P O S I T I O N I N G T H E AVATA R

P E R S P E C T I V E , A F F E C T, I N V E S T M E N T

S PA C E W A R !P H O T O C R E D I T: J A S O N E P P I N K H T T P : / / W W W. F L I C K R . C O M / P H O T O S / 3 8 1 0 2 4 9 5 @ N 0 0 / 8 4 2 0 8 8 7 9 1 6 /

F I G U R E S O F T H E AVATA R

• Perspective

• Cursor

• Theology

P E R S P E C T I V E

1 .

AVATA R I S N ’ T P E R S P E C T I V E

• Design problems

• Industry short-hand

• Analytically unsound

• Ignore avatar itself

– B R E N D A N K E O G H

“The puppeteer is both liberated and constrained by the abilities of the puppet.”

C U R S O R

2 .

T H E C U R S O R

• Textual interfaces

• Graphical interfaces

• Visual affordances

• User agency

A T H E O L O G I C A L E C O N O M Y O F T H E AVATA R ?

3 .

A T R I N I T Y O R A PA N T H E O N ?

• Avatar = incarnation

• Player, character, game

• Multiplayer gaming

E V E O N L I N E

H O W T O D O T H I N G S W I T H A VA TA R S

• Design problems

• Construction of agency

• Economics of avatars

P O S I T I O N I N G T H E AVATA R

P E R S P E C T I V E , A F F E C T, I N V E S T M E N T