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{{other uses of|Avatar}} |
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{{AfDM|page=Avatar (Ultima) (2nd nomination)|year=2024|month=January|day=23|substed=yes|origtag=afdx|help=off}} |
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Avatar (''Ultima'')}} |
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{{Infobox character |
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| name = The Avatar |
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| image = Avatar Ultima 6.jpg |
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| caption = The Avatar as seen in ''[[Ultima VI: The False Prophet]]'' |
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| series = [[Ultima (series)|Ultima]] |
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| first = ''[[Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness]]'' (1981) |
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| last = ''[[Ultima IX: Ascension]]'' (1999) |
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| creator = [[Richard Garriott]] |
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| designer = |
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| voice = J.C. Shakespeare (''Ultima IX'') |
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}} |
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'''The Avatar''' is the [[player character]] and [[protagonist]] in several ''[[Ultima (series)|Ultima]]'' video games by [[Origin Systems]], beginning with their first appearance in ''[[Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar]]''. The character concept arose after series creator Richard Garriott received criticism for the amoral conduct allowed in the first three ''Ultima'' games, leading him to attach a moral virtue system to the player's goals in the [[Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar|fourth game]] onwards. |
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==Appearances== |
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The early ''Ultima'' games referred to the player-protagonist as the ''Stranger'', with an open game design that allowed players to complete quests through theft or violence. The Avatar makes their first appearance in the [[Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar|fourth ''Ultima'' game]], where their goal is to follow the path of the Virtues, and retrieve the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom from the Great Stygian Abyss. In the [[Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny|fifth game]], the Avatar defeats a repressive regime in Britannia, and in the [[Ultima VI: The False Prophet|sixth]], he brings peace between men and gargoyles. In ''[[Ultima VII]] and [[Ultima VIII: Pagan|VIII]]'', the Avatar battles the Guardian, finally destroying both himself and his foe in ''[[Ultima IX: Ascension]]''. |
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With the exception of ''Ultima IX: Ascension'', the player can choose the Avatar's name. ''Ultima VIII: Pagan'' fixed the Avatar's identity as a blonde-haired blue-eyed male, while the other games allowed the player to select the Avatar's race, gender, and appearance. In ''Ultima IV'' onward, the player activates the Avatar's speech using singular keywords, until ''Ultima VII'' and ''[[Ultima Underworld]]'' allowed full dialog. ''Ultima IX'' added digitized speech to accompany the text. |
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==Development== |
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After the release of ''[[Ultima III: Exodus|Ultima III]]'', creator [[Richard Garriott]] received letters from parents that criticized the ''Ultima'' series for allowing immoral actions, such as theft or murder against peaceful citizens. Garriott also received criticism about supposed [[Satanic ritual abuse|Satanic]] content, particularly the demonic nature of the antagonist of ''Ultima III'' who appeared on the game packaging. In ''The Official Book of Ultima'', Shay Addams described Richard Garriott's thinking, that "if people were going to look for hidden meaning in his work when they didn't even exist, he would introduce ideas and symbols with meaning and significance he deemed worthwhile, to give them something they could really think about."<ref>''The Official Book of Ultima'' by Shay Addams, p.39</ref> After watching a television show on [[Hinduism]] and the concept of the [[Avatar]], Garriott was inspired to create his own system of eight Virtues for the next protagonist in ''Ultima IV'', the Avatar.<ref>''The Official Book of Ultima'' by Shay Addams {{Page needed|date=February 2012}}</ref> |
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By the time of ''Ultima VII'', Richard Garriott noted that he had finished exploring the moral concept of the Virtues, and the Avatar returned to a more open role for the player with less of a moral code.<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/features/ultima/g11.html In Garriott's Own Words; Ultima VII] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041025183455/http://www.gamespot.com/features/ultima/g11.html |date=October 25, 2004 }} (GameSpot)</ref> The Avatar in ''Ultima VIII'' was designed to be male, taking away the choice of gender, but still having some of the moral flexibility seen in prior titles.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/ultima/13.html |title=The Ultima Legacy – Ultima VIII: Pagan|website=GameSpot|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504164819/http://www.gamespot.com/features/ultima/13.html | archive-date=May 4, 2011}}</ref> ''[[Ultima X: Odyssey]]'' promised to reprise the moral concepts associated with the Avatar,<ref>Greg Kasavin, [https://archive.today/20120731080443/http://www.gamespot.com/ultima-x-odyssey/previews/ultima-x-odyssey-preview-6074137/?page=3 Ultima X: Odyssey Preview], GameSpot, Aug 28, 2003</ref> but the project was ultimately cancelled.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fahey |first=Rob |date=2004-07-01 |title=MMORPG cull continues as EA cancels Ultima X: Online |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/mmorpg-cull-continues-as-ea-cancels-ultima-x-online |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=GamesIndustry.biz |language=en}}</ref> |
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==Reception and impact== |
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In 1996, ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' ranked the Avatar as sixth on their list of most memorable game heroes, adding that "the anonymous hero of most of the ''Ultima'' sagas was particularly interesting when trying to balance the virtues."<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=November 1996 |title=The 15 Most Memorable Game Heroes |url=https://archive.org/stream/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_148#page/n123/mode/2up/ |magazine=Computer Gaming World |page=120 |issue=148| access-date=9 December 2017}}</ref> [[GameSpot]] listed Avatar among the ten best heroes in video gaming, describing them as "a projection" of the player while criticizing later designs as "just another hero out to rid the land of evil."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_heroes/hero2.html |title=Ten Best Heroes in Gaming |publisher=Gamespot |access-date=July 24, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710004638/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_heroes/hero2.html | archive-date=July 10, 2007}}</ref> In 2008, [[IGN]] included the Avatar on the list of characters they would like to see in a fighting game, describing them as "certainly the most memorable of the early gaming era."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.stars.ign.com/articles/907/907102p8.html |title=Players Wanted: Ultimate Fighting Game – Stars Feature at IGN |date=2 September 2008 |publisher=Uk.stars.ign.com |access-date=2013-07-24}}</ref> |
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The use of the word "[[avatar]]" in this manner is the first time that the word represented a concept defined by [[Avatar (computing)|its modern virtual context]].<ref>Zach Waggoner, ''My Avatar, My Self: Identity in Video Role-Playing Games'', p.185</ref> The Avatar was one of the first times that a player could select the race and gender of the protagonist, and can be interpreted as a representative of the player, allowing them to reflect on their actions in the game.<ref>Sheri Graner Ray, ''Gender Inclusive Game Design: Expanding the Market'', p.27</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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*[http://wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Avatar Avatar] and [http://wiki.ultimacodex.com/wiki/Stranger the Stranger] at the Codex of Ultima Wisdom, a wiki for ''Ultima'' |
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{{Ultima}} |
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[[Category:Fantasy video game characters]] |
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[[Category:Role-playing video game characters]] |
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[[Category:Science fantasy video game characters]] |
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[[Category:Video game characters introduced in 1981]] |
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[[Category:Video game characters of selectable gender]] |
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[[Category:Video game protagonists]] |
Revision as of 05:07, 30 January 2024
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