Avatar (computing)
Graphical representation of a user in digital spaces.
In computing, an avatar is a visual stand-in for a user, representing their character or persona. These can be two-dimensional icons found on internet forums and other online spaces, where they are often called profile pictures, userpics, or, in earlier internet days, picons. They can also be three-dimensional models used in online worlds and video games, or even a purely text-based imaginary character in games like MUDs. The word avatar comes from the Sanskrit term *avatāra*, and was picked up by early computer games and science fiction writers. The term was first used for an on-screen user representation in the 1986 online role-playing game *Habitat*, developed by Lucasfilm and Chip Morningstar, though earlier text-based MUDs and forums had already adopted the term for user icons. Richard Garriott later popularized the term in 1985 for *Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar*, where he applied it to a player's character as a projection of their real self into the virtual world. Today, avatars appear in many online settings, including social media, virtual assistants, instant messaging, and digital worlds such as World of Warcraft and Second Life. They might be a photo of the user in real life, as is common on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, or a virtual character that looks nothing like the real world. Often, users customize them to show support for causes or to craft a unique online identity. Academic research has looked at how avatars affect communication and digital identity. People can use avatars with made-up traits to gain social acceptance or make socializing easier, though studies show most users choose avatars that look like their real-world selves.
The word avatar ultimately comes from the Sanskrit *avatāra*, which in Hinduism refers to a deity's descent into a physical form on Earth. Its first use in a computer game was in the 1979 PLATO role-playing game *Avatar*, though that game was text-based and did not feature graphical user representations. Norman Spinrad's 1980 novel *Songs from the Stars* also used the term to describe a computer-generated virtual experience, where a "galactic receiver" lets users enter "artificial realities." Richard Garriott coined the term for an on-screen user representation in 1985 for the game *Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar*.
- Origin
- Sanskrit word avatāra
- First computer game use
- 1979 PLATO role-playing game Avatar (text-based, not graphical)
- Coined for on-screen representation
- 1985 by Richard Garriott for Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (graphical); earlier graphical use in 1986 Habitat
- Popularized by
- Neal Stephenson in 1992 novel Snow Crash
- Field
- Computing, online communities, video games
- Known for
- Graphical representation of a user in digital spaces
Lore & Background
The word avatar is ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word avatāra; in Hinduism, it stands for the 'descent' of a deity into a terrestrial form. It was first used in a computer game by the 1979 PLATO role-playing game Avatar, though that game was text-based and did not feature graphical user representations. In Norman Spinrad's novel Songs from the Stars (1980), the term avatar is used in a description of a computer-generated virtual experience. The use of the term avatar for the on-screen representation of the user was coined in 1985 by Richard Garriott for the computer game Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar. In this game, Garriott desired the player's character to be their Earth self manifested into the virtual world. However, the first adoption of the term for graphical user icons is credited to the 1986 online role-playing game Habitat, developed by Lucasfilm and Chip Morningstar, which predates Yahoo Messenger's use of the term by over a decade.
Reader's Guide
Avatars have become a fundamental element of online identity, used in a variety of settings including social media, virtual assistants, instant messaging platforms, and digital worlds such as World of Warcraft and Second Life. They can take the form of an image of one's real-life self, as often seen on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, or a virtual character that diverges from the real world. Academic research has focused on how avatars can influence the outcomes of communication and digital identity. Users can employ avatars with fictional characteristics to gain social acceptance or ease social interaction, though studies have found that the majority of users choose avatars that resemble their real-world selves. The term has been also sometimes extended to the personality connected with the screen name of an Internet user. Avatars on Internet forums serve the purpose of representing users and their actions, personalizing their contributions, and may represent different parts of their persona, beliefs, interests or social status. In instant messaging, the term avatar began to replace 'buddy icon' as 3D customizable icons became known to users from the mainstream popularity of PC games. Yahoo's instant messenger was the first to adopt the term 'avatar' for its icons.
Sacred Roots: The Sanskrit Heritage Behind a Digital Word
The word avatar carries a spiritual weight that predates any computer screen. In Sanskrit, the term avatāra refers to the descent of a deity into a physical, earthly form — a divine being taking on mortal shape. This Hindu concept of a god manifesting in the material world was borrowed by early computer game designers and science fiction writers who needed a word for a user's embodied presence in a virtual space. The concept first appeared in a computer context with the 1979 PLATO role-playing game simply titled Avatar, and shortly after, novelist Norman Spinrad wove the term into his 1980 book Songs from the Stars, where it described a mind inhabiting a simulated body within an artificial reality. The term then spread through Multi-user dungeons and Internet forums, eventually becoming a staple of digital culture. What began as a theological idea about divine embodiment was repurposed to describe the way a person projects themselves onto a screen, bridging the sacred and the digital in an unexpected linguistic journey.
Pioneers Who Gave the Term Its Shape
Several creators in the 1980s and early 1990s were instrumental in cementing avatar as the go-to word for a user's virtual body. Richard Garriott is often credited with the most influential application: in 1985, for his game Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, he deliberately chose the Hindu term because his narrative demanded that the player be judged as their real self. He wanted the character to represent the player's actual Earth self projected into the game world, making moral accountability meaningful. Around the same period, Lucasfilm and Chip Morningstar's 1986 online world Habitat used the term for its virtual inhabitants, and the 1989 pen-and-paper game Shadowrun carried it into tabletop role-playing. The term's mainstream breakthrough came with Neal Stephenson's 1992 cyberpunk novel Snow Crash, which introduced the Metaverse and popularised avatar as the word for a human-form simulation. Stephenson later acknowledged in the book's acknowledgments that he had coined the usage independently before learning Habitat had already employed the word for years.
From Tiny Icons to Living Worlds: The Many Forms of Avatars
Avatars have evolved from simple graphical tokens into richly detailed digital bodies, and their form depends heavily on the platform. In Internet forums, the traditional avatar is a small square image — typically around 80 by 80 or 100 by 100 pixels — placed beside a user's post so others can recognise the contributor at a glance without reading a username. These are also called profile pictures, userpics, or, in early Internet slang, picons. On social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, where anonymity is less common, the avatar frequently becomes a straightforward photograph of the person's real face. At the other end of the spectrum, massively multiplayer games such as World of Warcraft and virtual worlds like Second Life feature fully three-dimensional, customizable models that can diverge dramatically from the user's physical appearance. In text-based environments like MUDs, the avatar has no graphical form at all; it exists purely as a textual construct. Some users customise their avatars to signal support for particular causes or to craft a unique online identity.
Identity, Perception, and What Research Tells Us
Academic researchers have turned their attention to how avatars shape communication outcomes and the construction of digital identity. One line of inquiry explores how users might adopt avatars with fictional or exaggerated traits to lower social barriers, gain acceptance in a community, or make interaction feel less intimidating. Yet the empirical picture is more nuanced than one might expect: studies consistently find that the majority of people ultimately select avatars that closely resemble their real-world appearance, suggesting a strong pull toward authenticity even in spaces that permit total reinvention. Beyond the visual, the term avatar has also been extended to encompass the personality a user projects through their screen name or handle, effectively making the avatar a broader persona rather than just a picture. On forums, avatars can signal beliefs, interests, or social standing within the community, functioning as a compact social cue. The tension between self-representation and self-invention remains a central theme in the ongoing study of how people navigate identity online.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an avatar in computing?
An avatar is a visual or textual stand-in that represents a user's identity or persona within a digital space. In MUDs specifically, it can be a purely text-based character description rather than a graphical image.
Where does the word "avatar" come from?
The term traces back to the Sanskrit word *avatāra*, meaning a descent or embodiment. Early computer game designers and science fiction writers adopted it to describe a user's on-screen representation.
When was "avatar" first used in a computer game?
The earliest known use in a computer game dates to 1979, in the PLATO role-playing game simply titled *Avatar*, which was text-based. The term was later applied to graphical representations in 1985 by Richard Garriott for *Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar*.
What different forms can a digital avatar take?
Avatars range from simple two-dimensional icons (like forum profile pictures or old-school picons) to full three-dimensional models in online worlds and video games. In text-based MUDs, the avatar is essentially an imagined character described only through words.
Who helped bring the term "avatar" into mainstream awareness?
Neal Stephenson's 1992 novel *Snow Crash* played a major role in popularizing the word for a broader audience. Before that, earlier graphical uses appeared in 1986's *Habitat*, but the term remained mostly within computing and gaming circles.
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