Animated game pieces, avatars as roles, tools and props

Since Turkle’s seminal work Life on the screen (1995), avatars have been described as a form of alter egos, being means for exploring and playing with identity. Following this line of reasoning, computer gaming is seen as an activity where we become immersed in a fictitious world, pretending to be the character we play. Drawing upon empirical observations of children’s game-play I argue that the relation between the avatar and the player is a more multifaceted affair. The meanings of avatars depend upon how they are framed by the player, thus they can have at least three different functions. Avatars can become roles for socio-dramatic interaction. As extensions of the player’s agency, avatars can become tools for handling the game state. Finally when choosing and using avatars in the presence of others, avatars can become a part of our identity, not as alter egos but as props for our presentation of self on the social arena surrounding the game.