| Recently I read an article that talked about | | | | used to meet at the local pizzeria or video |
| the new craze of having your own avatar on | | | | game arcade. Human minds and their inherent |
| the Internet. An avatar is a virtual | | | | activities are reaching new levels of |
| representation of yourself, it is a character | | | | awareness and understanding. So enter the new |
| that you can design, sometimes even with a | | | | world of interaction and entertainment. |
| specific tone of voice. The idea (if I've | | | | Avatars turn chat rooms into a tangible |
| gotten my head around it properly) is that | | | | reality. |
| you have a physical self that can interact | | | | |
| with others together in a virtual world. What | | | | It's strange that this new world is even |
| a paradox! Physical beings visiting a virtual | | | | called a hotel. Hotels are places one goes to |
| space are creating physical identities so | | | | rarely. They are places where all the rooms |
| that we can relate to one another. Does this | | | | look the same. At the Habbo Hotel you can |
| happen on other planets? One has to wonder. | | | | design your room to be a disco. (I saw a |
| | | | sample room where a DJ was playing music to a |
| | | | room full of characters all dancing and |
| | | | boogying down.) People go there, I assume, |
| There are meant to be several new sites that | | | | all the time to hang out with their friends. |
| have sprung into existence based around the | | | | I can see some real pluses for this |
| avatar concept. supposedly has a form of | | | | technology when your friends live on the |
| instant messenger where instead of seeing | | | | other side of the city, or if you want to |
| just words on the screen, you can see and | | | | meet and talk to others on the other side of |
| hear from a virtual apparition. There's also | | | | the world. |
| and the place I visited, At Habbo Hotel I | | | | |
| became a member, designed my character | | | | Go check Habbo Hotel out, and if you're my |
| (avatar), who only looked a little like me, | | | | age or older get your kids to. I wonder if |
| bringing the question to mind of how close to | | | | you think it's safe. Could there be strangers |
| reality do people want their identities to | | | | lurking dressed up as teenage girls? That's |
| be? Should we be actual representations of | | | | my paranoid mind again. I think it is great |
| ourselves, or should we all be super-cool | | | | for being able to talk and have fun with |
| with green Mohawk haircuts? | | | | other human beings, especially friends you |
| | | | already know. My advice however is to be |
| Inside Habbo Hotel I was told that I could | | | | careful with what you say, especially with |
| wander around different rooms, talk to other | | | | personal information. In a world of masks and |
| 'habbos', play games together, build a room | | | | mirrors, I am more prone to invest in a |
| for people to visit, and collect currency -I | | | | webcam or videoblog, where we can see the |
| still don't know what for...It is deemed to | | | | real people behind the messages. Still, I |
| be a virtual hangout, a place to meet your | | | | didn't play any of the games so I could be |
| friends, meet new friends, send messages and | | | | missing out on a whole dimension of the site |
| have fun. I didn't spend long on the site but | | | | that connects with the minds of the people. |
| I did have a go at talking to some other | | | | |
| people. I don't know if I'm too old (30) but | | | | By Jesse S. Somer |
| it seemed many of the conversations were of a | | | | |
| younger generation's dialect. I also got the | | | | Jesse S. Somer's 'Habbo' wears a purple shirt |
| impression, although I may be paranoid, that | | | | and has a big hat pulled down over his face. |
| many of the people already knew each other | | | | Could this be my true identity? |
| and weren't that interested in helping a | | | | |
| newbie figure things out, or even talk to me. | | | | Jesse S. Somer is a creative writer working |
| I think I'll have to spend more time there to | | | | at M6.Net: 'The web-hosting company for |
| make my real opinion but I did get the | | | | humans.' M6.Net is working hard to help |
| strange feeling in my heart that I used to | | | | humanity experience the power and freedom to |
| get at school when the 'cool' kids didn't | | | | develop their own part of the Internet, to |
| want me to hang around with them. There were | | | | share their information and connect with |
| a lot of people hanging out at the swimming | | | | anyone, anywhere, anytime. |
| pool though. Someone is definitely getting | | | | |
| into this new way of connecting. | | | | Summary: Avatars are giving people a physical |
| | | | presence in the virtual world of the |
| Generation after generation human beings | | | | Internet. People can create characters that |
| change and evolve, so I don't want to | | | | look and sound like themselves, although they |
| discount any of the modern era's inventions | | | | don't have to, and then relate to others in a |
| for human interaction. Young kids now have | | | | giant hotel full of games. You can create |
| virtual pets like at whereas I used to have | | | | your own space and chat with people from all |
| a cat. Is there anything wrong with that? | | | | over the world. You can even dance together! |
| Adolescents meet online to have fun, when I | | | | |