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The Faces Behind the Avatars

by Tim Stevens on June 19, 2007 at 10:02 AM



If you've ever played a Massively Multiplayer Online game such as 'Everquest' or 'Second Life,' you've probably noticed that just about every male avatar is rippling with muscle and every female -- well -- fills out her chrome armor in all the right places. The people behind the digital representations themselves can't be quite so polished, right? The answer, of course, is yes, and the NY Times has a pictoral to prove it.

The 16 images shown are selections from the new book 'Alter Ego: Avatars and Their Creators' by Robbie Cooper, and show quite a range of characters, like a skinny Japanese student whose avatar looks like a beefy blond American, and a Californian housewife who plays a giant bald superhero. So, that blond elvish hottie you've been cybering with in the corner of the virtual tavern? You might want to ask for a few IRL pics before you get too close (that's In Real Life, if you didn't know ... )

From The New York Times and BoingBoing

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Tags: Avatars, Everquest, MMO

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