Embodiment and Gender Identity in Virtual Worlds: Reconfiguring our “Volatile Bodies”

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Since the emergence of graphical virtual worlds, such as Second Life™ (Linden Lab 2003) and Entropia Universe™ (MindArk 2003), the creation of our Second Lives in cyberspace no longer relies predominantly on textbased means, as it was in the case of MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons) or MOOs (object oriented MUDs). The focus of the online existence in VWs (virtual worlds) shifted from text-based descriptions to graphical representations of ourselves as avatars and of the virtual reality surrounding us. The customization of our virtual personas (choosing the name, adjusting body parts, and selecting clothes) entails above all gender specifi cation. As it turns out, coexisting in virtual communities as avatars, the majority of us seem to project an equivalent of reality onto our cyber bodies. Despite the fact that the Internet itself constitutes a fl exible tool, which could be used to implement revolutionary ideas contradicting stable and fi xed gender boundaries, the traditionally defi ned gender identity based on binary oppositions (male versus female; heterosexual versus homosexual) is still being reinforced online. We are more likely to fi ll the virtual worlds with unusual objects or imaginary scenery than to populate them with gender ambiguous creatures. Oftentimes, in the most fantastic virtual spaces, our avatar’s gender identity constitutes the most stable point of reference.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCreating Second Lives : Community, Identity and Spatiality as Constructions of the Virtual
EditorsAstrid Ensslin, Eben Muse
Number of pages25
Place of PublicationNew York
PublisherRoutledge Taylor & Francis Group
Publication date09.05.2011
Pages75-99
ISBN (Print)978-0-415-88420-4
ISBN (Electronic)9780203828571
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 09.05.2011
Externally publishedYes