The translation for avatar is ‘a form of self’- does your avatar really resemble you down to a “tee?”
When entering virtual worlds I have seen customized avatars from
robots to pandas and just about everything in between, each one a
very unique representation of oneself. Avatar Customization
(clothing, body proportions, hair and eye color, etc.) seems to be
more and more prevalent nowadays and all too often virtual worlds
are largely judged by the robustness of avatar customization
options and features.
Should the 'virtual you' mimic 'the real life you?' Will the
upcoming 'Avatar' movie change the perception of how people view
avatars? What kind of name does the movie, Avatar, give the real
avatar in context to a virtual world? Obviously, if someone is not
familiar with an avatar character in relation to use within a
virtual world one will get the wrong perception. So many questions
around an avatar: Can humans really relate to an avatar? A digital
rendering- is it realistic enough? Customization- is it really that
important? Seriously, how important is it to be able to customize
your avatar?
Virtual worlds, social networking sites and video customization
are allowing some form of customization to your own and unique
profile. As an example some of the faces on the Evolver website
reminded me of watching America's Most Wanted (except for the
ranking of most dangerous to society). One thing is for sure, I
don't see myself as wandering around a virtual world clad in an
itsy, bitsy, teeny, weenie polka dot bikini anytime soon as
pictured on the Evolver home page. The program allows you to share
your customized avatar with friends on social networks such as:
Facebook, MySpace, Blogger and Friendster.
In recent news was an article describing how many businesses
will begin adopting dress codes for avatars that are utilized by
company employees. According to Gartner "The company
predicts that by year-end 2013, 70 percent of businesses will have
behavior guidelines and dress codes established for all employees
who have avatars associated with the organization."
Understandably, companies don't want their established name and
reputation to be associated with a trashy avatar.
The future of avatars for virtual worlds is promising; I see
many more customizing options becoming available soon with wicked
realism to actual individuals. As for the term 'Avatar,' time will
tell as to whether or not the Hollywood movie will change the
general public's perception of what an avatar is.
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