Who Are You? [part one]

Day 1,400, 18:16 • Published in USA USA • by Elizabeth Clift Bacon

You like me! You really like me!

Dateline : Tuesday September 20 (Day 1400)

Before getting down to business, I must pause to thank you all so very much for your support.
Starting a newspaper with so many subscribers even before the first publication, then seeing my Introductory edition rock the ratings chart, it's all very encouraging. Thank you.


Who Are You?

This seemingly simple query actually poses several questions. Being a research analyst I cannot help but to break it down and categorize the data, then reassemble it in some sort of cohesive and palatable manner.

We identify ourselves in game, we develop a self image both verbally/textually and visually, which may or may not be like our real selves.
We choose a game name. Our real name? A cartoon name? An historical figure? A hero, or a villain? Why? Why am I Libby Bacon, and why are you Angelini or Cyber Witch or IstLtHawkeye?
We choose a central image for our avatars. Our own photo? A photo that is in line with the cartoon or real or fictional character name we've chosen, or something else entirely?
Many of us are members of groups-- Military organizations, Political Parties... Do we "wear the standard uniform" or do we alter it, or even wear it at all? How do we combine the main image with the uniform? And, why? What about the additional trappings of membership? Logos for the sub-group within the main group, or rank designations.. do we sport those, or not, and either way... why?

Now, these are only the "first impression" images we project-- our name is seen by everyone all sorts of ways, our avatars are seen large and small and even teeny tiny as they scroll across the battle screen. We have declared ourselves to be This Person with This Name and I Look Like This.
Do we do this to be popular, to generate some automatic positive response from everyone who encounters our name and avatar? "Look at me! I'm in the [Military group] and deserve respect for achieving [this Rank designation] in it, and I'm a fan of [this Anime Show] and dig it so much that I even named myself [Anime Character]! Hey, everyone, like me because I'm like you and I like the same things you do!"
Or do we choose something totally personal, and don't care if anyone else really "gets it" or likes me automatically on first sight? "Yeah, whatever, I dig [This Character] and you'll just have to get to know me before you decide to like or dislike me."

Which would bring us to the "second impression" that we project, the character we develop and things we say and how we conduct ourselves... what others encounter once they get past our name and avatar and actually engage us.
Are we in game as we are in the real world, or is our personality made up, or do we play in game the cartoon or TV character we've chosen? Or are we some mix in game of what we are in life and what we are now free to pretend to be?

Obviously, the seemingly simple question, "Who are you?" is not so easy that we can just blast off a quick one-line answer. We are not two-dimensional, as we appear on screen. We are real people out here, absorbing information through a monitor, clacking away at our keyboards. We are complex, multi-faceted personalities, with a need to project ourselves, or something, to others.
We need to connect with someone!

This series will explore the How and Why of this thing we do, and rest assured no matter how deep we dig we will only scratch the surface. It is my intent to open this to serious thought and discussion, so we might learn to know each other, and maybe ourselves, better.



My own visual presentation is easy:
I'm Custer's RL gal, so I chose the RL Custer's gal as my game identity. Originally, I simply used a late 19th century photo of the RL Libby Bacon. My current avatar tells everyone that I'm a member of the USMilitary's Training Corps, with the Libby pic overlaid in the lower left corner. I don't also display the logo of my political Party, or my military rank, simply because I don't like clutter.



Clorofila's avatar is also pretty simple, but in it she displays a bit of individual personality.
We see the standard USMilitary avatar, with the USMarines' logo in the lower right corner. Her center image, though, is where we find a glimpse of the person behind the keyboard.
"I love Amazons. I admire that quality of being warriors. I feel I struggle somehow in life, nothing was easy for me and I had a couple of achievements. My avatar is an Amazon, then. And there's some kind of mystery in those characters, too."
You have the standard USMil frame, with the USMC logo. that image really is strong, isn't it? No "sexy kitten" stuff.
"Not at all. Libby, most of these teens like talking about sex and being hot, and it's just disgusting."
Where is that image from?
It's from an Argentinian cartoonist, now living in Spain. His name is Ciruelo.


Now here's an interesting study, many players will immediately recognize her old avatar.


Angelini is a highly respected player whose achievements in game are great and many. Her current avatar sports the uniform of a USAF Special Forces soldier, with the main image being a funny photo lifted from an internet image search. Dog lover? Maybe, but the photo simply struck her as funny and she laughs every time she sees it. So do I.
Okay, so that works, but why the change? Her old avatar was a variation of the USMilitary frame with Jessica Simpson superimposed, the young actress wearing a very patriotic bikini top and dog tags. Angelini was recognized by this avatar for a long time, and she could have easily taken the hot babe image with her to the USAF when she transferred over. Why dump the babe?
In our IRC chat, Angelini told me, "While I used to have a Jessica Simpson avatar, I didn't want to be like a lot of the guys who play who use "hot girl" pics for their avatars."
So you made a conscious and purposeful decision to change your presentation of self... to move away from the hot, sexy chick pic image.. and chose fun and silly instead.
"Yeah, that sums up what I was going for pretty well."
This is interesting. Now I wonder about others' perception of you, how you are perceived and treated since the image change. Obviously, many players have known you a long time. I wonder if any of them act differently toward you without the sexy image. I wonder about new people you meet, if you notice any difference in their initial approach. I don't recall you ever going the over-the-top route of "hey, look at me, I'm so hot, look at my sexy self, pay attention to me!" as others have.
"That's true, I sometimes joke about the fact that I'm female, but I've never seriously tried to use the fact that I'm female to do anything in this game. Honestly, I've found it to be annoying once people figure it out.
With a number of people it becomes, 'show me your boobs', 'tits or didn't happen', 'Let's cyber'."
Do you get less of that now with the funny dog avatar?
"I don't know if it was changing the avatar that did it, but no, thinking on it, I haven't had as many of those comments."


Well, my self-imposed deadline just passed and this edition is already becoming a bit tl;dr, so let's call it good for now and pick this up in a few days.
As you see, we're just barely exploring around the edges of only one aspect of the question, "Who are you?" so we have a long journey ahead of us.

Always and forever, your friend,

Elizabeth "Libby" Clift Bacon



"Who Are You?"
http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/who-are-you-part-one--1866970/1/20
The journey begins.