Too much information: when did video game character creation get so real? | Dominik Diamond

The older, saggier and sadder you get, the less you want to stare at your own digital doppelganger in a game, finds Dominik Diamond

I'm having a midlife crisis with character creation in video games. My kids have always known the joy of recreating themselves virtually, but those of us who started playing in the 1970s as yellow balls with ghost-munching mouths still feel a tingle of excitement at those opportunities to put yourself into a game.

The first time, for me, was when I created my own player in Fifa's Career Mode in about 2006. This was an intoxicating addition to the football game genre, because you could live your dream of playing for the team you supported. But I was overweight, 6ft 2in and balding. In-game Dominik had the acceleration of an Acme anvil and looked like a fat Stanley Matthews. I could create a smaller, leaner whippet of a player who could score a bucketload of goals and lead Celtic to glory, but it wouldn't be me in any way, shape or form.