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Identification and IDNs in the Metaverse: Who Would We Like to Be?

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Interactive Storytelling (ICIDS 2022)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 13762))

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Abstract

One’s digital identity on the Metaverse is critical enough to warrant EU regulation. Suggesting Interactive Digital Narratives as having a role to play in the Metaverse, we focus on the identity of the Virtual Reality interactor in such virtual spaces, and the potential impact this may have on the self-identity of the interactor. Building upon the notions of identity and the interactor’s construction of their narrative identity, we revisit identification in the context of VR Interactive Narratives (VRINs) and explore authenticity and character similarity as its dimensions. We interpret the construction of a narrative identity in VR as a vehicle for identity shift between the interactor’s self-identity and identification with the character. Based on the theoretical framework, we present a conceptual model for identity shift in VRINs which we then apply to a number of case studies to exemplify its utility and provide some guidelines for VRIN authors in how to use this model.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/european-digital-identity_en.

  2. 2.

    ‘The mirror hypothesis’ in relation to the moving image is that viewers will tend to relate favorably to those onscreen who are either like themselves (the mirror) or who represent what the viewer would like to be like (the magic mirror).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computer Science and Statistics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Jonathan Barbara & Mads Haahr

  2. Saint Martin’s Institute of Higher Education, Hamrun, Malta

    Jonathan Barbara

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  1. Jonathan Barbara
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  2. Mads Haahr
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Correspondence to Jonathan Barbara .

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  1. Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Mirjam Vosmeer

  2. University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden

    Lissa Holloway-Attaway

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Barbara, J., Haahr, M. (2022). Identification and IDNs in the Metaverse: Who Would We Like to Be?. In: Vosmeer, M., Holloway-Attaway, L. (eds) Interactive Storytelling. ICIDS 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13762. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22298-6_39

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22298-6_39

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