# Character Generation

LLMS index: [llms.txt](/dvw/en/llms.txt)

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Player characters do not come from nowhere. They have to be created. If players themselves do the creation, they will identify more with their characters right from the beginning. However, if they don’t know what they are doing, then this could easily backfire as they make arbitrary decisions that they shortly come to regret.

Although it’s not part of the virtual world per se, character generation is the first thing players have to do when they start to play a virtual world. It’s therefore very important, as the impression it leaves will shape how players view the virtual world proper when they enter it.

In MUD1, players were asked for their character’s name and gender, and that was all. Nowadays, characters will typically need to have their class, race, skills, and appearance set before they can set foot in the virtual world—a far more complicated exercise. Let’s take a look at what’s involved.

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Section pages:

- [Appearance](/dvw/en/book/05-life-in-the-virtual-world/05-10-character-generation/05-11-appearance/)
- [Character Generation Methods](/dvw/en/book/05-life-in-the-virtual-world/05-10-character-generation/05-12-character-generation-methods/)
- [Random](/dvw/en/book/05-life-in-the-virtual-world/05-10-character-generation/05-13-random/)
- [Pick Points](/dvw/en/book/05-life-in-the-virtual-world/05-10-character-generation/05-14-pick-points/)
- [Kits](/dvw/en/book/05-life-in-the-virtual-world/05-10-character-generation/05-15-kits/)
- [Questionnaires](/dvw/en/book/05-life-in-the-virtual-world/05-10-character-generation/05-16-questionnaires/)
- [Tabula Rasa](/dvw/en/book/05-life-in-the-virtual-world/05-10-character-generation/05-17-tabula-rasa/)
- [Essay](/dvw/en/book/05-life-in-the-virtual-world/05-10-character-generation/05-18-essay/)
- [Physical Differences](/dvw/en/book/05-life-in-the-virtual-world/05-10-character-generation/05-19-physical-differences/)
- [Long-Term Characters](/dvw/en/book/05-life-in-the-virtual-world/05-10-character-generation/05-20-long-term-characters/)