Your Second Selves: Avatar Designs and Identity Play

Authors

Y. B. Kafai
Deborah A. Fields, Utah State UniversityFollow
M. S. Cook

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Games and Culture

Volume

1

Issue

5

Publication Date

2010

First Page

23

Last Page

42

Abstract

Avatars in online games and worlds are seen as players’ key representations in interactions with each other. In this article, we investigate the avatar design and identity play within a large-scale tween virtual world called Whyville.net, with more than 1.5 million registered players of ages 816. One unique feature of Whyville is the players’ ability to customize their avatars with various face parts and accessories, all designed and sold by other players in Whyville. Our findings report on the expressive resources available for avatar construction, individual tween players’ choices and rationales in creating their avatars, and online postings about avatar design in the community at large. With the growing interest in player-generated content for online worlds such as Second Life, our discussion will address the role of avatars in identity play and self-representation as well as the social issues that arise within the game world.

Recommended Citation

Kafai, Y. B., Fields, D.A., & Cook, M. S. (2010). Your second selves: Avatar designs and identity play. Games and Culture, (Special Issue) 5(1), 23-42.