Companions

So, at what point do your game avatars become characters?

Is it when the game's story evolves them to the level that they finally have enough depth?  Is there a certain hour-mark where they become worthy of things like names?

What makes a character, from a player's point of view?  I have friends that spend a lot of time on first-person shooters that have a favored weapon loadout and may spend time customizing their appearance, but I can't think of any time that they've referred to their avatars as anything as familiar as "my character."

When do they transition from coded construct to personality?


When do they become friends?

If you choose to spend days of game time (cumulative or otherwise) with something, sharing an enjoyable activity, you get attached.  It's the same as people that work on a vehicle for their hobby...they pour time and effort into that thing, and the result is a relationship.

Who's to say the same can't be true of game avatars?  When a player builds a story around their character(s), how they think and feel, what motivates them, a bond is created.  They've established a relationship.

It can be a simple "I've poured a lot of time into this ONE character and I like the rewards for my efforts," or even a cold "I use this computer-generated representation to make the number happen on screen."
It can also be a personal connection, one that moves across games and evolves as the player grows.  I like hearing these players' stories.  Their characters are often interesting and motivated by themes of great importance to their players.

Sure, the relationship may be that of Player and Avatar, but it can also be more.