Analysis on Alter Egos: Avatars and Their Creators

     In the article Alter Egos: Avatars and Their Creators, Julian Dibbell writes about how he created an avatar in an online game and went on many adventures with his character.  This article also includes a few other individuals and their avatars.  The point of the article is to show how individuals create avatars for themselves that reflect their personalities and show us about their identities and how each individual sees themselves.  For example, one man from South Korea created an avatar for himself that is depicted as a little girl.  He claims that people are more likely to trade with this avatar than an avatar that looks like an old man.  Another man, who is handicapped, created himself an avatar that is robotic looking and is completely capable of doing things that the creator is not capable of doing because of his disability.  This particular avatar depicts what the creator wants to be, a capable person without physical disabilities.  A third example that was given is of a woman who made an avatar of man so she wouldn't be flirted with while playing online games.  She wants other gamers to see her as tough and recognize her gaming skills.