Presenting Identity in a Virtual World through Avatar Appearances

摘要

One of the first tasks that people must do when entering a virtual world (VW) is create a virtual representation for themselves. In many VWs, this means creating an avatar that represents some desired appearance, whether a reflection of one's real life self, or a different identity. We investigate the variety of ways in which people create and evolve avatar appearances in the VW of Second Life~? (SL) through contextual interviews. Our findings reveal that users balance pressures from the societal norms of SL with the need to create an appearance that matches a desired virtual identity. These identity needs differ based on four types of users-Realistics, Ideals, Fantasies, and Roleplayers-where each presents unique challenges for avatar design. Current research tends to focus on the needs of only one of these user types.