Post # 13, Pearce, Raena is a Man (and so is Leshan and Teddy)

I decided to focus this blog on part 4 of Pearce's book because, to be quite honest, it was the drama of multiple events she details that kept me even remotely interested. Pearce makes this comment in the section, I, Avatar:

"Some people think that inhabiting an online world is a way of escaping from yourself; others think it is a way of escaping from others. This is not the case; not in my case, and certainly not in the cases of those I study. Being an avatar means exploring the self  as much as it means exploring others; more specifically, it measn exploring the self through others." (215)

Man or Woman?

I do agree partially with Pearce in that inhabiting an online world isn't always about escapism, but exploration. However, it is also just as much about escapism for some people. Some people can only feel free to be who they really are in a place that offers anonymity and/or encourages self-expression like online worlds. To that effect, gender benders have long found refuge in online worlds, as evidenced by Artemesia's friends, Leshan, Teddy, and Raena. I have always been intrigued by gender roles and the implications they have on individuals in both their real lives and their in-game lives. As a bisexual African-American male with friends and acquaintances that are predominantly from a different race, I tend to see things from multiple perspectives at once; for instance, when my heterosexual male friends do or say something insensitive that sparks the ire of their girlfriends or wives, it usually falls on me to point out to them where they went wrong and how they can make amends and avoid a similar situation again. Likewise, when my female friends come to me complaining that they're not able to get through to their husbands and boyfriends, I can usually point out the flaws in their approaches that hinder their progress. So when Pearce details the account of Raena coming out as a man in real life, I was intrigued by the reaction that she and other members of the community had.

We typically want people to behave a certain way, and a large part of this expected behavior is determined by gender. In an online world like the one Pearce was a member of, people also have expectations and preferences for gender behavior When Pearce found out that Raena was a man named Steve in real life, she said she didn't really care about the revelation. However, when Steve created a male avatar named Raenen and started playing the game with this avatar, Pearce noted that she was not receptive to this change. In fact, most members of the group weren't fond of Raenen, even though it was a truer representation of who was behind the Raena/Raenen persona. Conversely, Leshan, though a man in real life, felt that having a female avatar in-game was a truer representation of who he was, and though he eventually started talking with his natural male voice as opposed to using gender-neutral texts, he kept his avatar female.

Another thing I found interesting in section IV was Leesa and Revelations's wedding. I'm not convinced that in-game weddings are valid due to legal issues and the potential for "digital adultery," but that is irrelevant. The fact that they take place is what's important. It is amazing to me how every aspect of real life becomes duplicated in these meta-worlds. Pearce even mentions another character, Zaire, who has had 3 in-game divorces because her game-spouses wanted to meet her in real life. This is where I feel escapism is a large part of even Pearce's community, though she makes a point of denying so.


Questions:

1) Do you think in-game marriages should be permitted?

2) Mark Zuckerberg's sister is making a push for the eradication of online anonymity in order to combat digital bullying. Taking characters like Raena and Leshan into consideration, do you think this is a good idea?

3) It is interesting to me how people are allowed to create multiple personas within game worlds. However, when we find out that someone is not who we really think they are in real life, we react with feelings of anger and distrust. Considering all that we have learned about the depth and validity on play-communities, why is it acceptable to take on alternate personas in a game-world and not in real life?