Avatars, AVs, Toons, Monsters from the Id - call them what you will, these ego extensions we fabricate and launch into virtual universes project our curiosity, playfulness, needs, and desires for how we might wish to seem or be seen as. But how much of the person behind the avatar comes through? Is it always a case self made over: bigger, badder, blonder, or leaner? Or do we rather project ourselves into a famous icon or assume mythical proportions?
If you've never found yourself wondering who the person is behind the masque, I would say you're in the minority. For those of us who don't mind a peek behind the pixels, HERE is said peek, briefly done, courtesy of the New York Times. For myself, I found the image of the 80-hour hero particularly touching. It is a good reminder why the ability to leave self behind and be judged for who we wish to be rather than how others might see us is one of the great equalizing benefits of these new virtual realms. Why not fly where our dreams dare take us?
The above photos are part of Alter Ego: Avatars and Their Creators, a book by Robbie Cooper and Tracy Spaight, published just this June. Cooper and Spaight were interviewed by the Wall Street Journal about the book, providing a few more shots in that piece as well.
If you've never found yourself wondering who the person is behind the masque, I would say you're in the minority. For those of us who don't mind a peek behind the pixels, HERE is said peek, briefly done, courtesy of the New York Times. For myself, I found the image of the 80-hour hero particularly touching. It is a good reminder why the ability to leave self behind and be judged for who we wish to be rather than how others might see us is one of the great equalizing benefits of these new virtual realms. Why not fly where our dreams dare take us?
The above photos are part of Alter Ego: Avatars and Their Creators, a book by Robbie Cooper and Tracy Spaight, published just this June. Cooper and Spaight were interviewed by the Wall Street Journal about the book, providing a few more shots in that piece as well.
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