Sometimes the player merely selects the items from various lists (the most common format for videogames featuring this), while other programs allow the player to click, drag and drop the costume elements directly from the wardrobe onto the character. The paper doll programs themselves come in several formats, such as Flash games that can be played on a Web browser, or full programs that must be installed onto the user's computer before it may be used.
Either way, expect Changing Clothes Is a Free Action. When it's not a game, it could be for avatars in online communities. This is often a way to customize the character, even if it's just a cosmetic feature. Any time a video game or computer program that lets you change clothes a character is wearing, which usually requires just changing the graphics, so it's like changing the clothes on a paper doll.
