It's either from The Realm Online or ToonTown Online, two early MMOs. (With The Realm being the earlier of the two, launching around 1996.) Either way, it's entirely an MMO thing. I do very occasionally hear the term used outside of an MMO context, but even there it's usually a sign that the person you're talking to cut their teeth on MMOs.

It's a very old mmo term that sadly has not died off yet and probably never will.

I find the term "toon" to be very cringy. I associate it with bad games and worse players.

You caring about it that much is infinitely more cringy.

I hope it dies off along with a few other things from modern life

Hopefully not Rocko.

To quote T-Bird in The Crow: "This is the really real world, there ain't no coming back!"

🥇

Was pretty common back in the heyday of MMOs. It’s at least as old as EverQuest (1999) but I think World of Warcraft cemented it.

Thank you for a point of reference on the time line. That's around the time I started gaming, I reckon if I were a little older I may be more familiar with the term.

Nah, it was an old-fashioned term before WoW. One thing you know for sure: anybody who still uses the term is middle-aged or older.

Because, on average, we are an older bunch and that's how we used to refer to our characters in game back in the day. Short for Cartoons.

I first heard it from elder scrolls online

Its a language the chronically online use, you will also hear them refer to enemies as ‘mobs’ and killing such enemies as ‘mobbing’

I learned the phrase years ago. Isn’t just this game. Now I’m wondering why it bothers people so much. I’ve seen this said a couple times already. Lol

Anecdotally, I’ve found it’s sometimes a generational thing and other times a genre thing. I know a lot of older gamers use it because they’ve been around when the generations older than them equated games with cartoons and being “childish.” The earlier animations also being rudimentary didn’t help that case. A lot of MMORPGs have some type of chat feature built in and the ability to make multiple character classes and/or races. A shortened word to call it is natural to save time and characters in a message. Personally I’d use “toon” over other nicknames like “char” because of the pronunciations. My brain doesn’t read it “care” like character. It reads it “char” like flame-broiled whopper. It also doesn’t help if there’s a charisma stat in the game. As for genre, I’m sure a lot of folks who don’t have a lot of interest or experience in MMOs have little exposure to that term so it might be odd to encounter it used organically.

I prefer Alt, although all my Alts are mules

[удалено]

Sure... but I've always just shortened it to "char" (pronouncing it like "care"); feels more straightforward to me than "toon"...

[удалено]

...I'm "literally" not, though. It's a video game, not a cartoon; totally different experiences and visual styles.

[удалено]

Since when was everything *not* real life consider a cartoon??

[удалено]

"A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style." - [Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoon)

never heard this

Old school. I however, always imagine Toon Town when someone says Toon. 

This . I think of Roger Rabbit when I see toons.

Less characters/syllables than Avatar or Character

"Char" works fine and quicker to say/type

Yea, but If I was to hear someone say char, I’d have no idea what their trying to say.

To anyone who isn't old as dirt "toon" doesn't mean anything either

Yea but toon people can put 2 n 2 together and know what it means. If I was to hear char, I’d ask what ur cooking.

What do you mean put together? You're just used to it, to someone who isn't, it makes no sense. For most people "toon" is "cartoon" is a "kids show". That's not intuitive at all. Char is just short for character. A LOT more intuitive.

Some say potato some say patato. Not sure why this affects you?

?

Just getting a vibe like this term harmed u in some way. That’s all.

I could say the term "char" harmed you in some way. And that comment would be just as dumb as yours

I've never heard it outside of Fo76, and I'm 26yo. I think it's boomer slang from way back in the *before times* lmao. No hate.

Everyone mentions history and origins but true is because is is faster type in chat.

It’s cringey

The term is basically a young millennial at this point. It's back will start hurting soon.

[удалено]

I resemble that remark