Character class

In tabletop games and video games, a character class is an occupation, profession, or role assigned to a game character to highlight and differentiate their capabilities and specializations.[1]

In role-playing games (RPGs), character classes aggregate several abilities and aptitudes, and may also detail aspects of background and social standing, or impose behavior restrictions.[2] Classes may be considered to represent archetypes,[3] or specific careers.[4] RPG systems that employ character classes often subdivide them into levels of accomplishment, to be attained by players during the course of the game.[3] It is common for a character to remain in the same class for its lifetime; although some games allow characters to change class, or attain multiple classes.[3] Some systems eschew the use of classes and levels entirely;[2] others hybridize them with skill-based systems[5] or emulate them with character templates.[citation needed]

In shooter games and other cooperative video games, classes are generally distinct roles with specific purposes, weapons, or abilities, with only tangential relation to the RPG context. Their differences may range from simple equipment changes, such as sniper classes armed with sniper rifles, to unique gameplay changes, such as medic classes that are tasked with healing and reviving injured allied players.

  1. ^ Voorhees, Gerald (1 November 2009). "The Character of Difference: Procedurality, Rhetoric, and Roleplaying Games". Game Studies. 9 (2). ISSN 1604-7982. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  2. ^ a b Adams, Ernest (2010). Fundamentals of game design (2nd ed.). New Riders. pp. 465 to 466. ISBN 9780321643377. OCLC 460601644.
  3. ^ a b c Tresca, Michael J. (2011). The evolution of fantasy role-playing games. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. pp. 82–85. ISBN 9780786460090. OCLC 697175248.
  4. ^ Moore, Michael E. (2011). Basics of game design. Boca Raton: A K Peters/CRC Press. pp. 133 to 135. ISBN 9781439867761. OCLC 746925670.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).