Identity, Gender, and VRChat (Why is Everyone in VR an Anime Girl?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v_Dl7i4Bcw

from 2

• playground of identity

  • Good expression (blu3mo)

• 55% representation of their identity

• a simple button press can change it

  • in this situation, they choose an anime girl

• not universal

• questions

• fluid zone

• VRChat is not just a game

  • it’s social
  • first person
    • cognitive perspective of others
    • subjectivity vs objectivity
    • possessing, seeing one’s own body

• language

  • subjective
  • my
    • stating how they want to be seen by their avatar

• concept of presence

• agreement on the sensation of “feather touch”

• child perception

• not only expressing but also playing with identity

  • effect on perception

• gender identity becomes less coherent and more fluid

• community factor

  • meta community, mixed
  • more accepting of strange things?
  • quotes
    • “shared vision: redefine themselves”
    • “weird”
    • “comfortable with myself at the first time”
    • admiration, desire
  • in a way, it attracts people with otaku-like interests, a taste of intersectionality (blu3mo)
  • tolerance for strange situations
    • like being asked for a hug

• fundamentally separated from “reality”

  • -> behaves differently
  • it’s very similar to a ball (blu3mo)

• they even quoted Butler lol (blu3mo)

  • gender is culturally formed but also something else
  • labeled by cultures and society

• West and Zimmerman

  • “doing Gender”: not something you are, but something you achieve

• as a premise, it tends to be distributed

• Difference from cosplay

  • cosplay: performance art where cosplayers bring the audience into their world
  • creating a fictional own identity
    • talking about “reality”

• Talking about the Western English Community, but also influenced by Japan

  • both in cosplay and VRChat
  • a non-western centered perspective seems important here, bringing in one’s own perspective too? (blu3mo)
  • cosplay, “play with gender” and challenge masculinity

• Talking about 4chan, but it’s vague so it’s hard to understand

• a joking, ironic atmosphere

  • some people are joking around, which in turn makes it a good place to play around and explore identity
  • calling it “community meta”

• When they say “play with gender,” it means exploring their own identity

  • there is an unserious atmosphere, and they intentionally mean that
  • however, it only refers to a superficial unseriousness
    • a safe place within the community where you can explore within the realm of jokes
  • this seems like something the author intended to mention (blu3mo)(blu3mo)(blu3mo)

• The software enables it, but the community assists it

  • the environment encourages a “greater reality”

• They don’t want to deeply discuss the trans community they don’t belong to, as they are afraid of misrepresenting it

  • seems aware of the criticism in Paris is Burning (blu3mo)(blu3mo)
  • this also connects (blu3mo)

• However, there is also harassment towards women, for example

• Gender is also a cage for cis men/women, it comes with constraints

• for some the gendered play present in VRChat will lead to meaningful discoveries about who they are

• for others it will let them experience gender euphoria for others it’ll just mean escaping society’s brutal expectations

• and yet for others still it’ll just be a momentary escape a way to make friends or explore new places

• An environment where you don’t have to worry about judgment

Other points

• What is the intention of appearing as an avatar in VR?
  • Seems to be quite connected to the criticism in Bell Hooks - Is Paris Burning? (blu3mo)(blu3mo)
• First time seeing the format of a “Video Essay”