Who Wants A Pimpled Avatar?

Lately, I see everywhere I look around, a new avatar service emerges to the world. This week I came across the Imstar Instant messenger’s 3D avatars. I’ve looked around their demo site and even downloaded the messenger (I really love playing with new apps).

With Imstar’s 3D avatars you can personalize the shape of the body and face to really look like yours. Then, you can try out different clothes, make up and accessories of different brands, buy them if you like the way you look or sell items if you’re tired of that ol’ dress. The other day, I saw great pics published by Heather Meadows, who tried to build her Imstar avatar to look just like her – as much as possible with Imstar’s 3D graphics.

Imstar’s avatars are really great, but the question is who would want to have his exact body shape and look to be his\her web representation?

Imagine yourself this situation: I’m a very cool teenager but my face is all covered with pimples (it happens to the best, right?). Would I want my avatar to be polka dotted as well?

–of course not!

Would I want to have a button that adds zits to my avatar’s face?

–no!!

Why?

-Cause nobody thinks zits are a good way to promote yourself. We all prefer to show an improved image of ourselves. If an “add a zit" option exists in the avatars building studio, and I’d deny its existence because I want my avatar to look cool and hip (who wouldn’t?!), my friends would say I’m lying about the way I look. The bottom line is that no button that adds flaws is welcome in avatars world.

So, have Imstar guys lost their minds adding the option to make fat 3D avatars? Not really… There are segments that will welcome a very realistic avatar to represent them on the web. These people don’t want to upload their real picture and get the inevitable exposure. Think about the dating scene, for example. When flirting on the IM with a potential date we’ve just met, we want to show our best and to protect our real identity at the same time. After gaining trust, we’re ready to provide more details about ourselves and we’re more confident to send a real pic of ourselves. So in our online lifestyle, even not-so-perfectly-looking-avatars have a role. But cool-looking-avatars have a so much bigger role…!

Comments

[Heather Meadows]

Thanks for the link! And you make an interesting point. When I was a teenager, I had no interest in showing anyone on the Internet what I actually looked like (and I wasn't even overweight then). It all depends on where you are in life and what sort of image you want to put out there.

Now that I'm an old lady (27), I feel that being honest and straightforward is best. My biggest problem nowadays is being TOO honest!

I'm impressed with imstar's avatars, of course, but I do feel they have a way to go. I wasn't able to get the face to look like my face at all (in my opinion, anyway). Of course, this is just a beta. They might surprise me in the final version!

[Xen Dolev]

This evening, I was trying to build my 3D Imstar Avatar as well. It was too exhausting, and the final result didn't have to do anything with the way I look... I guess someone should have a very strong motivation to go through all the long process of building your look-alike avatar. I believe that most users will settle for creating a really good-looking 3D Avatar and not an avatar that really resembles them.
BTW, have you noticed that there is no male avatar on Imstar?

[Heather Meadows]

Yes, they mentioned something about male avatars "coming soon". I think originally they weren't planning on marketing to men at all, and probably some guy was like, "Why can't *I* play dress-up?!"

;>

[Xen Dolev]

Well, that's a shame... self expression has something to do with everybody. Moreover, girls won't replace their current IM to Imstar if most of their friends won't replace it as well; with no male avatar, why should guys want to leave their masculine Yahoo\MSN\ICQ avatar behind?!