Avatar…The Future of You?
November 23rd, 2009
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.
Related posts on Avatars:
Calling all Avatars
Avatar: A New Addition to Mankind
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