Vocab Term: Avatar

Definition: The digital representation of self. This digital representation is then placed into a simulated virtual space that represents a digital world with its own set of rules and causalities. The avatar is completely controlled by the user.

Source: Whatever agency the user has is presented through their avatar. Avatars strictly involve humanoid-like qualities, and can’t be represented by digital objects like tanks or airplanes. In many ways, there is a requirement of some means of customization in order to reflect user preferences. “A stronger definition of an avatar would be the graphical representation of a user of digital media product functioning as a focus for the user’s agency within a virtual world” (Liboriussen 38).

Commentary: One challenge that game designers have involves trying to make gamers feel as though they’re the protagonist while also having an interesting narrative. Unsurprisingly, for game designers it’s quite difficult to have the best of both worlds. Providing players with a vast sea of choices for the purposes of providing an “avatar” related experience often gets in the way of certain narrative driven components. For the purposes of Digital Humanities, it’s often important to have certain restrictions in terms of user input. The freedom that an avatar imposes is more associated with escapism, and so any narrative device that might reflect some attribute about the real-world ends up being a challenge to communicate.

Liboriussen, Bjarke. “Avatar” The Johns Hopkins Guide to Digital Media, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.