Too Many Toons? Nah...

This week's blogs cover the who-why-what-where-when-how of "Rolling a New Toon" in World of Warcraft (from my point of view). Today we look at "why?"

I already have 3 dozen toons. 'Why' would I want to roll another one?  Well, there is the variety issue, with all the races and classes, but that isn't my main reason. I'd say "personal experimentation," "ditching jerks," and "clean slate" are the main reasons.

With the semi-anonymous nature of role-playing games, you can try on different personalities like a fashionista tries on clothes. You can start up conversations with people you'd never meet in real life. But mainly, you can interact with others without being immediately judged by your appearance. You've escaped the world where cheerleaders and tall guys with good hair automatically win... and it's awesome!

For all they know, I am a cheerleader or a tall guy with good hair. People respond to my witty banter in chat. They flirt with my glamorous elf. They beg me to join their groups. They respect my successful auctioneer. People react to you differently depending on how you present yourself, and this is a great way to learn what works and what doesn't for you.

The anonymous persona can, alas, be a double-edged sword.  Keep in mind that other players might also be trying on new personalities, or worse.  Not everybody is a nice person enjoying the game's content. The game could be their dating service, their baby-sitter, their revenge on the world, their last link to sanity, their catfishing source, their ego trip, or their personal 900-number. 

Which brings us to "ditching jerks."  A gamer may seem nice at first, but lately they've been begging for help, consistently needing gold, hitting on you, stalking, whining about their personal life; generally not letting you play the game in peace. It's time to give your toons a rest if the jerk knows about them. You want to keep playing? Just roll a new toon and steer clear of the old hangouts.

But even the non-jerks eventually want to know who you are when you're not playing WoW. Male or female? Working or school? Single or married? Straight or gay? Age? Depending on how far you ventured from your real-life persona, you might have to 'fess up, evade, or outright lie. Nobody expects the whole truth right away, but if you don't want to sit alone at Blizzcon, you'd better seek out some of your own kind.

Enter the "clean slate."  You roll a new set of toons and find kids your own age to play with. I found a great group of older players. We're leveling up toons very quickly now that we don't have to be cheerleaders and tall guys with good hair.