...When people make their avatars a character from an upcoming game. Not pointing any fingers (this really wasn't triggered by any specific user, it's just something that's been bugging me for a while.)

Say, for example, they announced Final Fantasy XV at E3 and revealed the main character via official artwork, and somebody made said artwork their avatar. So my first exposure to this character is being the visual representation of an anonymous somebody on the internet. Between now and the time the game gets released, this character will gradually become this user for me---since it's a new character and I know nothing about them, constantly seeing "them" posting threads, talking about games, whatever, will make me associate this character (strongly) with that user.

And so by the time the game comes out, that character has become that user for me. 

Yeah, it's petty, I know, but it really is annoying. I hate popping in a new game and spending the first 10 hours erasing associations with the main character formed via an internet forum and reconstructing their identity. 

This happen to anybody else?

And, again, I'm not really griping about people who do this; it's more the phenomenon (and my stupid tendency to succumb to it) itself. 

I think you need a little break from forums or the Internet in general if you start to associate random stuff like that. So you're saying it kind of ruins your experience with some new games?

Hahaha, I guess you hate me then xD Will you think I'm Noctis when you get to play Final Fantasy Versus XIII? :P (if you ever do, lol).

I don't want people to hate me :S But I don't want to change my avatar either T_T

I'm sorry :(

I can say thats never ever happened to me... or at least not consiously

Well, it's not that big a deal. And I only spend about 3 or 4 hours a week on forums these days because I've been pretty damn busy the last year or so. 

It doesn't really ruin the experience so much as kind of twists my overall sense of a character--sort of adds an edge to how I perceive them that shouldn't be there. 

To be fair I've never actually been particularly bothered by it while playing a game (guess I exaggerated a bit in my OP). I'm more curious if this happens to anybody else than being really annoyed about it. 

Oh well, with how communications today are so easy to use, hype from a certain game can build up pretty easily. I believe it will be impossible to get away from this.

Better start to find a solution to your problem ASAP! Ask for a "Hide certain user's avatar" option for example.

I get what you mean, but I don't see enough of sed character/user to associate anyone together.

Though when I think of a Lightning avatar on the forums, I remember Carl.