characterproviding

Characterproviding is a term used to describe the act of supplying a character or set of characters for use in a collaborative work, game, or software system. It encompasses the creation, submission, and documentation of character profiles that other participants or components can reference. The term is not widely standardized and is most often encountered in discussions of participatory worldbuilding, tabletop and live-action role-playing, and certain storytelling software platforms.

Origin and usage: The word is a compound built from "character" and "providing" and has appeared in community forums and design guides as a shorthand for character submission workflows. In practice, it refers to a process rather than a fixed role.

Process: A typical characterproviding workflow includes drafting a character sheet with identifying information, backstory, personality traits, goals, and relevant relationships. It may require alignment with a shared setting, consent from moderators, and metadata such as ownership and licensing for reuse. Submissions are often reviewed, integrated into a central repository or game master handover, and then referenced by other participants.

Applications: In collaborative fiction and RPG design, characterproviding helps distribute narrative responsibility and expand worldbuilding. In software contexts, it can describe supplying character assets, such as glyphs or avatar representations, to a UI or rendering engine where character data becomes part of a larger dataset.

Criticism and challenges: Without clear templates and governance, characterproviding can produce uneven quality, conflicting backstories, or licensing disputes. Effective moderation and consistent guidelines mitigate these issues.