CHI '94 Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
The impact of animated interface agents: a review of empirical research
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies
Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet
Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet
Designing social presence of social actors in human computer interaction
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments
Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture
Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
SIGDOC '07 Proceedings of the 25th annual ACM international conference on Design of communication
I, avatar: the culture and consequences of having a second life
I, avatar: the culture and consequences of having a second life
Virtual world professionals and avatar appearance codes
Futureplay '10 Proceedings of the International Academic Conference on the Future of Game Design and Technology
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Avatars are traditionally understood as representing their human counterparts in virtual contexts by incorporating many aspects of a person's real world physical characteristics within the virtual form. An alternate approach, in which avatars are instead imbued with non-human characteristics, challenges the limitations of solely anthropomorphic principles and expands the potential of avatars for virtual world interaction and communication. This paper provides a brief history of non-anthropomorphic avatars, with a focus on exploring the current use of such avatars in virtual worlds. In order to explain the shift in degree of anthropomorphism, we discuss Goffman's theory of symbolic interactionism, which holds that the self is constructed as a persona through social performance and relates identity to social behavior rather than appearance. Since non-anthropomorphic avatars are persistent characters engaged in a prolonged performance in virtual worlds, their use also may motivate emerging social mores, politics and ideologies. This paper argues that such avatar species create new social interactions and modes of communication that may signal interesting directions for future research.