Difference between revisions of "Avatar"
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The word '''Avatar''' is derived from the Sanskrit word ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar avatāra]'', meaning descent; in Hindu mythology an avatar is a human manifestation of a Celestial or Supreme being. The word refers to descending from the celestial realm to Earth but its usage in the gaming world is similarly different. | The word '''Avatar''' is derived from the Sanskrit word ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar avatāra]'', meaning descent; in Hindu mythology an avatar is a human manifestation of a Celestial or Supreme being. The word refers to descending from the celestial realm to Earth but its usage in the gaming world is similarly different. | ||
Revision as of 21:16, 19 May 2007
The word Avatar is derived from the Sanskrit word avatāra, meaning descent; in Hindu mythology an avatar is a human manifestation of a Celestial or Supreme being. The word refers to descending from the celestial realm to Earth but its usage in the gaming world is similarly different.
An avatar, in the gaming world is the digital representation of a player of a video game. Just like a God was said to change his or her form to descend, and interact in the mortal realm, 'controllers' are able to transcend their physical form, using an avatar, to explore digitally created worlds. A player interacts with these digital worlds by controlling the actions of his or her avatar.
Controller's avatars do not necessarily represent the self or a human being in a digital world. The appearance of an avatar depends heavily on the technology that powers the world. The controller develops a bond with the avatar after investing time exploring the world and by collecting items which adds character to the avatars. In an objective driven world such as Enter The Matrix or World Of Warcraft these items increase the success rate of the objective. The commodification of these items add to the complexity of interaction between the player and controller, through the maturation of the avatar.
Different games offer wide varieties of options to customise the appearance of an avatar. Some, like Second Life, allow the user a humanoid base with a wide range of customisations from hairdo to shoes, from lenghts of arms and legs, to nose and torso. Other games like World of Warcraft have different variations of characters from fantasy, myth and fiction. Avatars in some games are restricted to specific characters of the story of the world. The advantage of variety is that it allows users to interact on a higher level with the game world because they are more personally attached to their avatars.
The controllers inadvertently, or purposefuly customise their avatars with fantasizations of human characteristics; these may or may not be reflective of themselves.They get attached to this digital object because of this.
