Tell me what you think you are and I will tell you what you are not.  

In today's society, the concept of true identity, that of `being', is a problematic
 
one. Theories of the composition of identity range from the idea of `soul', to an absolute 

lack of any interior being. 

          The advent of the Internet has created an added element to the idea of identity. It 

allows us to actively create an identity that exists entirely online, apparently separate 

from our `real' identities. Are these identities any less real than our day to day selves 

however? What constitutes and governs them? How are they represented? Through the
 
examination of one of the most popular online 3-dimensional first person gaming 

(Quake), these questions will be examined.

	Before we can discuss identity in an online form, we must first briefly look at 

what our everyday self and identity actually is. Throughout human history, philosophers 

have tried to pinpoint the composition of identity. Rene Descartes attempted to prove the 

existence of human nature by dismissing all evidence that could be mis-interpreted or 

seen as false, namely all sensory information. Descartes came to the conclusion that the
 
self was proven by thought, the result, his famous maxim, `Cogito Ergo Sum', I think 

therefore I am. 

	Ludwig Wittgenstein however argued that the surface was everything. That we 

cannot ascertain the nature of identity from an introspective view point. He reasons that 

as we cannot see into other people, we can only have our own experience to generalise 

onto others. As we cannot see into others, it is not logical to generalise our feelings onto 

them, hence we cannot only use an introspective view point to deconstruct identity from. 

This heralded the advent of the modern theories of identity. Wittgenstein believed that 

behaviour was important in the sense that what was shown on the surface of a human 

being must have its basis on the inside. He reasoned that the surface was all important as
 
our mental states are mirrored on the surface. 

	Karl Marx put forward that `it takes another human to make me human'. This 

meant simply that human nature is most clearly observable in human interactions.

What then does this mean about our identity? The trend has been increasingly 

from an introspective point of view, to  behaviouralist one. Identity has traversed from 

being the concept of soul, to how we appear to others. 

	Today, the exact composition of identity is mainly contested between two major 

paradigms. The first paradigm is that of an achieved identity. A person has a `centered', 

`whole' core. This theory, in an extremely simple form, proposes that we go through life 

and from our cultural, social and personal experiences we take ideals and `mint' our 

identity. We are a sum of our parts, or experiences.

	The second paradigm is that we have a fragmented identity. That there is no solid 

core that remains behind the surface. This theory postulates that there are many separate 

selves, that we assume different identities in different circumstances. For example, we 

are a different person with our friends than we are with our parents. We use different 

language, both body and verbal, we think and act differently. The theory proposes that we 

are dynamic,  constantly changing and that our identity is driven by context stimuli. it is a 

reflection and a reaction to others. This second paradigm, that of the post-modern 

subject, is in favour today.

	The focus of this essay however, is not to examine our identities in real life, but 

rather to examine how we take them into the online world. When we are given the 

freedom to construct an identity free of any physical constraints, what do we do? How do 

we exemplify the characteristics of the identity and convey them to other users of the 

respective medium? 

	An virtual identity is seen as something separate. It is a fiction, a fantasy. When a 

user creates an identity, it can be a conscious construction, it can evolve subconsciously 

over a period of time, or it could simply be a reflection of the user in real life. Users can 

create an identity that is totally different from their real selves in any number of ways. 

They can choose gender, race, age.. all the traditional delineators of real life are 

malleable. The identity is a pure construct of the individual and may or may not reflect 

reality.
 
	The ability to assume an alias, a new identity and masquerade as a thing that you 

are not, is a liberating experience. It enables you to experience life from the other side, to 

experience first hand prejudices and assumptions that are made on any number of social 

groups or otherwise. 

	There are two primary mediums on the Internet where virtual identities really 

come into play. The first is online chat, and the second is online games. In this essay, I 

will be looking at online games in depth, however I will also briefly examine the most 

popular online chat medium, IRC. This is purely textually based, and identities must be 

conveyed by words. As MUSHs and the like are also textually based, I have decided to 

look at `Quake', by ID Software, as it is the most advanced 3D first person multi-player 

game on the market. Both IRC and Quake are probably the most popular examples of 

their respective mediums.


	Quake, as stated is a 3D first person `shooter'. The object of the game varies 

between its single and multi player variants. In the single player mode, the character 

battles a legion of monsters in four different dimensions in an effort to reach the evil 

daemon-mother Shub Niggurath, kill her and save the world. In multi-player, the object is 

to kill the other players as much as possible, while avoiding being killed yourself. 

Accompanying this are the usual assortment of deadly weapons, gratuitous violence and 

explosions of blood and gore. Multi-player games can be achieved over IPX compatible 

networks, TCP-IP connections (Internet), direct cables or via a modem. The maximum 

amount of players at one time is sixteen. The program can operate as a client, or as a 

server.

          Quake is set an artificial world , with defined limits and spaces. Quake provides 

the atmosphere and body for the player. The player provides the impetus and thought for 

the body. Obviously, the types of identity that will be found on Quake will be constricted 

to the genre, but this in itself is interesting. In researching the essay, I put a questionnaire 

in the quake newsgroup (alphalink.quake), of my ISP. The answers to this can be found 

in the appendicies.


          To achieve an identity in Quake, the player has four or five major variable 

characteristics. One of these is the alias. An alias is like a nickname with one major 

difference. A nickname is usually bestowed upon someone, whereas an alias is a chosen 

label depicting certain characteristics. The player chooses a name that he believes 

reflects the way in which he wants to be seen in the game. Names such Slaine, Hunter, 

Psycho and Sikkunt are all examples of the typical aliases found in quake. Due to the 

nature of the game, they are all fairly aggressive, and convey an image of masculine 

power and potency. Other names can be more subtle, with references to books, games 

and mythology, such as Mr. Adequate and my own, nevyn, which means no-one. Others 

are chosen to appear elusive or mysterious such as Sasfras. Most names are chosen to fit 

in with the game and exude power or to parallel the anti-hero or `cool killers' that are 

popular in today's media. A good alias will mean that you will be recognised, gain a 

reputation and become know. As a player, Timmy, said, 



`If you want to be RECOGNISED then having an alias is good.'



Another way in which a player differentiates from others is with the colour of his 

avatar. An avatar is the body that he inhabits during the game. Quake allows players to 

alter the colour of their lower body and torso. This is to differentiate between players, but 

also to encourage teams of players or `clans' to evolve. An interesting occurrence 

regarding the colour of a player, is that newer, more aggressive players will invariably 

choose red as one or both of their colours. It seems that they associate this with blood or 

toughness. More experienced players will either choose colours that are more easily 

concealable with the background, or identifiable with their clan. Some players choose 

bright colours to show that they feel they have no need to hide from anything or anyone.  



          Chat also provides a powerful means of conveying a virtual identity. As one

player put it, 



`the chat feature is one thing that really makes the game fun also, for boasting, the 

exchange of information, or just a chat when it's quiet.'



The chat feature of the game allows a player to enter a quick sentence of around 8 

words. This is usually used in response to actions in the game, such as being killed. A 

typical response would be one such as 'OW!' or `Lucky shot'. The chat has a few 

functions. Primarily it is used to communicate a player's thoughts in relation to the game. 

This usually occurs in the form of a `one liner' or macho posturing. A player who is 

profuse in the use of the chat function will quickly establish a personality and become 

known to others. The chat also serves to communicate with other players and to tide them 

through while the server is quiet. 





          Along with the `physical' characteristics of  players, the alias, colour and what 

they type in chat, are all characteristics that exemplify the identity and role of the

players. These roles are all fairly limited in that their only purpose is to kill, but 

you still find different types. These vary from helpers to jokers to prima-donna 

players. There is a  potential to create excluding behaviours in quake that exclude 

new  players from the etiquette of the game, some players do this, while others help 

new players get their bearings. The helper player is usually willing to be killed as 

many times as is necessary to orient new players. They want new players to get the

maximum enjoyment out of the game, resulting in a wish to stay, which benefits the 

helpers later on, with an increase of opponents. Joker players are there purely to 

have fun. They will play around in the virtual worlds, not minding how many times they
 
die. This can be seen for example, when a player attacks a rocket launcher wielding

opponent with an axe. 



               There are also serious players who seem to obtain some perceived credit from 

being the `best'. They only chat to gloat, they aren't forgiving of others and are only there
 
to achieve virtual status. The typical reason for playing quake was summed up by a

player, Non-Fiction,


play because it is fun. (oh, and I win sometimes too) ... Satisfaction... the thrill 
of blowing someones head off with a rocket!'


The idea that the virtual identity is a representation of reality is a contentious one. Two
 
responses to the I received from players follow, 


'You can tell if some1 is a dickhead in real life.  Quake isnt real and no1 would 
act like that in real life, but certain charateristics can be seen.'


'No, I don't act this way in real life... I think people play as different people so 
they can get away from there, otherwise, dull lives..'


Some people just play as they are, and don't believe that they have taken on a virtual

identity, whereas others make a determined effort to assume a personality they would not
 
normally posses. 


          There are some other issues associated with Quake. The basic idea of
 
quake is to kill or be killed.. it calls to what some say are their primal instincts.. it is a
 
return to the hunter and the hunted in cyberspace. With the recent gun debate, and even
 
the attempt to remove paint-balling as a leisure activity, it is a certainty that sooner or
 
later, someone is going to try and ban games such as Quake or Duke Nukem3d. This type
 
of violent game is extremely popular at the moment. Advertisers are pointing to the
 
gratuity level of their games as selling features. This is the trend society seems to be
 
taking, but is the emergence of these ultra-violent games a good thing or a bad thing? Is it
 
better to extinguish violent tendencies in a virtual world, or are they only being de-

sensitized and fostered in secret? In the manual FAQ, one of the questions is as follows:
 
Q. Don't you worry that Quake teaches people that all problems can be solved by the 
misuse of deadly force? A. No.

          The environment that is provided in these games  is essentially masculine. There
 
are no female characters. The only female figure in the game is an immense fungus like
 
creature called Shub-Niggurath. The player is represented as a tough, hard, marine.

There are patches that can change the image of the character, but these are almost

all male characters from action movies, such as stormtroopers, judge dread, the crow etc. In a
 
similar game, DukeNukem3d there are female characters, but they are strippers, featured
 
in insinuated pornographic films and as helpless victims. It seems that the formula for
 
success is lots of blood, lots of guns, lots of monsters, and no women unless they are
 
accessories that can be shot or stripped. This has to be fostering the wrong impression
 
among the school age children who play the games.



          Almost the antithesis of Quake, IRC stands for "Internet Relay Chat". It was
 
originally written by Jarkko Oikarinen in 1988. Since starting in Finland, it has been used
 
in over 60 countries around the world.  It was designed as a replacement for the "talk"
 
program but has become much, much more than that. IRC is a multi-user chat system,
 
where people meet on Channels (rooms, virtual places, usually with a certain topic of
 
conversation) to talk in groups, or privately.  There is no restriction to the number of
 
people that can participate in a given discussion, or the number of channels that can be
 
formed on IRC.
   
           Unlike Quake, which is a spatial medium, IRC is  a textual medium. Identity on
 
IRC is established primarily by the use of an alias. An alias on IRC is much more diverse
 
than Quake, as on IRC there is no object or point other than purely chatting to people.
 
Channels range from #boys, a gay youth channel, to #pillowtalk, a channel devoted to the
 
radio show on the AusStereo network. The object on IRC is to converse, to get to know
 
people of similar interests and chat, chat chat.
 
          As Quake has a limited chat function, IRC has a limited action function. They
 
both serve the same purpose, to provide an alternative to the main purpose of the
 
medium. Both functions can be used to enhance or correspond with the chat or action at
 
hand, both can be used for comic relief and both help establish identity.
 
IRC is infinitely more complex than Quake in terms of the formation of identity.
 
It is essentially structurelss and allows a much broader range of identity types and
 
alternatives. Why look at Quake instead of IRC then? The apparent rigidity of Quake's
 
identity signifiers are in themselves a part of the virtual identity. They have been placed
 
there for a reason.

The different roles that people take on in Quake are structured. Unless the
 
program is altered, the players are forced to take on a super-masculine character. The
 
appearance of this character is regulated except for the colour of his combat gear.  As
 
Quake is a graphic, action orientated medium it follows that this is also how identity is
 
performed. Quake is a game, and as such, players establish virtual identities to suit the
 
medium. Quake is primarily played by young male secondary and tertiary students. The
 
game was aimed towards this demographic and as such caters to their fantasies. The
 
game offers a chance to take up the super ego representation of the big action movie
 
star.

          The virtual identity that Quake offers is simply an extension of the identity that
 
has been promoted again and again infront of us in mass media. Actors such as Arnold
 
Schwarzzenaeger, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stalone etc. are all part of the patriarchal basis
 
for mass entertainment. Computer games are a transition of fantasy from a voyeuristic
 
position, that of watching, to a virtual position, that of taking part. Quake is marketed on
 
its special effects, sound, graphics, multi play.. accompanied with pictures of creatures
 
being peppered with bullets. This is the same way in which large budget movies are
 
marketed today.

          The computer game is an arena for entertainment. Quake is an example
 
of the way in which virtual identity is forced upon unsuspecting or apathetic players. The
 
players are given an opportunity to become their super-ego. They become the action hero 

from the cinema. This is exemplified by the lack of real means to choose virtual identity.
 
The main character is a white male. The point must also be made that this is the target
 
audience. The software was not written as a communication device, rather as a multi-

media experience. The game caters for a specific type of virtual identity.

          The fragmented identity paradigm is applicable in this situation. Is a virtual 

identity virtual? Is it any less real than the identity we put on when we apply for a job?
 
The fragmented identity paradigm suggests that identity is not fixed, that identity only
 
exists in response to external stimuli. Quake presents certain stimuli, ranted they are not
 
fluid and infinitely adaptable like IRC, but it still presents a stimuli. The player reacts to
 
this stimuli by forming a `virtual' identity that is appropriate. While the player is
 
envloved in the game, he is this identity. Using Wittgenstein's theory that the surface is
 
all important, then the contention that the player is his virtual identity while he is playing
 
follows. The fact that the world the player is in does not exist is superfluous. The player
 
is interacting with others, had conceived a certain identity, and hence, while he is

playing, is that identity.



Bibliography

Stevenson, Leslie (Ed.), The Study of Human Nature, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 
1981.

Suler, J. (May 1996). The Psychology of Cyberspace. World Wide Web,
            http://www1.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/psycyber.html

Suler, J. (May 1996). The Psychology of Cyberspace - Identity Management in 
Cyberspace . World Wide Web,
http://www1.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/identitymanage.html

Suler, J. (May 1996). The Psychology of Cyberspace - Personality Types in Cyberspace. 
World Wide Web, http://www1.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/persontypes.html
 
Puterman, S. (July 1995). Extended Essay. World Wide Web, 
http://www.rucus.ru.ac.za/~simone/xessay.html

  Henri-Frederic Amiel, Journal intime, 1866
  Tjerk Vonck, webmaster http://www.mirc.co.uk.