Avatar (computing)
In
The term avatāra (
Academic research has focused on how avatars can influence the outcomes of communication and digital identity. Users can employ avatars with fictional characteristics to gain social acceptance or ease social interaction. However, studies have found that the majority of users choose avatars that resemble their real-world selves.
Origins
The word
You stand in a throng of multifleshed being, mind avatared in all its matter, on a broad avenue winding through a city of blue trees with bright red foliage and living buildings growing from the soil in a multitude of forms.
The use of the term avatar for the on-screen representation of the user was coined in 1985 by Richard Garriott for the computer game
The use of avatar to mean online virtual bodies was popularised by
The idea of a "virtual reality" such as the Metaverse is by now widespread in the computer-graphics community and is being used in a number of different ways. The particular vision of the Metaverse as expressed in this novel originated from idle discussion between me and Jaime (Captain Bandwidth) Taaffe ... The words avatar (in the sense used here) and Metaverse are my inventions, which I came up with when I decided that existing words (such as virtual reality) were simply too awkward to use ... after the first publication of Snow Crash, I learned that the term avatar has actually been in use for a number of years as part of a virtual reality system called Habitat...in addition to avatars, Habitat includes many of the basic features of the Metaverse as described in this book.[8]
Types and usage
This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2021) |
An avatar can refer to a two-dimensional picture akin to an
Alternatively, avatars can also be
Internet forums
Despite the widespread use of avatars, it is unknown which
The traditional avatar system used on most Internet forums is a small (80x80 to 100x100 pixels, for example) square-shaped area close to the user's forum post, where the avatar is placed in order for other users to easily identify who has written the post without having to read their username. Some forums allow the user to upload an avatar image that may have been designed by the user or acquired from elsewhere. Other forums allow the user to select an avatar from a preset list or use an auto-discovery algorithm to extract one from the user's homepage.
Some avatars are animated, consisting of a sequence of multiple images played repeatedly. In such animated avatars, the number of images as well as the time in which they are replayed vary considerably.[18]
Other avatar systems exist, such as on Gaia Online, WeeWorld, Frenzoo or Meez, where a pixelized representation of a person or creature is used, which can then be customized to the user's wishes.[19] There are also avatar systems (e.g. Trutoon) where a representation is created using a person's face with customized characters and backgrounds.
Another avatar-based system is one wherein an image is automatically generated based on the identity of the poster. Identicons are formed as visually distinct geometric images derived from a digest hash of the poster's IP address or user ID. These serve as a means to associate a particular user with a particular geometric representation. When used with an IP address, a particular anonymous user can be visually identified without the need for registration or authentication. If an account is compromised, a dissimilar identicon will be formed as the attacker is posting from an unfamiliar IP address.[20][21]
Internet chat and messaging
More recently, services such as
Online assistants
Avatars can be used as virtual embodiments of
Such avatars are used by organizations as a part of
Such avatars can also be powered by a digital conversation which provides a little more structure than those using NLP, offering the user options and clearly defined paths to an outcome. This kind of avatar is known as a Structured Language Processing or SLP Avatar.
Video games
Avatars in
In some games, the player's representation is fixed, however many games offer a basic character model, or template, and then allow customization of the physical features as the player sees fit. For example,
Aside from an avatar's physical appearance, its dialogue, particularly in
Many
Nintendo's Wii, 3DS and Switch consoles allow for the creation of avatars called "Miis" that take the form of stylized, cartoonish people and can be used in some games as avatars for players, as in Wii Sports.[30][31] In some games, the ability to use a Mii as an avatar must be unlocked, such as in Mario Kart 8.[32]
In late 2008,
Non-gaming online worlds
Avatars in non-gaming
The earliest avatars of this form were text-based descriptions employed by players within MUDs. These often allowed players to express an identity disparate from their public one within an interactive environment. For instance, LambdaMOO allowed a choice of 11 different genders, which could be changed at the user's will.[14] The visually-based game Habitat also used the term to refer to players within the game world. A later example is Linden Lab's Second Life, which has the player use a custom avatar to interact in a virtual 3D world; after peaking in 2007, its user count declined due to the encroachment of more traditional platforms such as Facebook. More recently, the concept has been combined with virtual reality; VRChat allows the user to interact with other avatars in custom environments, and Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Platforms has promoted it as part of his vision of a metaverse.[37][38]
Many modern virtual worlds provide users with advanced tools to customize their representations, allowing them to change shapes, hair, skins and also genre. Moreover, there is a secondary industry devoted to the creations of products and items for the avatars. Some companies have also launched social networks[39] and other websites for avatars such as Koinup, Myrl, and Avatars United.
Lisa Nakamura has suggested that customizable avatars in non-gaming worlds tend to be biased towards lighter skin colors and against darker skin colors, especially in those of the male gender.
Social media
Another use of the avatar has emerged with the widespread use of
Motion capture
Another form of use for avatars is for video chats/calls. Some services, such as Skype (through some external plugins) allow users to use
Both 3D and 2D avatars have been used in Learning and Development content for education, onboarding, employee training and more. Photorealistic 3D AI avatars have been used as stand-ins for real actors via video editing tools like those made by Synthesia among others.[48]
Miscellaneous
Samsung's
In popular culture
Cartoons and stories sometimes have a character based on their creator, either a fictionalised version (e.g. the Matt Groening character in some episodes of The Simpsons) or an entirely fictional character (e.g. Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series has been said[55] by J. K. Rowling to be based upon herself). Such characters are sometimes[citation needed] known as "author surrogates" or "author avatars".
Customisation
Early examples of customizable avatars include multi-user systems, including MUDs.[56] Gaia Online has a customizable avatar where users can dress it up as desired.[57] Users may earn credits for completing sponsored surveys or certain tasks to purchase items and upgrades to customize their avatar.[58] Linden Lab's Second Life creates a virtual world in which avatars, homes, decorations, buildings and land are for sale.[59] Less-common items may be designed to appear better than common items, and an experienced player may be identified from a group of new characters before in-game statistics are seen.[56]
Generators
To meet the demand for millions of unique, customised avatars, generator tools and services have been created.
Awareness avatars
Some people add visual details or effects to their avatars to show support for a movement or issue, in a similar way to a physical awareness ribbon.
The awareness avatar may have first been used in the New Zealand Internet Blackout, to protest copyright law changes in New Zealand. Globally, protesters replaced their icons with black squares to show solidarity. The protest was successful and proved the method effective at both raising awareness and effecting change. Campaigns have used this method include:
- Black avatar: February 16–23, 2009 New Zealand Internet Blackout protesting copyright law changes in New Zealand.[63]
- Yellow tint: Beginning June 17, 2009, to protest the increasing size and role of the United States government.[64]
- Green tint: Beginning June 18, 2009 support for Iran election protests.[65]
- French flag tint: Beginning November 13, 2015 to show support for France after the November 2015 Paris attacks.[66]
- During the anti-vaccine advocates have used profile frames to state their opposition to it.[68]
- Rainbow patterns to represent membership or solidarity with the LGBT community.[69]
Academic study
Avatars have become an area of study in the world of academics. According to psychiatrist David Brunski, the emergence of online avatars have implications for domains of scholarly research such as
Additionally, researchers have investigated how anthropomorphic representations influence communicative outcomes and found that more human-like representations are judged more favorably; people consider them more attractive, credible, and competent.[j 5] Higher levels of anthropomorphism also lead to higher involvement, social presence, and communication satisfaction.[j 6] Moreover, people communicate more naturally with more anthropomorphic avatars.[j 7] Anthropomorphism is also tied to social influence, as more human-like representations can be more persuasive.[j 8]
For the Harvard Business Review, Paul Hemp analysed the effects of avatars on real-world business. He focuses on the game "Second Life", demonstrating that the creators of virtual avatars are willing to spend real money to purchase goods marketed solely to their virtual selves.[71] In addition, research in data collection via Second Life avatars suggested important considerations related to research participant engagement, burden, and retention, as well as accuracy of the data collected.[72]
Representation of identity
The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication published a study of the reactions to certain types of avatars by a sample group of human users. The results showed that users commonly chose avatars which were humanoid and matched their gender. The conclusion was that in order to make users feel more "at home" in their avatars, designers should maximise the customizability of visual criteria common to humans, such as skin and hair color, age, gender, hair styles and height.[j 9] Researchers at York University studied whether avatars reflected a user's real-life personality.[73] Student test groups were able to infer upon extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, but could not infer upon openness and conscientiousness.[73]
Researchers have also studied avatars that differ from real-life identity.
See also
- Michaelmas (novel) – 1977 Algis Budrys novel
- NECA Project
- Online identity
- Persona (user experience)
- Player character
- Pointman (user interface)
- Proteus effect
- Thumbnail
- Viverse
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Academic sources
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{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of March 2024 (link - S2CID 21235038.
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- .
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Further reading
- Cooper, Robbie 2007. Alter Ego: Avatars and Their Creators. London: Chris Boot. ISBN 978-1-905712-02-1.
- Holzwarth, Martin; Janiszewski, Chris; Neumann, Marcus (2006). "The Influence of Avatars on Online Consumer Shopping Behavior". Journal of Marketing. 70 (4): 19–36. .
- Nowak, K. L.; Fox, J. (2018). "Avatars and Computer-Mediated Communication: A Review of the Definitions, Uses, and Effects of Digital Representations". Review of Communication Research. 6: 30–53. doi:10.12840/issn.2255-4165.2018.06.01.015 (inactive March 7, 2024).)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of March 2024 (link - Sloan, R. J. S., Robinson, B., Cook, M., and Bown, J. (2008). "Dynamic Emotional Expression Choreography: Perception of Naturalistic Facial Expressions". In M. Capey, B. Ip and F. Blastland, editors, SAND Conference Proceedings, Swansea, UK 24–28 November 2008. Swansea Metropolitan University: Swansea.
- Wood, Natalie T.; Solomon, Michael R.; Englis, Basil G. (2005). "Personalization of Online Avatars: Is the Messenger as Important as the Message?". International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising. 2 (1/2): 143–161. .
External links
- Avatars at Curlie