Retvrn to tradition

    • Mardoniush [she/her]@hexbear.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      edit-2
      2 months ago

      Avatar dates to early graphical bulletin boards and MUDs in the 80s. Originally it was used as a synonym for “Player Character” (after Moorcock and his Avatars of the Eternal Champion) and spread from there. PFP is a post-facebook thing.

      • BelieveRevolt [he/him]@hexbear.netOP
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        2 months ago

        I wonder if the Ultima series had anything do with that, since the player character was called the Avatar. NATOpedia seems to support that, claiming that Ultima IV popularized the use of the term avatar in this context.

    • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      2 months ago

      I don’t think so, usage of avatar predates most social media, pfp was popularised i think by facebook boomers and purest corpo shit like linkedin.