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An avatar (?????, from the Sanskrit word for 'descent') is a computer user's representation of himself/herself or alter ego, whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games,[1] a two-dimensional icon (picture) used on Internet forums and other communities,[2][3] or a text construct found on early systems such as MUDs. It is an ?object? representing the embodiment of the user. The term 'avatar' can also refer to the personality connected with the screen name, or handle, of an Internet user.[4] Contents
In English, the word has come to mean 'an embodiment, a bodily manifestation of the Divine.' Originally, Avatar is a Sanskrit term that means, roughly, 'to step down,' in the sense of a Divinity stepping down onto a lower spiritual plane. In English it is usually translated as 'incarnation.' The term is used primarily in Hindu texts. For example, Krishna is the eighth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu the Preserver, whom many Hindus worship as The Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Dasavatara are ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu the formless source of creation.
As used for a computer representation of a user, the term dates at least as far back as 1985, when it was used as the name for the player character in the Ultima series of computer games. The Ultima games started out in 1981, but it was in Ultima IV (1985), that the term 'Avatar' was introduced. To become the 'Avatar' was the goal of Ultima IV. The later games assumed that you were the Avatar and 'Avatar' was the player's visual on-screen in-game persona. The on-screen representation could be customized in appearance. Later, the term 'avatar' was used by the designers of the pen and paper role-playing game Shadowrun (1989), as well as in the online role-playing game Habitat (1987).[5]
Despite the widespread use of avatars, it is unknown which Internet forums were the first to use them; the earliest forums did not include avatars as a default feature, and they were included in unofficial 'hacks' before eventually being made standard. Avatars on Internet forums serve the purpose of representing users and their actions, personalizing their contributions to the forum, and may represent different parts of their persona, beliefs, interests or social status in the forum.
The traditional avatar system used on most Internet forums is a small (80×80 to 100×100 pixels, for example) square-shaped area close to the user's forum post, where the avatar is placed in order for other users to easily identify who has written the post without having to read their username. Some forums allow the user to upload an avatar image that may have been designed by the user or acquired from elsewhere. Other forums allow the user to select an avatar from a preset list or use an auto-discovery algorithm to extract one from the user's homepage.
Some avatars are animated, consisting of a sequence of multiple images played repeatedly. In such animated avatars, the number of images as well as the time in which they are replayed vary considerably.
Other avatar systems exist, such as on Gaia Online, WeeWorld, Frenzoo or Meez, where a pixelized representation of a person or creature is used, which can then be customized to the user's wishes. There are also avatar systems (e.g. Trutoon) where a representation is created using a person's face with customized characters and backgrounds.