Caroline Takeda Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Good Morning from EuropeMost people's avatars look young and pretty. But I met a guy the other day that had an avatar looking 50+ . He really was standing out of the crowd between all those pretty 20 to 30 avis. I had to talk to him and wrote an article about that on my blog here:http://carolineinsecondlife.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/forever-young/Ok guys what do you think?Why would people look their real life age in Second Life? Would you do it if you knew before this possibility actually exists? Why or why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceera Murakami Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 As far as my primary character is concerned, long before I came to SL she was defined in another RP fvenue as a magic user and shapeshifter who is over 700 years old, and who typically appears to be only in her mid to late 20's in age. So the 'eternal youth' of SL avatars fits her perfectly anyway. But none of my alts look older than 30, and many are in their teens or very early 20's. They are all younger and prettier than the real life 'm'e, in part because they were never intended to be 'me' in the first place, but rather they are roleplaying characters that I am having fun directing through a series of experiences. You know, if you look at most roleplaying games, the typical standard is to start a character as a very young and inexperienced adult, and to build on their life experiences from that point. One of the only exceptions I can think of to that rule was the old SF role playing game 'Traveller', where characters typically were generated as having already experienced a fair amount of life, and might actually start the game after having 'retired' from a 20+ year long military carreer! It was the only game I ever played where the characters typicaly started in their late 30's to mid 40's in age. I don't see my avatars as a mirror of my real life self, nor do I ever try to convince anyone that what they see on the screen represents the 'real me' in any way. But for those who DO see their avatar as the direct representation of themselves in SL, I can see why they would want to have the same apparent age and imperfections. If any friendships they form in SL cross over to real life, the other person would already accept that age and appearance, and wouldn't be surprised and upset that they misrepresented themselves in the virtual world. Or it could also be that if they see their avatar as a direct representation of their real life self, and are comfortable with their real age and appearance, that they see no more reason to misrepresent their age and appearance in SL than they would in real life. You might also ask why someone confined to a wheelchair in real life would choose to be similarly restricted in the virtual world. For someone without that life experience, it seems logical that they would love having an avatar that could run, dance and do other normal activities. Yet this is often not the case. Their lack of mobility is a part of what they are, and is a fact of their lifvs that they usually have accepted and become comfortable with. Hence you doi see people in SL that are in wheelchairs, or who have other disabilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valerie Inshan Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Let's do some living after we die. :smileysad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VRprofessor Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 When I look at the mirror in RL the guy who looks back at me is much too old. In SL I choose to look my felt age rather than my chronological age. Why shouldn't I look how I feel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli May Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I can't help but note that while he chose a skin that looks older (mid 50s, perhaps?), his shape appears to be fairly typical for a SL male. That is, muscular, healthy, low in bodyfat and with well-developed pecs. You don't meet many men that age who look in such good shape. No criticism intended, of course, that's still his choice. But adding a lined skin is only a small step towards any kind of realism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valerie Inshan Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 we are all go old Kelli, an die. I 'm losing my SL love atm. I dont dont wish that to my best ennemy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depp7 Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 http://stuffpoint.com/index.php?r=103382 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanneAnne Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 carolinestravels wrote: Good Morning from Europe Most people's avatars look young and pretty. But I met a guy the other day that had an avatar looking 50+ . He really was standing out of the crowd between all those pretty 20 to 30 avis. I had to talk to him and wrote an article about that on my blog here: http://carolineinsecondlife.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/forever-young/ Ok guys what do you think? Why would people look their real life age in Second Life? Would you do it if you knew before this possibility actually exists? Why or why not? I think it'd be cool if avatars aged .. i guess @ the 4x rate that everything seems to happen in SL. I think that there ought to be more of a range of avatar ages .. from children to the elderly. Also obese avatars & avvies w/ disabilities. Prolly there are but i see few that arent perfect. I guess that SL is an idealized world & residents & players want idealized avvies, for the most part. My avatar is only supposed to be a few years younger than my RL age but i suppose that as time goes by i will age & my avatar wont. If SL lasts that long & i stick w/ it anyway ..... Jeanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ren Toxx Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 carolinestravels wrote: '... He really was standing out of the crowd... ' For a surprising number of them, that's exactly the point. Not all, of course... but the ones that do it for that reason are easily identified by how fast they start ranting about 'all those pretty 20 to 30 avis' :matte-motes-big-grin-squint: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali Souther Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 This is a very interesting topic, I have debated with a few friends more than once. I feel that people should be able to wear what ever avatar they want. This new trend of the dolly looking avatars with pouty lips, and wide, bow legged hips is not my cup of tea, but as I always say~ Whatever Floats Your Boat! Some people are appalled to find that, the person wearing a 20 something av is really 60 something. C'mon, it's the internet! Anything is possible. Those who choose to look older do stand out, because most of us (like someone said already) are only as old as we feel .. and it shows in our av. :-) << at least that's my 2 cents on the subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charolotte Caxton Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 In real life much time and money is spent trying to look younger. SL makes it easy and free. I don't feel like I have gotten any older over the last few years, however, like someone else pointed out, the reflection in the mirror begs to differ. However, I can see why an older person may want to appear their actual real life age. They may want to show that they have been around and aren't trying to pretend they are young. They may also want to identify with others their age. Also, it may be that it is a young person that wants to experiment with how an older looking avatar will be treated and received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charolotte Caxton Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali Souther Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Charolotte Caxton wrote: In real life much time and money is spent trying to look younger. SL makes it easy and free. I don't feel like I have gotten any older over the last few years, however, like someone else pointed out, the reflection in the mirror begs to differ. However, I can see why an older person may want to appear their actual real life age. They may want to show that they have been around and aren't trying to pretend they are young. They may also want to identify with others their age. Also, it may be that it is a young person that wants to experiment with how an older looking avatar will be treated and received. I am not pretending anything, because my avatar looks 25. First of all, it's a cartoon. If I come in as a cat, should I worry about the cat's age? If I come in as a mesh panda, does it matter then? :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charolotte Caxton Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Cali Souther wrote: Charolotte Caxton wrote: In real life much time and money is spent trying to look younger. SL makes it easy and free. I don't feel like I have gotten any older over the last few years, however, like someone else pointed out, the reflection in the mirror begs to differ. However, I can see why an older person may want to appear their actual real life age. They may want to show that they have been around and aren't trying to pretend they are young. They may also want to identify with others their age. Also, it may be that it is a young person that wants to experiment with how an older looking avatar will be treated and received. I am not pretending anything, because my avatar looks 25. First of all, it's a cartoon. If I come in as a cat, should I worry about the cat's age? If I come in as a mesh panda, does it matter then? :-) Right, that's what I said, some people aren't looking young cause they aren't trying to pretend.. and then others avatars look young cause they actually are. If you are a cat, you don't have to worry about its age, nor if you are a mesh panda. However, certain robots in certain time periods may need to be verified for authenticity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali Souther Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 OK .. so when in doubt wear Panda or Cat. I got it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charolotte Caxton Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 or avacar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inuoko Shikami Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 I think that people should look whatever age they wish to look. Rather if a person wants to be a toddler or a 50+ person, as long as they are happy, that is all that really matters in my book. After all, this is SL; one of those few places where you can look just about however you want. Kudos to him for being proud of his age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scout Schwager Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Its MB Skins (not MB Design) on their search listing. In Kzer Za Ah they have done some interesting things. They offer a young and old version of the same female skin. Also you can be undead Hitler and Khaddaffy. Several ethnic black and asian skins. A Neytiri (ok copyright violation there! haha) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limonella Sorbet Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 carolinestravels wrote: Good Morning from Europe Most people's avatars look young and pretty. But I met a guy the other day that had an avatar looking 50+ . He really was standing out of the crowd between all those pretty 20 to 30 avis. I had to talk to him and wrote an article about that on my blog here: http://carolineinsecondlife.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/forever-young/ Ok guys what do you think? Why would people look their real life age in Second Life? Would you do it if you knew before this possibility actually exists? Why or why not? What do I think? I think you want to get hits for your blog Worrying about who is who in real is silly because you can be 100 one minute and 25 the next minute. You can be different species. People should just lighten up and let be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Jetaime Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 One thing I've learned in SL is never judge a book by its cover or a avatar by what they say in their profile or how they look. I have an avatar that looks 90 years older than God that I wear just for grins sometimes. The funny thing is that when I wear her, people act in one of two ways toward me. They either go out of their way to avoid me, even changing the path they are walking or moving away from me on a dance floor or they act like I'm their RL grandmother come to check up on them in SSL and caught them with their hand in the cookie jar It rather hilarious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Takeda Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 Well. I think people do have a "main" look in Second life and want to comunicate something with that look. Of course you can change complettly within seconds, but people tend to come back to their "main" look all the time. And yes I would like my blog get known. Where is the point writing for myself. What do I think? I think you want to get hits for your blog Worrying about who is who in real is silly because you can be 100 one minute and 25 the next minute. You can be different species. People should just lighten up and let be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venus Petrov Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 'Your world. Your imagination.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleMe Jewell Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Everyone is here for a different reason. Some do a lot of role playing and that will dictate most of their avatar appearance. Some go for a younger avatar because they just like looking at it more; some because that look will get them what they want in SL, whether that be friendship, intimacy, or something else entirely. I've known a couple of people that have created skins that make their face actually look like their RL face and I've known people where their avatar seems to be a mix of RL and fantasy. Others wear an older looking avatar because that results in whatever they are trying to portray -- 'a sophisticated college professor', 'a crotchety old man', etc.... For me, I've always considered age 30 to have been the best year of my life, so that is what I based my avatar on. While I've not bothered to try to duplicate the shape exactly or put a RL face on the skin, the overall look is me back then. While that is the look that I present, anyone that is close to me knows my real age or age range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melita Magic Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 This question really only applies if the user has one account or is the same on the accounts they have. Some of us like to have a bit more fun than that. I have a good imagination and I'm vain about that. To each their own, but it would feel odd, to me, to try to set up an exact replica of real life. Why log on at all, then? Just live it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesica Dragovar Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I have a full set of avatars representing me at every age from 2 to 70 years, (I am currently 35 IRL) the reason is i wear whatever age (or more specificly whatever level of maturity) I feel like at any given moment, sometimes I wanna be a teenager, sometime I wanna be a little kid, sometimes I wanna be a mature adult ect that's the beauty of SL, I feel a person doesn't HAVE to be set in stone in maturity levels may as well have a physical form that's also not set in stone either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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