Striking a Balance between Property and Personality: The Case of the Avatars

Authors

  • Norberto Nuno Gomes de Andrade European University Institute

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4101/jvwr.v1i3.362

Keywords:

virtual worlds, avatars, property, personality, intellectual property, personhood, virtual property

Abstract

Virtual worlds, as powerful social platforms of intense human interaction, gather millions of users worldwide, producing massive economies of their own, giving rise to the birth of complex social relationships and the formation of virtual communities. By enabling the creativity of the player and figuring as an outstanding example of new online collaborative environments, virtual worlds emerge as context for creation, allowing for users to undertake a digital alter-ego and become artists, creators and authors. Nevertheless, such digital egos are not merely creations, but a reflex of their creators, an extension of their personalities and indicia of their identities. As a result, this paper perceives the avatar not only as a property item (avatar as the player

Author Biography

Norberto Nuno Gomes de Andrade, European University Institute

European University Institute Florence, Italy

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Published

2009-01-17

Issue

Section

Peer Reviewed Research Papers