The Joy of Doing: The Corporeal Connection in Player-Avatar Identity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19132/1807-8583201946.99-126Keywords:
Avatar. Corporeality. Craftsmanship. Phenomenology. Philosophy of the body.Abstract
This article discusses the relation between players and avatars, on the basis of corporality, locomotion and craftsmanship. Maurice Merleau-Ponty phenomenology is the central theoretical ground, accompanied by the adaptation of frameworks from other authors for specific concepts, such as Sheets-Johnstone (1999) for corporeal locomotion and Sennet (2008) for craftsmanship. Previous studies about player-avatar identity are discussed according to 5 pervading framings: visuality, cognition, dramaturgy, prosthesis and sociality. These are reinterpreted under the guise of corporeality, leading to 6 counterpoints: corporeality, digital (corporeal scheme and visual perspective), locomotion and body memory, digital corporeality and incorporation, body extension and the joy of doing. Final remarks consider the potential of these new framings for a more complete understanding of the player-avatar identity and, also, its importance as an alternative to theoretical imperialism.Downloads
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