Over the years, the digital culture has expanded to a much larger platform for everyday consumers to interact with. Our relationship with virtual reality has triggered heated debates regarding the the negative impacts on our congenital skills and blurring our discrimination between fantasy and reality. This ties in the affiliation of creating a digital self, a kind of avatar, which speaks volume of about ourselves as an individual. Scholars, such as Zach Waggoner, explored this relationship in his book My Avatar, My Self: Identity in Video Role-Playing Games. Waggoner identifies that there are many layers to this idea of a virtual self, and has a potential negative effect on the individual.
As an avid gaming enthusiast, I do not view the …show more content…
The creation of persona, depending on the game, allows the individual to experience a more limitless choice than what reality offers. In the article, Online identity Construction, written by Deigo G. Pinto, they interviewed an ex-gamer, code named J, regarding his online persona. J “construct[ed] a Tauren avatar, an upright, very strong,” who was very different from his actual profile, and said “how the avatar helps him to construct a persona he would like to be.” This allows J a chance of self-expression, and to see himself in a different lighting: a “stronger” and “upright” individual. Furthermore, one’s passion can still be reflected through the offline community, and it can be as simple as wearing a League of Legend T-shirt to express your love for the game. People can recognize your interest and engage offline with your shared …show more content…
Cosplay is a term adapted from the combination of “costume” and “play” where people essentially dress up as his or her favorite character from any two-dimensional realm (video games, animations, comics, and TV shows). In the article "Cosplay": Imaginative Self and Performing Identity, written by Osmud Rahman, he described this culture as “ a theatrical performance with high-involvement consumption.” Being apart of this community, I can bring a persona to life, which requires physical work such as sewing, wig styling, makeup, and essentially role-playing the character. Cosplayers then attend conventions, like the New York Comic con, as a chance to display their masterpiece and engage with other artists. To have a virtual avatar is not limited to what is displayed on the screen; rather, there are other sub-cultures that explores an even more creative exploration of the fantasy
As an avid gaming enthusiast, I do not view the …show more content…
The creation of persona, depending on the game, allows the individual to experience a more limitless choice than what reality offers. In the article, Online identity Construction, written by Deigo G. Pinto, they interviewed an ex-gamer, code named J, regarding his online persona. J “construct[ed] a Tauren avatar, an upright, very strong,” who was very different from his actual profile, and said “how the avatar helps him to construct a persona he would like to be.” This allows J a chance of self-expression, and to see himself in a different lighting: a “stronger” and “upright” individual. Furthermore, one’s passion can still be reflected through the offline community, and it can be as simple as wearing a League of Legend T-shirt to express your love for the game. People can recognize your interest and engage offline with your shared …show more content…
Cosplay is a term adapted from the combination of “costume” and “play” where people essentially dress up as his or her favorite character from any two-dimensional realm (video games, animations, comics, and TV shows). In the article "Cosplay": Imaginative Self and Performing Identity, written by Osmud Rahman, he described this culture as “ a theatrical performance with high-involvement consumption.” Being apart of this community, I can bring a persona to life, which requires physical work such as sewing, wig styling, makeup, and essentially role-playing the character. Cosplayers then attend conventions, like the New York Comic con, as a chance to display their masterpiece and engage with other artists. To have a virtual avatar is not limited to what is displayed on the screen; rather, there are other sub-cultures that explores an even more creative exploration of the fantasy