02.+Avatars+and+Identity

=Avatars and Identity in Virtual Worlds=

Ducheneaut, N., and Moore, R. J. (2004). "Let me get my alt: digital identiti(es) in multiplayer games." Position paper for the CSCW2004 workshop on Representation of Digital Identities. November 6, 2004, Chicago, IL. [[|PDF]] Summary of findings:

Massively multiplayer role-playing games (MMORPGs),such as EverQuest or Star Wars Galaxies, allow players to create multiple avatars of different personas. The gamers routinely switch between avatars during the game to form a balanced group. This practice in games present several identity management issues, especially across multiple games.

1. Switching. One problem within a single game environment is that a player can use only one avatar at a time. To switch to another avatar the gamer has to log out and log back in again as the new avatar. This method of persona switching is cumbersome and disruptive to the flow of the game.

The authors recommend that game developers provide a way of transitioning avatars on the spot, and instead of changing full figure, the avatars would be changed by wearing different masks.

2. Relationships and continuity. A second problem is the multiple avatars belonging to the same individual reflect no relationships to each other based other physical appearance, which makes it impossible to know which avatars belong to the same player unless one witnesses the message posted by the one who is switching "Let me get my alt". This practice makes it necessary to rebuild relationships from scratch unnecessarily.

The authors suggest the use of family of avatars instead of unrelated avatars. The family members would share physical characteristics. The first avatar would be the elder, the next ones the sons and daughters, etc. This way it would be easier to identify who each avatar family belongs to and to maintain the proper accumulation of social status or reputation by the owner of the avatar family.

3. Experience and continuity. The third problem is the lack of proper reflection of gaming experience, which is especially problematic to maintain via multiple unrelated avatars and across different games. The authors recommend tying physical characteristics of experience to gaming skills, such as aging of the character or the use of scars and tattoos.

It is important to relate multiple avatars belonging to the same individual by using some shared physical characteristics to reflect relationship and experience discussed in this research paper. The physycal appearance of my current SL avatar reflects neither my real life appearance or SL experience. I am wondering when I re-design my avatar should I apply my real life experience or my SL experience on my avatar. Currently, I only have one avatar in SL, but in the case I use multiple avatars, I will definetly try to make them relate to each other or I use the same body with various outfits. media type="custom" key="8184236"

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