Talk:User page:Koli
1. How well did the author use an outside source of information to anchor their reflection?
Koli did a great job using NBA 2K12 to help further develop his avatar assignment. I too love basketball, and semi-regularly play NBA 2k12. As soon as I saw that you referenced this game, it took me back to the times in which I have played NBA 2k or Madden and created a player. I do regret however, that I have not created a player since learning more about avatars and online identity, as I am sure it would have further enhanced my relationship with the player I created. One thing you brought up that was very interesting is how you at first created a player that modeled your physical appearance, but had a different skill set. Then, you created a second avatar with superior physical tools, and a skill-set that mirrored your own skills. To me, this process was a perfect example of this assignment: the self-portrait avatar vs. the fantasy avatar in an online environment. As you said towards the end, you enjoyed playing with your second avatar better, which made me realize that a mix of reality and fantasy lead to a deeper connection with your avatar, thus better portraying your identity online.
2. How well did the author describe the issues that he or she faced in creating the two avatars?
Your reflection was very informative and a good read, however I wish you would have added some insight as to your procedure in creating your avatars. You spoke a lot about what an avatar is and how it is connected to your identity, but you did not talk enough about your experience on evolver. It would have added to the overall effectiveness of your reflection if you provided some commentary about what you liked and did not like about the process of creating your avatars.
Good work overall though, Kevin Pena
The author went very in depth in the use of outside information in his reflection. His outside source was NBA2k. This was a game that he played regularly and from which he has developed experience in creating avatars. He goes into a lot of detail in describing what you can actually create in the game and what the goals of the avatar are. He describes what you can customize and what other primary features there are such as the different leagues. He describes how he felt a connection with his avatar the more he played the game and went as far as to consider his avatar as a false limb. He describes his connection with his avatar and this is a good anchor because it shows perspective on avatars when they are actually in use opposed to just creating an avatar in evolover.
Koli didn't go in much depth in terms of issues he faced in creating the avatars. He just spoke about about using the meshing feature in creating his avatar but no specific details on issues. He just said it was difficult to represent his body.
Kenny Yang
His choice of using a basketball video game to embody some of his traits, traits of his real avatar. He seems to connect very much with basketball, and through his use of the video game, suggests that, if ever given the option, basketball would definitely be something that he would like to pursue. Connecting his avatar with basketball. However, the downside is that there wasn't a direct, clear connection to his real avatar or his fantasy avatar, and this may actually represent desired qualities, or, considering that he chose to create a fantasy avatar that was completely different from his real avatar, ability in basketball could also be a trait that he sees as completely opposite to who he is, and only exists in the fantasy world of NBA 2k11. Due to this, his use of outside sources here was vague, as it wasn't clear exactly how he was incorporating them into his avatars. His description of his real avatar was clear, and I could easily tell that he was going for a “good enough” approach—that is, he knew there is no way to perfectly recreate a biological human being in a digital environment. However, besides explicitly saying that he wanted a fantasy avatar that was the complete opposite of his own identity, he didn't say what traits he considered to be the opposite of his own. The only opposite trait is that his fantasy avatar is female, but there were no others present to help construct the identity of the fantasy avatar. In contrast, his description of his real avatar was quite clear.
D. Potts
