'character' = 'toon'. when and why?

[nilbog]

People who use the term 'toon'. Cartoon?

What year did this happen?

Why did it happen?


http://i55.tinypic.com/2vlwcg7.jpg

[Diggles]

Bro, lemme hop on my enc toon and I'll figure this out

[nilbog]

k

http://www.ralphbakshi.com/images/coolworld.jpg

[SyanideGas]

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/2/samuel_L_Jackson.gif

[Diggles]

I googled this question and this is what came up. Blame wowdementedpixels.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/wow-professions-01-09-10.jpg

[SyanideGas]

Toon=World of Warcraft BS

[Diggles]

link fail.
dementedpixels.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/wow-professions-01-09-10.jpg

[Diggles]

ookay I give up

[Tumdumm]

been hearin it at least 8 years, asked why but no one knew

i assume cause its easier to type than charecter, also i cant spell charoctor

didnt hear it on mt server (99-00) but did hear it on xev (03-druzzilromerge)

[Extunarian]

Toon is short for Pontoon, which rhymes with Monsoon, which starts with an M, which stands for Main Character

[guineapig]

Always used "char" as an abbreviation for character. It's just as short as toon but actually makes sense.

[rockhopper]

Interesting question. A few minutes of googling, and the earliest reference I have found to "toon" is from a post on Alla's in May, 2004. WoW was released 6 months later in November.

http://eqbeastiary.allakhazam.com/search.html?id=4618

[rockhopper]

Well, 2002 now...

http://www.geek.com/articles/games/everquest-gets-a-birthday-facelift-20020318/

[Mardur]

The biggest EQ mystery to me was everyone who would denote a smiley with just a closed parenthesis. I've never seen it outside of EQ.

"Thx for the sow hun )"

[Mardur]

The only thing I can think of is that it grew out of the fact that if you just typed ":)" it would become an emote:

Soandso )

But that doesn't completely explain why people would do it in the middle of sentences.

[Dantes]

I thought toon was a Euro thing.

[Swishahouse]

AND YOU LOVE IT???

[Autotune]

I remember calling them toons back in EQ.

[Anger]

Toon=World of Warcraft BS

Nah, people have been using 'toon' since at least classic EQ, probably before.

[Dirt McGirt]

The biggest EQ mystery to me was everyone who would denote a smiley with just a closed parenthesis. I've never seen it outside of EQ.

"Thx for the sow hun )"

the chat server didn't process :) normally for whatever reason. All of your :)s looked like )s to the casual observer.

=) worked ^____^

[Mardur]

the chat server didn't process :) normally for whatever reason. All of your :)s looked like )s to the casual observer.

=) worked ^____^

But people still continued to use ) after :) worked. :) works on P99 and I still see the occasional ). Thought it was a euro thing but never saw it outside EQ.

[Ennoia]

It's more WoW bullshit, like NBG and the general idiocy that comes with things like 'umad?'.

[Dantes]

I started hearing toon a lot after I started beta testing Anarchy Online. Hence the reason I figured it was a European thing, most of those folks would give me a hard time for calling them "Characters." Even Funcom called them toons.

[pickled_heretic]

wow = toontown e.g. a game for kids with kiddie graphics.

your character is a toon, e.g. a character in toontown.

it was originally meant to be a derogatory term for cartoonish western style MMOs but morphed into a general term for avatars in all MMOs.

[Spud]

Never liked this term! Don't remember hearing it back when I played on classic from circa 99'-02'.

[Diggles]

My dad uses ) because he got so sick of typing :) after every clarity donation, etc
My mom uses =)
I use :] go figure

[Autotune]

wow = toontown e.g. a game for kids with kiddie graphics.

your character is a toon, e.g. a character in toontown.

it was originally meant to be a derogatory term for cartoonish western style MMOs but morphed into a general term for avatars in all MMOs.

wrong.

Toons were around way before WoW.

[pickled_heretic]

wrong.

Toons were around way before WoW.

pics or stfu

[pickled_heretic]

Here we go from 2003:
http://www.fohguild.org/forums/retard-rickshaw-hall-shame/5328-who-has-top-single-person-burst-dps-server-wide.html

2nd Sam post:

well that settles it, the term must have originated before wow. I must say that i quit playing EQ before this time and never encountered it during the 2 some years that i did play.

[Extunarian]

I use :] go figure

=] means no holding shift. Invaluable.

[Doors]

I use :o because it exhibits surprise over the internet.

[Autotune]

well that settles it, the term must have originated before wow. I must say that i quit playing EQ before this time and never encountered it during the 2 some years that i did play.

I think it only hit on some EQ servers in a fad, and then spread like herpes in WoW.

Not sure if it started in EQ, but I know I remember using it in EQ.

Char is just as short but toon is easier to type so i stuck to it.


I always figured it originated from some kid's parent/s. Something along the lines of the kid's parent telling him that he should stop playing with those cartoons and do home work lol.

[Doors]

: o

Dunno what that smiley is that showed up.

[Diggles]

I like :] because it's simple, and I can't stand the use of = as eyes, they look retarded.

I do love :o tho.

[Diggles]

TP didn't see the use of Toon as a word until late PoP. It spread like a virus. We carried that virus into WoW.

I use guy, [insert class name], or etc.

Let me hop on warrior

sweet, lets do some dungeons, getting on rogue

[mitic]

definitly comes from the word cartoon. ist just easier to name em toons than character

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/30806563/Tiny+Toons+TinyToons5.jpg

[quido]

When I first started playing EQ almost two years ago, I thought the toon thing was pretty funny too. It was actually Allizia who got me started on that one.

What was even more strange to me, though, was the term "mob." If we can put the EQ aside for one moment, I hope you can all remember the standard definition of a mob. I remember my buddy helping me out in Blackburrow getting fangs as like a level 6 or whatever and he'd say "there's a mob here" and I'd be like "AHHHH!" and run for the zone because by "mob" I thought he meant "a nasty and angry mess of foes."

[Diggles]

i've always used mob as like mobster, part of a faction.

crushbone has a lot of orc mobs

[Supreme]

Toon was used even during Meridian 59. Was also used alot in EQ.

Everything looked like a cartoon.

Where did Twink come from?

[Supreme]

i've always used mob as like mobster, part of a faction.

crushbone has a lot of orc mobs

Mob was a programming term given to Mobile Objects afaik.

Proc was related to process as the weapon function would process.

[Autotune]

Toon was used even during Meridian 59. Was also used alot in EQ.

Everything looked like a cartoon.

Where did Twink come from?

Twink = gay?

people calling decked out alts twinks as being gay and it just stuck? idk. that is the one I don't think anyone has a clue about.

[pickled_heretic]

mob = mobile, from MUDs

[Autotune]

Toon was used even during Meridian 59. Was also used alot in EQ.

Everything looked like a cartoon.

Where did Twink come from?

taken from twink wiki lol



There are several possible etymologies for the word. It may not have been derived from a single source, instead evolving from multiple convergent usages. Its exact origin is unclear.

The gay-slang usage of "twink" has been suggested as a likely origin.[1] One of the unofficial connotations of this usage is "a young/inexperienced person who can outfit himself fashionably because of financial benefits from an older/experienced sugar daddy." This parallels MMORPGs, where in-game money is a strong limiting factor in the virtual economy and gear is usually in the form of clothing and jewelry.

The word "twink" appeared in the Ultima Online: Renaissance playguide in the glossary of terms. It was asserted to have a meaning similar to its current one, but also included powerlevelling.

On the MUD Sojourn, which several creators of EverQuest played, "twink" was alternately used to refer to powerleveling and metagaming. As MUDs date to 1978, this use of the term may possibly predate later uses

[quido]

maybe because old hairy gay guys buy their twinks a bunch of slick threads

then make them take them off

[vinx]

Mob was a programming term given to Mobile Objects afaik.

Proc was related to process as the weapon function would process.
^^
I remember Toon being used on EQ before WoW ever came out. i used it occasionally then
After WoW, it was alot easier to associate "Toon" with characters because their characters actually looked like cartoons... so now its a WoW thing and i use it almost always now since WoW released.

Never used "char" as a shortcut cuz for some reason i see that as "Shar" or maybe like charred, not "Kare" for character
and imo doesnt look like an abbreviation, more like another word.
so i use toon lol

[dude]

It was started by the dude in the late 90's early 2000's on my way to the lanes I tripped over to a computer gaming house to pick up Donny. I saw his main toon on the screen thought it was a cartoon. It must have stuck and grew from there man, like you know the Dude abides man.

[Bohab]

played this real hack mmorpg a couple years ago with a bunch of euros and they would call an alt a 'multi'. i would try to push the word alt on them but it just didn't catch on. Then I had to start saying multi so they would know what I was talking about.

[vinx]

played this real hack mmorpg a couple years ago with a bunch of euros and they would call an alt a 'multi'. i would try to push the word alt on them but it just didn't catch on. Then I had to start saying multi so they would know what I was talking about.
haha ive heard this before to, right away all i think of is noobs

[Transient]

Twink was being used around the time Kunark came out for sure. I remember my cousin explaining it to me and I want to say he read it in the game manual.

[Ennoia]

People on Brell used to actually get chastised for using 'PST' at the end of a line. Come on retards, it's fucking obvious you want someone to send you a tell. Anyone who responds in the channel is either really dumb or wants to flash money to scare off other buyers.

[Blancah]

I googled this question and this is what came up. Blame wowdementedpixels.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/wow-professions-01-09-10.jpg

Gotta add those httpsssssssssss yo

http://dementedpixels.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/wow-professions-01-09-10.jpg

[DarkPetal]

I remember when PST started doing the rounds and the arguments in chat over why it was even needed. This definitely started in EQ as I had been playing some time before it started being used.

What's more amusing is most MMO's seem to use /w or whispering to denote contacting other players via private chat now, yet PST is still sticking about, much like the good old Ding! when you level.

[Feachie]

mob = mobile object, from MUDs

fixt.

i didn't know what a toon was until i played everquest. and the only twinks i knew were hairless androgynous gay men.

[Morlaeth]

Toon=World of Warcraft BS

Nope. I heard it in EQ Live 10 years ago, too.

[Morlaeth]

People on Brell used to actually get chastised for using 'PST' at the end of a line. Come on retards, it's fucking obvious you want someone to send you a tell. Anyone who responds in the channel is either really dumb or wants to flash money to scare off other buyers.

I do not remember this from Brell.

[Harrison]

fixt.

i didn't know what a toon was until i played everquest. and the only twinks i knew were hairless androgynous gay men.

Didn't you rage off the forums like 3 times now?

[Feachie]

Didn't you rage off the forums like 3 times now?

didn't you get banned for raging?

[JenJen]

you are both massive rager mcragersons who should marry and have screaming ragey kids in rageland, TX.

[Drogula]

I usually call my alternate characters "alts" and it works well enough.

[Autotune]

you are both massive rager mcragersons who should marry and have screaming ragey kids in rageland, TX.

Feachie is hot and crazy (but sane enough) to just be crazy hot.

[Bubbles]

k

http://www.ralphbakshi.com/images/coolworld.jpg

For such a terrible movie, it had a great soundtrack.

Still use Thompson Twins 'Play With Me', Cult 'The Witch' and My Life with the Thrill Kill Cult "Sex on Wheelz" for stage bumpers all the time.

[Feachie]

Feachie is hot and crazy (but sane enough) to just be crazy hot.

exactly. i'm not across the Vicky Mendoza diagonal yet.

[Yukahwa]

I always wondered the same question. I heard the term before WOW though.

[Humerox]

Toon was used even during Meridian 59. Was also used alot in EQ.

Everything looked like a cartoon.

Where did Twink come from?

Tweak was also used for twink...but it fell out of fashion. I used the word "toon" before EQ...not sure when it was, but it was def after Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

[Humerox]

Meaning I think I used it as far back as the MUD days, to be clearer.

[dredge]

I have always used "toon" I started right after Kunark released, way easier to spell, why do you use "omw", instead of "on my way"? or anything else

[bonehand]

char was so 80's PnP rpg...
we used toon in eq, but not Asheron's Call or UO...

I don't recall anyone ever saying toon in any MUD though. We played a lot of MUDs...it was char or "my dude" or "my CLASS" or actual reference to the name of the character for the real RPers.

So, I know it was from before Kunark....so like "woot", it's difficult to pinpoint an example.

BTW:
"woot" was coined on Bertox during a normal guild grind group by a guy in Elkhart, IN. He mistyped "woo loot" - lag or what the fuck ever just left woot, so don't make me explain how shitty the computers were that would run pre kunark EQ - and he hit enter. His guild group picked up on it, and then the server then the whole game. True story...his name is Adam, played on Bertox as a mage I think, then went to Torv as an Iksar necro on kunark launch day with my sis and I, I think Jen was on Torv already part time to just get away from the guild. He was my sister's boyfriend for quite a while, and he quit EQ when they broke up in 2002, so he missed out on all the good raids my sis, her new boyfriend, and I had on Torv with BoW...

[bonehand]

I meant they broke up in 2000...not gonna call her to find out the exact date, but it was right around Velious launch before xmas...

[Spud]

I have always used "toon" I started right after Kunark released, way easier to spell, why do you use "omw", instead of "on my way"? or anything else
because 'omw' is short for 'on my way'

'toon' is short for what? cartoon? what do cartoons have to do with everquest? i'm playing a highly sophisticated online roleplaying game not some kids game! Although I will admit 'char' is an awkward abbreviation.

char was so 80's PnP rpg...
we used toon in eq, but not Asheron's Call or UO...

I don't recall anyone ever saying toon in any MUD though. We played a lot of MUDs...it was char or "my dude" or "my CLASS" or actual reference to the name of the character for the real RPers.

So, I know it was from before Kunark....so like "woot", it's difficult to pinpoint an example.

BTW:
"woot" was coined on Bertox during a normal guild grind group by a guy in Elkhart, IN. He mistyped "woo loot" - lag or what the fuck ever just left woot, so don't make me explain how shitty the computers were that would run pre kunark EQ - and he hit enter. His guild group picked up on it, and then the server then the whole game. True story...his name is Adam, played on Bertox as a mage I think, then went to Torv as an Iksar necro on kunark launch day with my sis and I, I think Jen was on Torv already part time to just get away from the guild. He was my sister's boyfriend for quite a while, and he quit EQ when they broke up in 2002, so he missed out on all the good raids my sis, her new boyfriend, and I had on Torv with BoW...

wow, the more you know! Who knew there was such an interesting backstory involving typos, lag, and relationships.

I remember "woot" was real big on rallos zek during classic, I haven't seen people say it as much on p1999.

[pickled_heretic]

definitely never used toon or saw it used for mud characters, probably because toon implies some kind of graphical representation. in addition, many muds i played had enforced roleplaying to some degree so you didn't refer to your character as anything other than yourself.

[Amelinda]

the earliest i ever saw it used was probably late summer 2000 from some folks on povar. beyond that.....i don't know where they got it. i always hated it. i always said 'character' but since this past april...ive been using 'toon' :P

[Shannacore]

didn't you get banned for raging?

Didn't you "quit" because you couldn't take da heat?

[Feachie]

and loving it

[deathgirl]

you are both massive rager mcragersons who should marry and have screaming ragey kids in rageland, TX.

[Tommy_Wiseau]

too many broads in a row

this post is a testosterone injection 2 the dome bitch

[Feachie]

char was so 80's PnP rpg...
we used toon in eq, but not Asheron's Call or UO...

I don't recall anyone ever saying toon in any MUD though. We played a lot of MUDs...it was char or "my dude" or "my CLASS" or actual reference to the name of the character for the real RPers.

So, I know it was from before Kunark....so like "woot", it's difficult to pinpoint an example.

BTW:
"woot" was coined on Bertox during a normal guild grind group by a guy in Elkhart, IN. He mistyped "woo loot" - lag or what the fuck ever just left woot, so don't make me explain how shitty the computers were that would run pre kunark EQ - and he hit enter. His guild group picked up on it, and then the server then the whole game. True story...his name is Adam, played on Bertox as a mage I think, then went to Torv as an Iksar necro on kunark launch day with my sis and I, I think Jen was on Torv already part time to just get away from the guild. He was my sister's boyfriend for quite a while, and he quit EQ when they broke up in 2002, so he missed out on all the good raids my sis, her new boyfriend, and I had on Torv with BoW...

back in the counterstrike HL mod days woot meant we own (the) other team

[Harrison]

Wrong. Good job wiki scouring to look informed, though.

[Autotune]

char was so 80's PnP rpg...
we used toon in eq, but not Asheron's Call or UO...

I don't recall anyone ever saying toon in any MUD though. We played a lot of MUDs...it was char or "my dude" or "my CLASS" or actual reference to the name of the character for the real RPers.

So, I know it was from before Kunark....so like "woot", it's difficult to pinpoint an example.

BTW:
"woot" was coined on Bertox during a normal guild grind group by a guy in Elkhart, IN. He mistyped "woo loot" - lag or what the fuck ever just left woot, so don't make me explain how shitty the computers were that would run pre kunark EQ - and he hit enter. His guild group picked up on it, and then the server then the whole game. True story...his name is Adam, played on Bertox as a mage I think, then went to Torv as an Iksar necro on kunark launch day with my sis and I, I think Jen was on Torv already part time to just get away from the guild. He was my sister's boyfriend for quite a while, and he quit EQ when they broke up in 2002, so he missed out on all the good raids my sis, her new boyfriend, and I had on Torv with BoW...

I was saying Woot before EQ ever existed.

[vinx]

I was using "toon" waaay before EQ or MUDs
I was a kid, watched cartoons after school then would go out and play with my plastic army men (before GI joes)

and since they were fictional fantasy players an battles, i coined the word "toon" for playable characters as a prolonged session to my after school cartoon time.
wasnt long before neighborhood kids started using it

[Tumdumm]

vinx, i think we woulda made good friends as children

myself, i wanted to kinda like larp but actually slay stuff for exp

[Hasbinbad]

After digesting this thread, I would like to disregard the original topic and comment on the following observations:
http://www.ralphbakshi.com/images/coolworld.jpgterrible movie
Observation #1:
Nilbog and Bubbles are both very cool for having knowledge of this movie.
Observation #2:
Bubbles is a complete dipshit.
http://i.imgur.com/DdlgH.jpg
Ralph Bakshi is the fucking man.
http://i.imgur.com/IBAhH.png
Wizards forever.
http://i.imgur.com/JrmR0.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XljSR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HChzR.jpg
That is all.
http://i.imgur.com/jdzSi.jpg

[Feachie]

http://i.imgur.com/HChzR.jpg


do i get points for naming my first pet after avatar? he was a lizard

[Hasbinbad]

do i get points for naming my first pet after avatar? he was a lizard
Yes.

[nilbog]

the term 'toon'.


http://i55.tinypic.com/2vlwcg7.jpg

[Biguns]

First time I heard the word toon reference someones character was in '97 or '98 while playing a pretty obscure game on AOL called "Magestorm". I've never liked it either..

[Hollywood]

People who use the term 'toon'. Cartoon?

What year did this happen?

Why did it happen?


http://i55.tinypic.com/2vlwcg7.jpg

Hah just noticed this. We (and by we I mean the collective of adults that use the appropriate noun for whatever we're discussing), don't know. I would wager somewhere around 2003.

EQOA was out and within the first year into the game, it was ..

"hey man, I made a new toon"
"what's your toon's name, I'll add you"
"I have no more toon space"

I have zero respect for internet talk and flat out ignore anyone whom says 'toon' when talking about a character.

[Autotune]

Hah just noticed this. We (and by we I mean the collective of adults that use the appropriate noun for whatever we're discussing), don't know. I would wager somewhere around 2003.

EQOA was out and within the first year into the game, it was ..

"hey man, I made a new toon"
"what's your toon's name, I'll add you"
"I have no more toon space"

I have zero respect for internet talk and flat out ignore anyone whom says 'toon' when talking about a character.

char is not fun to say in your head when you read it.

Toon is.

[Autotune]

People were born, Then they thought of something, and in the end. Now you hear people say toon. Lazy america, would rather say toon then character.

type, not say.


I'd wager that most people who type toon, say character.

[Raavak]

But people still continued to use ) after :) worked. :) works on P99 and I still see the occasional ). Thought it was a euro thing but never saw it outside EQ.
Wait, :) works?

I still use =)

Never knew it got fixed.

[SamwiseRed]

i actually never heard this term til WoW. when i played eq people said alt or character

[StealthAF]

I definitely remember seeing the "toon" phrase being used in the EQ classic days around 2002 or so on Cazic-Thule, and also remember people feeling insulted by it because well...back in those days people literally portrayed themselves as their character and lived their life AS that character and didn't like being called a "toon" lol.

I always used "char" but the reason I was told by people who started using it at the time, was because:

A) they looked "cartoonish" and

B) The #1 reason I got was the word "toon" is much easier to type on a keyboard by people who literally peck at the keys

Going back to remembering groups with people who would get angry and insulted...I remember them saying "Please refer to them as 'char' or 'character'. We are not "TOONS." LOL

Aww, the good 'ol days.

[Snagglepuss]

I'm pretty sure "toon" is a misnomer for character stemming from "cartoon character."

A lot of people were new to RPG / MUDs / paper pen when EQ and other 3d games came out and might have been confused by the term character and associated it with cartoon character and 'toon' caught on.

I had never played many computer games before EQ and even the term and concept of "character" was new to me.

[Ahldagor]

I'm pretty sure "toon" is a misnomer for character stemming from "cartoon character."

A lot of people were new to RPG / MUDs / paper pen when EQ and other 3d games came out and might have been confused by the term character and associated it with cartoon character and 'toon' caught on.

I had never played many computer games before EQ and even the term and concept of "character" was new to me.

!didn't read thread! always thought it had to do with the cartoon like nature of games like eq and wow.

[Hasbinlulz]

After digesting this thread, I would like to disregard the original topic and comment on the following observations:

Observation #1:
Nilbog and Bubbles are both very cool for having knowledge of this movie.
Observation #2:
Bubbles is a complete dipshit.
http://i.imgur.com/DdlgH.jpg
Ralph Bakshi is the fucking man.
http://i.imgur.com/IBAhH.png
Wizards forever.
http://i.imgur.com/JrmR0.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XljSR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HChzR.jpg
That is all.
http://i.imgur.com/jdzSi.jpg
Best post in RnF

[Resheph]

I used toon 12 years ago when I started EQ. The characters are cartoony, in some sense, and it's easier when talking to people who don't 'get it' IRL. If you say 'character' they tend to think you've lost your mind, have multiple personality disorder or like to cosplay. When I say 'toon' they understand I mean the cartoony thing I play online

It's not a 'blame WoW' thing. WoW may have popularized it, but they popularized a lot. Before WoW (as much as I hate that game), MMO players were the nerds. Now everyone and their grandma plays

[HIYO]

ALong the same vein, where did the term "twink" come from WRT giving low level chars high end gear

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=twink

Twink:
A term often used to describe a youthful homosexual male, who is smooth-bodied, only slightly-muscular, with little or no body hair, and has a semi-athletic build.

[joppykid]

char is not fun to say in your head when you read it.

Toon is.

Agreed

[EvilMallet]

the goonies like to farm for iskies for their toonies

[fishingme]

the word "toon" was used on ayonae during kunark

[Hasbinlulz]

I used "toon" when I played Legends of Kesmai.

[gotrocks]

not 100% sure on the toon thing, but my assumption would be that it came from cartoon, as back then most mmo graphics could be considered 'cartoony'.

mob is easy, that was a term from the MUD days that was short for mobile object, or often just mobile. If you've ever played any MUD, you know that every. single. thing. that you can kill is a mob.

[gotrocks]

oh and twink most definitely came from its other definition, gay. There was a TON of resentment towards twinks in early eq, even into luclin and possibly beyond (i quit during luclin), and the word twink was used as a way to vent that resentment.

[OforOppression]

the real question is, who came up with the term "inkies" for dark elves?

[gotrocks]

the real question is, who came up with the term "inkies" for dark elves?

that ones been around for a looong time.

people called drow "inkies" in the p&p days of dungeons and dragons.

[OforOppression]

EH

[ArumTP]

Toontown? I remember that being a freebie Disney MMO that a lot of EQ players played during server downtime.

[EvilMallet]

Toontown? I remember that being a freebie Disney MMO that a lot of EQ players played during server downtime.

Now I'm gonna have nightmares from the creepy ass toontown commercials that aired thanks

[HydroPonics]

Long before EQ ever existed i heard the term in the late 80's in a film called "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"

http://i45.tinypic.com/2vbou4z.jpg

[Silo69]

i heard "toon" in everquest years before world of warcraft was even a thought

[Noudess]

People who use the term 'toon'. Cartoon?

What year did this happen?

Why did it happen?


http://i55.tinypic.com/2vlwcg7.jpg

Because the new generation likes to denigrate everything. Character is respectful and implies there is something there more than just pixels - a personality - a style.

Toon is a negative term that belittles the idea of a character, even with pixels, it makes them feel more like men to put them down.

[SamwiseRed]

i heard "toon" in everquest years before world of warcraft was even a thought

seeing as how WoW began development in 1999, i doubt that

[Breeziyo]

i will never understand people who get legit anal pain whenever someone says toon

[Ele]

toon better than goon

[dude]

The dude agrees, toon belittles the whole playing experience. Why do the toon'ers gotta kill my high.

[Kagatob]

I was aware 'toon' existed before WoW, though WoW truly did popularize the term, I always used 'char'. I never understood why people said that was hard to say in their head, it's "character" when you say it or think it, it's simply an abbreviation. The only excuse I can think of is if you are one of those juvenile failboats who say "B. T. W." or "B. R. B." out loud to people, in which case it's your own fault.

Twink I had no idea about the gay thing, I just assumed it was because their armor was all twinkly. /shrug

[Hollywood]

i will never understand people who get legit anal pain whenever someone says toon

We'll never understand why each new generation of dickwads has to warp words and phrases in order to make them their own - put their 'spin' on them.
As if they have some burning desire to leave their legacy in the world - except they do it in something inane and pointless like a video game instead of real life where it counts.
That and/or they are just lazy resulting in the shortening of words because apparently typing a few more letters is difficult.

'DPS' is annoying one - especially when games do not calculate their primary damage output in a per second interval.
It's "damage", it's always been "damage" and typing "damage dealer" or "how much damage do you do?" is not hard.

"Mincer" from LOTRO is a great example of the absurdity of word changing multiple times.
The term refers to the class called the Minstrel. At first it was "Mins" for short, then somehow the lazy approach of shortening it wasn't enough.
It had to be re-coined as a "Mincer" ...

So not only did it get shortened, it got re-lengthened as a different word entirely of nearly about the same length.


..TF is wrong with you kids. Just grow up and use the proper word for something.

[Lexical]

Toon was originally a derogatory term the RP community had for non-RPers in game. The rationale behind it was that since RPers characters have a back story, they are indeed characters while non-RPers would be seen as some zany, cartoon like, person if being viewed from an immersed perspective. Since the RP community was much smaller than the non-RP community, the term 'toon' was quickly embraced as a proper term for an individual's character.

[Breeziyo]

We'll never understand why each new generation of dickwads has to warp words and phrases in order to make them their own - put their 'spin' on them.
As if they have some burning desire to leave their legacy in the world - except they do it in something inane and pointless like a video game instead of real life where it counts.
That and/or they are just lazy resulting in the shortening of words because apparently typing a few more letters is difficult.

'DPS' is annoying one - especially when games do not calculate their primary damage output in a per second interval.
It's "damage", it's always been "damage" and typing "damage dealer" or "how much damage do you do?" is not hard.

"Mincer" from LOTRO is a great example of the absurdity of word changing multiple times.
The term refers to the class called the Minstrel. At first it was "Mins" for short, then somehow the lazy approach of shortening it wasn't enough.
It had to be re-coined as a "Mincer" ...

So not only did it get shortened, it got re-lengthened as a different word entirely of nearly about the same length.


..TF is wrong with you kids. Just grow up and use the proper word for something.

If I am a kid for using toon or other video game terms (man you would hate Planetside) then I guess I'm gonna go make some mac n cheese with cut up hotdogs and crank up the Disney channel. I certainly don't want to be an old fag who gets the grumpy dumpies whenever young whippersnappers use slang.

Your "How much damage do you do?" question poses to be confusing / naive in modern MMOs as well. People who are worth a damn aren't going to care how much damage you do on average with a couple of your skills, or that one time you managed to crit for that absurd amount using all of those sick buffs. They want numbers that can show you how much damage per second you can actually pull off and assume that you will be alive for the entirety of the fight. When there are things like limited resources for healers and time limits on a boss fight you need to actually be able to ensure that your group is performing adequately. This includes the people who are only brought because they are supposed to be actually killing the mob, and DPS checks / logs serve to let leaders figure out who isn't doing their job. DPS being used as a definition for a primarily damage dealing class (which used to be shortened to DD all the time before DPS got the spotlight) I can see as a bit of an annoyance if you're new, but the reasoning behind it being used is fairly clear. A DPS class or a DPS specialization in some situations is called that because that is usually the sole reason they're brought to a PvE fight.

To act like people are wrong for asking specifically for how much DPS a person can do (because that's what they're going to answer with either way) is stupid. Typing out acronyms or using damage instead of DPS isn't hard, but neither is just being okay with slang people use in order to not come off as an uppity douchebag.


tl;dr
http://i.imgur.com/AJjnW.png

[OforOppression]

http://i.imgur.com/AJjnW.png

i like this

[BelenosGotHeals]

Before WoW (as much as I hate that game), MMO players were the nerds. Now everyone and their grandma plays

^^^ The reason why WoW is the worst thing to ever happen to the genre imo

[Kagatob]

^^^ The reason why WoW is the worst thing to ever happen to the genre imo

[Furme]

If you REALLY want to know..

The origin of Toon is from way back in 1991ish when sierra came out with their first online gaming network.. Called "The Imagination Network" or nicknamed "The Sierra Network".. (might even be earlier /shrug)..

But the thing was, is before that for the most part everyone had been playing text based multi-player games over BBSes.. When The Imagination network came out they had a nifty little client where you could choose an avatar to go with your name.. They had very cartoony graphics, so people would nickname them their Toons.. This carried over to The Realm when it was released as well.. because likewise, it had cartoony graphics and it was just a little more catchy to say toon instead of "char"..

Source: Played on the imagination network, and the realm.. People called it a toon back then too =p

[Hasbinlulz]

Brad Pitt invented Toon.

http://i.imgur.com/QX1oN.jpg

[Hasbinlulz]

Ralph Bakshi for the motherfucking win.