Your Second Selves: Resources, Agency, and Constraints in Avatar Designs and Identity Play in a Tween Virtual World

In "Your Second Selves," the authors examine how tweens in Whyville, a virtual world with over 1.5 million registered players aged 8 to 16, design and use their avatars. Whyville is distinctive because its avatar parts are created and sold by players rather than by company designers, and players earn virtual currency through science games to purchase them. Drawing on Goffman's concept of face-work, the study combines an analysis of more than 30,000 parts for sale at Akbar's Face Mall, interviews with 35 tweens, and seven years of community newspaper coverage to explore the resources, agency, and social constraints shaping identity play. The central thesis is that Whyville functions as an "identity playground" supporting multiple, fluid "second selves."

The findings show that avatar design reflects a blend of motives, including aesthetics, self-representation, affiliation, fantasy, and functional disguise. Tweens frequently deny that their avatars resemble them, yet probing reveals personal traits embedded in their choices, and the stated reasons for design sometimes diverge from observed online behavior. Appearance is closely tied to social status and friendship, and avatar discussion is a persistent community topic, with 587 Whyville Times articles on face parts and 294 on fashion appearing over the study period. Constraints such as Akbar's approval rules and the 2005 "Tator Day" glitch illustrate the interplay of commercial control and community-driven dynamics.

The authors also address the creation of multiple avatars, which are generally discouraged yet occasionally recognized as legitimate citizens, as seen in debates over ballot stuffing in senator elections. Because Whyville's customization is oriented toward socialization rather than scripted play, it surfaces issues of class stratification, trend pressure, and inequitable racial representation. The study acknowledges that further research is needed on how players experiment with appearance and identity, and it draws on tracking and chat data from several hundred participants to investigate gender and identity play.