Personalization and Avatars: Gender Identity in Metaverses

In metaverses, people are not limited by the boundaries of the familiar world. Creating an avatar is no longer just a “find your character” game. It is a chance to come into the spotlight, to realize your fantasies and desires in a new reality. Metaverses allow you to solve many problems related to self-identification and self-presentation, and even to understand gender identity more deeply. Let’s see how the virtual world can help us move away from the social norms and stereotypes imposed on us in everyday life.

Self-identification and self-presentation. Experimenting with roles

In everyday life people often face limitations associated with established ideas about what they should be. This applies to everything: appearance, manner of communication, choice of clothes and even habits. To better understand the essence of the process, let’s analyze what self-identification and self-presentation are.

 Self-identification is the awareness of your individuality and unique features, values, beliefs and place in society. This is what a person considers himself or herself to be, regardless of external evaluations. For example, a young man has been interested in music all his life and thinks about becoming a professional musician. He plays the guitar, writes songs and hopes to perform in front of a large audience.

 But, as it often happens, his parents dream of a more practical profession of an engineer for their son. As a result, the young man begins to doubt his choice and wonders whether music is really his true passion or whether he is simply following his childhood dreams. This conflict between the young man’s inner beliefs and external expectations leads to problems with self-identification.

 Self-presentation is a person’s presentation of themselves to others to create a certain impression. It includes the choice of clothing, manner of speech, behavior, and other aspects that help a person express their identity and meet the expectations of others.

 For example, a girl works in a large company. At work, she always tries to dress formally and modestly, wearing business suits and avoiding bright accessories, because this is the standard in her office. But in fact, the girl likes bright colors, provocative outfits and accessories that reflect her passionate nature. She is afraid that if she expresses her individuality in the workplace, her colleagues and superiors will not take her seriously. So she faces the problem of self-presentation, trying to find a balance between her personal preferences and the expectations of society.

 Just a couple of examples show how social norms and expectations can affect our perception of ourselves and how we want to be perceived by others.

 The metaverse gives an opportunity to overcome these barriers and create an image that matches your internal feelings and desires. This is especially important for people who experience discomfort in the real world.

 The psychological effect of freedom in virtual reality is greater freedom and comfort: for example, when an avatar is created that matches one’s internal perception. This leads to increased self-esteem and self-confidence.

 Despite the freedom and lack of prejudice in metaverses, it cannot be denied that gender still plays an important role in the perception of avatars in virtual reality: 

• A male character is associated with strength, determination, and leadership qualities. Male avatars are more often chosen to participate in combat games or strategies that require quick decisions and resource management.

• A female character is perceived as more emotional, caring, and diplomatic. Female avatars are popular in role-playing games where social interactions and building alliances are important.

• A neutral character — a robot — can be used to express independence from traditional gender roles. 

 Different platforms have different attitudes to the type and functionality of avatars. Let’s take a look at avatars in popular metaverses.

Holiverse by Lado Okhotnikov

Holiverse: a new generation metaverse. Source: holiverse.ai

In Holiverse Metaverse Virtual Space (MVS), a world for virtual meetings, concerts, games and learning has been created. To travel around the universe, users can choose ready-made avatars, buy and get them clothes, accessories and even adopt a cute pet that will add status to the owner.

 In August 2024, Holiverse CEO Lado Okhotnikov launched a project dedicated to maintaining health and prolonging life. Work is currently underway to create an avatar based on a sequenced human gene.

 A laboratory led by Dmitrii Chebanov is developing a method for creating an avatar based on DNA, which allows for the complete modeling of individual reactions to external influences of the body in the metaverse. This way, it is possible to select an optimal lifestyle, diet, physical activity, and even medication for a person.

 Imagine that a digital copy is created for you — an avatar that lives in a virtual world. If your avatar gets sick when in contact with a certain allergen, then you can avoid this product in real life. Or, for example, you want to improve your physical fitness, but do not know where to start. Your avatar can try different training programs, and you will see which one brings the best results. This is a real breakthrough in personalized medicine and fitness! 

What will be the future of metaverses — a space for self-expression or a tool for manipulation? The author raises important questions: how do technologies and politics intersect in virtual worlds? What are the consequences of these decisions for users and society as a whole? 

Roblox by David Baszucki

 Games, communication, creativity and even business: Roblox is a metaverse where you can implement any idea. Source: Roblox.com

 In the Roblox gaming metaverse, participants can create a male or a female character, choose their body shape, hairstyle, skin color and eyes.

 You can buy outfits and accessories for your avatar with the in-game Robux currency. You can also choose a fantasy hero: an elf, an orc, a dragon or, for example, a medieval knight for role-playing games.

 In addition to appearance, players can arrange their space: build houses, create their own games and even make money on it.

 And then you understand that in Roblox you are not just a player, you are a full-fledged creator. The more time and imagination you invest, the more interesting it becomes. It’s funny, but sometimes children in this virtual world become cooler than adults — they come up with games that collect millions of players in a couple of months.

Second Life by Philip Rosedale

A virtual future gang in Second Life. Source: Secondlife

 In the metaverse with elements of the social network Second Life, each participant can choose their own unique path: from thematic communities to creating their own virtual goods and works of art.

 The platform offers many opportunities for communication: chat, voice messages, and also allows you to travel to various locations created by other participants.

 To travel around the virtual world, you can choose one of the preset avatars or create your own using the appearance editor: you can adjust the body shape, skin color, hairstyle, eyes and clothes. Users will be pleasantly surprised by the high level of detail and flexibility of settings.

VRChat by Graham Gaylor and Jesse Joudrey

Avatar marketplace for metaverses. Source: xr-marketplace

 VRChat is a social network: here people communicate, have parties. Users can choose a ready-made avatar or upload their own, created from a photo.

 It is possible to create interactive avatars with emotions, facial expressions and gestures. As in all virtual worlds, the user has the opportunity to choose clothes and accessories for their character.

Conclusion

 Metaverses provide a unique opportunity for free self-expression outside the framework of social norms and expectations. Regardless of gender, age or other characteristics, a person can find their place in the virtual space by creating avatars that correspond to their inner aspirations.

 The diversity of platforms opens up space for creativity and communication for people. Metaverses become a place where the boundaries between reality and fantasy are erased, giving people the freedom and opportunity to be themselves.