In the first part of Meadows he points out the many uses of avatars, and gives his interpretation of their purposes and features.
In What it is, Part One: Mario, The Sims and World of Warcraft, he establishes what avatars are and how they can vary depending on the game type. I think he makes a lot of good points and I agree with him that in each game, the avatars are completely different because they are set up to do different things. Mario and Luigi are basic avatars and I feel like they are basic because anyone can play the game and it may be more geared towards younger generations. The Simms avatars are a little more complex because they can do more things and interact with other players. Meadows then makes the claim that the World of Warcraft avatars are the most complex because the player can control what they do. They may be complex but I have also read, in a part in the course pack that they weren’t as complex because you could only choose from certain features and not necessarily customize them to a players wants. I think it just depends on what you want to accomplish which should determine which avatar is the most complex. I also thought it was interesting how he broke down that the most complex avatars had the least amount of players.
In What it is Part Two: The Three White Girls from YouTube Meadows looks at the social aspects of avatars and how they can both be on the border of fact and fiction. He comments on how three girls from YouTube broadcast themselves but in actuality they are not themselves but acting as sort of “imposters” because they aren’t these people but are personified as such. An avatar is a representation of something and these girls in a sense are avatars because they represent a type of person who could exist, but are made up. I think Meadows makes a valid point to say that these are avatars.
In What it is, Part Three: A Point of View, Meadows points out the purpose of point of view when it pertains to avatars. This refers to the way people perceive avatars and to what extent the players are involved. there are first-person dimensions, like that in shooter games such as Halo. I haven’t played Halo, but I think that this dimension is good because the player can connect with the avatar because they see everything from their angle and it becomes more real. I also like the use of second-person avatar where the player in a sense “hovers” above the avatar and we can see what they are doing and control it. I have played World of Warcraft a little and started with the Simms and I think ti’s good to be able to see the characters and in these games you can give them different camera angles and change the perspectives.
In What it is, Part Four: A Simple Character, Meadows talks about how avatars are just really a simple character because they really only have a profile and a name or a picture. The complexity of the avatar comes from the people who establish these. They are responsible for their intentions, actions, and personalities. Avatars are building blocks for people to express themselves. Avatars allow people to become different people or personalities, and serve as a way of communicating throughout the cyberspace.
