I would do my own write up with my characters, and man are they ugly.

1. They are all male.

Oh I’ve tried a few females here and there, mostly alts, but I just can’t get into them. I think it’s partly because, while I hardly roleplay in games, I am a roleplayer at heart and I just can’t put myself into the shoes of a female avatar. I know the general excuse guys make, that extreme macho B.S. of “I’d rather look at a girls butt” but I think that’s all to try and clear up any worry of them being “gay” for playing a female toon. Sure, women look MUCH better than men, usually in video games too, and it’s fine to say that you like the aesthetic of a woman toon over that of a man. But when you use the “If I’ve got to stare at a butt” argument it just makes me wonder why you find one or the other sexually arousing. I think MMOGamerChick has it right when she says “I’ll admit the smooth curves of a female avatar are easier on the eyes when you’re staring at a game interface for extended periods of time.” It’s not sexual, or not supposed to be, it’s just fact for some. How did I make this such a long paragraph? Why am I still typing? Oh God this needs to stop.

2. They’re mostly ugly.

Some games require that I play a human, and in those games I generally make myself gruff and “woodsy”. The type of person you probably wouldn’t sit next to on the bus, but choose to stand instead. Others let me pick darker or just strange races, such as giant cow people. The really nice character creation lets me make whatever I want, such as Star Trek Online, and anyone who has seen my character on STO knows that it’s not pretty.

I think the main reason I tend to pick “ugly” races is that I LIVE in this world. I WORK in go to school in this world. I’ve SEEN humans, and they are boring to look at. Give me the option to play something vastly different than the usual and I’m going to jump at the chance.

Another reason may be that I don’t want to blend in with everyone else. Sure in real life I want to remain as anonymous as anyone else, but in game I want people to stop and say “Woah! Let me get a screenshot of this guy!”

The final reason is that it’s harder to come up with stories for strange species, and I really enjoy doing that.

3. They are tending toward the same name.

In this I am the exact opposite of MMOGamerChick in that, while her characters used to be named the same things and are moving apart, mine used to have unique names, each and everyone one of them contemplated on more than their appearance. Now though they all tend to have Amun or Toth in the name, such as Amuntoth, Amunkodo, Connor Toth, etc. I always try and work it in and make it fit lore-wise, at least a little, but I’m trying to make it easier for people to track me from the blog into the game and say high.

After the break will be pictures from some of my characters, so if that doesn’t interest you then no need to wait on the loading. If it does, click away!

This is my Warhammer Online Warrior Priest. He’s probably the most normal looking one of the bunch. I originally had a Black Orc when I bought and actively played the game, but that account has since lapsed. This is a character off my new Endless Trial account, so that explains that.

In descending order of hideousness we have my little Hobbit from LOTRO. “Now wait just a second! He’s a Hobbit, not hideous!” you might be thinking, but let me explain. He may be dressed nicely but he is bald (doesn’t show because of the hat, it gives him hair….), has a wicked scar on his face, a massive pot belly and he’s a midget. Add that to the fact that his feet are massive and hairy and you’ve got one pretty freakish being.

Oh Connor, from Fallen Earth. This was my character from the trial I played and well, he’s not an attractive man. Women sometimes scream when they see him, and they move their children away from him. His face is scarred, he has tattoos, mutton chops, and a bad attitude. So not altogether hideous but it’s about as ugly as Fallen Earth lets you get.

Amunkodo from WoW. Most of my WoW characters that I enjoy playing are Tauren. I tried Alliance at first, but even then I was Draenei. My few non-Tauren Horde are Forsaken and they are usually missing their lower jaw so that their tongue hangs down. It’s disturbing to my wife.

Finally we have Amuntoth from STO. While you could argue that my Tauren, while hideous to us, is normal for a Tauren, Amuntoth is completely designed by me and he is hideous. I love him.