Challenge #6 Response: Avatar and Identity
Jacek Antonelli has posted the latest challenge in our not-a-meme blog game.
Jacek Lives - Blog Archive - Challenge #6: Avatar and Identity
Jacek asks "Personally, do you consider your avatar an extension of yourself, or a character you control?"
I'll note that Mera Pixel has already responded as have others in Jacek's comments section rather than in their own blogs.
I do not associate Dolmere with my RL self in any way at all. I usually try to be politic in calling Second Life a platform or a virtual world rather than a game in my writing but in my perception I believe I treat it more like a game than anything else. I do not attribute emotions or behavior to my avatar, etc.
I think SL is a bit more of a big IRC style chat room with occasionally neat visuals to me than the other way around. As such I don't associate with the avatars, the representations of self, as much as I do with the written word itself. That's not to say I'm observant - I couldn't pick out someone's alt by their typing style if you hit me with a wet trout and shouted "they're the same!".
Am I rambling again?
I look at my avatar as something that I control. I won't go so far as to say character. I suppose the skeleton is in fact a bit of a character in its own right as a cartoon or comic strip has a recurring character.
I've talked to Travis in the past about the idea of being wed to an appearance. People rather expect to see Travis the Brian dog when they se him in-world as I guess people expect to see a skeleton when I'm in-world. I happen to like the skeleton so I enjoy leaving that look. I'm also lazy so changing appearance and explaining it is beyond me.
OK, I guess that's more than one should say on the subject. Have fun out there folks and feel free to join in by replying to the not-a-meme challenges on your very own blog! Just send a trackback ping and/or post a comment with the URL of your response to the challenge entry.
Comments
Gee I wanted to say Dol's avi and his real life resemblence was only skin deep, but, then I realized that for Dol it doesn't have anything to do with skin :) My predictable response is at http://dixiestarr.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Dixie Starr | March 7, 2007 09:34 PM
Coal's response is here: http://www.lovelymachine.com/blog/2007/03/i_dont_have_antennae_in_real_l.html
Posted by: Dolmere Talamasca![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.lovelymachine.com/Dolmere/nav-commenters.gif)
|
March 11, 2007 01:24 PM