Identity in the Context of Virtual Worlds

     In today's society, many of us have succumbed to the actuality that we might not ever become the pro baseball player we always dreamt of, or the firefighter we emulated as a child.  Some of us, including myself, realized that those dreams were not practical, found our niches, and moved on with our lives.  However, virtual worlds create an outlet for our "boring" everyday lives.  Programs like Second Life and Minecraft allow us to interact with other people anonymously in exotic, exciting landscapes that sure as heck beat our office cube, work truck, or classroom.  

     

     First, I would like to focus on the positive aspects of anonymity in virtual worlds.  Take, for example, myself.  I grew up watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  However, when I came to the realization that I would never fight crime, live off pizza, and live underground, I was disappointed.  However, in Minecraft, I could design my avatar like a ninja (seen below) as an homage to my days of imagining my future with a talking rat as my sensai.  My teammate Greg also had dreams of being a superhero when he grew up, and this came to fruition in Meshmoon when he was able to transform his avatar into a bulked up, cape-wearing, muscleman (2nd screenshot).

     Next, comes my another one of my favorite things in Minecraft and Second Life; the ability to fly.  Although it doesn't have as many personal traits as an avatar itself, it is still something EVERYONE dreams about, but never has the chance to do.  I, myself, STILL have dreams about just fluttering my legs and being able to soar above the clouds.  Finally, my dream came true!

(who else can say they went swimming in Boston in March?)

     Although I believe there are far more pros to anonymity in virtual worlds, there are also plenty of downfalls.  For example, in my exploration of Second Life, I ran into some pretty vulgar commenters and even some nude avatars.  I now know how to avoid places like that for the future, but as a newbie (which I was at the time), I didn't know what I was in for.  Some discretion is definitely recommended, especially for younger browsers.  

     All in all, I believe that anonymity and the ability to be essentially whoever/whatever you want to be in virtual worlds is a good thing.  There are far too many judgmental stigmas attached to people nowadays, even just after a quick glance.  But tools like Meshmoon, Minecraft, and Second Life allow people to introduce themselves to the world as what he/she WANTS to be.  Not only is this pretty darn cool, I believe the therapeutic benefits are countless.