I, Avatar: The Culture and Consequences of Having a Second Life (New Riders) 1st Edition

by Mark Stephen Meadows (Author)

19 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0321533395

ISBN-10: 9780321533395

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What is an avatar? Why are there nearly a billion of them, and who is using them? Do avatars impact our real lives, or are they just video game conceits? Is an avatar an inspired rendering of its creators inner self, or is it just one among millions of anonymous vehicles clogging the online freeways? Can we use our avatars to really connect with people, or do they just isolate us? And as we become more like our avatars do they become more like us?

In I, Avata r, Mark Stephen Meadows answers some of these questions, but more importantly, he raises hundreds of others in his exploration of avatars and the fascinating possibilities they hold. His examination of avatars through the lenses of sociology, psychology, politics, history, and art, he will change the way you look at even a simple online profile and revolutionize the idea of avatars as part of our lives, whether first or second.

About the Author

Mark Stephen Meadows (known in the virtual world as Pighed) is an artist, writer, and engineer with 15 years experience in interactive media. Founder of both HeadCase Humanufacturing (dedicated to developing tools to create intelligent, autonomous avatars) and Echo & Shadow, he also spent time at Xerox-PARC, Stanford Research Institute, and The Waag. The author of Pause and Effect (New Riders, 2003) he helped build the third commercial web server (1992), the first open-protocol 3D multi-user environment (1997), and has won awards such as the Ars Electronica Golden Nica and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum's highest honors. Based in L.A., Mark speaks at universities and conferences worldwide.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0321533399
Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Riders Pub; 1st edition (January 1, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780321533395
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0321533395
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 0.25 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,607,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #805 in Computer Graphics
- #1,551 in Graphics & Multimedia Programming
- #2,048 in Web Design (Books)

Customer Reviews:
19 ratings

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Customer reviews

5 star		54%
4 star		6%
3 star		29%
2 star		11%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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One Lonely Sister

Great story of a man's virtual journey

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 5, 2016

Verified Purchase

I read this for my master's and found it to be quite a surprise. Unlike other books, this was personal and engaging. It was more than a collection of statistics or dry recollections of other research. This was real. It made me take a closer look at my life as an avatar. I highly recommend this book for everyone who ponders about the increasing use of avatars and virtual living.

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Amazon Customer

Good content-mediocre display

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 10, 2008

Verified Purchase

I like the way he describes and explains the avatar experience from a non-academic or overly technical perspective. Only 37 pages in and I've noticed at least 3 serious typos. Forgiving I am in the digital realm but if you're going to make me pay for print, it be nice if all the sentences made sense.

3 people found this helpful

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Bosley

Interesting Book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 23, 2013

Verified Purchase

Interesting book with lots of cool pictures! I had to get this for a class but I ended up actually enjoying it. I read some of it to my boyfriend and he also thought it was really interesting and unique.

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seldombites

Longer than needed

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 14, 2011

Verified Purchase

Fun to read but ultimately a waste of time because the author takes an entire book to write what could have been written in just three or four pages.

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Anna Mendoza

Interesting

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 28, 2014

Verified Purchase

Very interesting stories. Some came to life in my life unfortunately.

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S. Lister

Interesting book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 7, 2012

Verified Purchase

It was very interesting book and helpful for a class I am currently taking. The book does help to explain Second Life and other virtual world social sites.

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denisediamonds4u

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

a good read.

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Sharon

The Self That Splits From Self

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 23, 2009

I Avatar is a very useful addition to the books I already have on Second Life (Wagner James Au's and Tim Guest's foremost among them) and takes a different tack - looking at the implications of recreating our virtual selves on the screen. How is it that we feel so emotionally bound to this collection of pixels? How do they come to represent our real life selves? What aspects of our own personality split off from us? How do we manage our relationships with our other selves and with those we come into contact with in the metaverse? What cultures will we find there, and how do they evolve? The answers are both fascinating and important as millions of us are making the migration - choosing to live simultaneously on both sides of the computer screen, committing time and energy to building a virtual life. Meadows writes honestly of his experiences and highlights both the positive aspects of immersion in this new world - and also the darker side, including forced slavery, griefers and stalkers.

The glossiness of the book bumped up the price of the book considerably. But I appreciate having the illustrations which (quite rightly) pay homage to some of the great characters that Meadows befriended in the virtual world. The avatar he creates for himself is quite awesome!

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I, Avatar: The Culture and Consequences of Having a Second Life (New Riders) 1st Edition

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