wrote: I preordered the game, played a bit in 2013 when it was released, but I shelved it until a few months ago. I definitely recall the avatar working back then, but find myself on this thread now after months of frustration due to the blue question mark. I get that this game is old news, but I still think it’s pretty sad EA can’t just make this simple fix for those of us who continue to play the game.
I wish had a better answer, but none of the conventional wisdom has worked for me to this point. In case it helps you, make sure your avatar is chosen under your account at EA.com. Login > Choose Account Settings > Edit Avatar
I have wondered if a full uninstall / reinstall would work, since it's downloading everything the first time, but have not tried that option myself. If you want to try it, follow the steps to Uninstall Origin The Hard Way. Then make sure your avatar is set on EA.com, and reinstall Origin and then SimCity. If you go this route, please let us know if it helps.
Happy Building!