Second Life Forums Archive - avatar elsewhen graviton light-hour ramscoop

Wednesday Grimm

Ex Libris

Join date: 9 Jan 2003

Posts: 934

03-15-2004 13:07

As a word-nerd, I find this fascinating. Check out "avatar", the earliest citation is 1991!

http://www.jessesword.com/SF/sf_citations.shtml

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Devlin Gallant

Thought Police

Join date: 18 Jun 2003

Posts: 5,948

03-15-2004 15:25

Damn! You scared me Wednesday. I was sure this was Viagra spam or something from that subject line. Stuff like that seems to be all I see in my email anymore.

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I LIKE children, I've just never been able to finish a whole one.

Kex Godel

Master Slacker

Join date: 14 Nov 2003

Posts: 869

03-16-2004 09:22

You may not know this, but our own Oracle Omega is the very person who coined the term 'avatar' (IIRC, in Lucasart's Habitat, one of the first graphical MMORPGs), and was cited in the acknowledgements at the end of recent prints of Snow Crash.

Look at his first life profile.

Remo Yossarian

Registered User

Join date: 15 Feb 2004

Posts: 121

03-16-2004 11:21

Hmm there was an animated move in the late 1970's called "Wizards."

The hero, a 4' tall frumpy wizard, was named Avatar.

(The movie is cute if you like adult hippy humor and post-apocalyptic Tolkien fantasy. It has some great original 70's-ish tracks. The sparse violence is A+ for American work.)

Cybin Monde

Resident Moderator (?)

Join date: 27 Jan 2004

Posts: 2,468

Ralph Bakshi..

03-16-2004 11:44

yes Remo.. 1977 to be exact.

awesome movie!

i think part of the inherent problem with this debate is that there are two ways to look at it..

1) first use of "avatar" describing a character on a computer in a shared community experience

or

2) first use of "avatar" ever, regardless of description

..you will end up with two VERY different answers to these.

_____________________

"We, as developers, are doing the easy part – building the scaffolding for a new world. You, as the engines of creation, must breathe life into it."
- Philip Linden

"There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be."
- Willy Wonka (circa 1971)

SecondSpace (http://groups.myspace.com/secondspace) : MySpace group for SLers.

Remo Yossarian

Registered User

Join date: 15 Feb 2004

Posts: 121

03-16-2004 12:46

I know what you are getting at Cybin.

I am just playing here due to current lack of desire to perform less interesting tasks.

I was thinking about the oddity of the world Avatar about two years ago.

Maybe Oracle was inspired by Wizards?

Diddn' t the Ultima computer RPG series use the word Avatar to describe some kind of transcended character? This could have occured as early as 1988 or so.

I propose the word was plagarized from the poor hippy writer of Wizards, who now probably lives in a middle class neighborhood in SoCal and drives a low-end Beemer.

(Beemer is also a town in Nebraska I think)

Wednesday Grimm

Ex Libris

Join date: 9 Jan 2003

Posts: 934

03-16-2004 13:13

Well don't debate it here! If you have citations, send them to the OED!!! You could contribute to the greatest dictionary in the world!

_____________________

Sarcasm meter:
0 |-----------------------*-| 10
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Cybin Monde

Resident Moderator (?)

Join date: 27 Jan 2004

Posts: 2,468

OED.. oh my!

03-16-2004 13:53

Wednesday.. great idea.. for someone else! lol..

..if i start submitting info to OED, i'm afraid i may never get back to SL! hahaha..

..my tendency to research is to do so relentlessly and extensively..

..see my suggested list of 30 sim namesand the description of what i went through coming up with it to see what i mean in more detail.. lol

..that link is for information/amusement.. i dont expect any responses to it.. it's old.. lol

_____________________

"We, as developers, are doing the easy part – building the scaffolding for a new world. You, as the engines of creation, must breathe life into it."
- Philip Linden

"There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be."
- Willy Wonka (circa 1971)

SecondSpace (http://groups.myspace.com/secondspace) : MySpace group for SLers.

Chastity Zidane

Junior Member

Join date: 14 Mar 2004

Posts: 5

03-16-2004 14:14

Avatar is an old old word originally meaning the incarnation of a Hindu deity. It comes from sanskrit so you know it's ancient. It has come to mean the manifestation of any mystic force or philosophy and usually in human form. That's why characters in games are called avatars. We are the virtual incarnations of our mystic (real world) selves. Deus ex machina.

*goes back to lurking*

avatar elsewhen graviton light-hour ramscoop
Wednesday Grimm Ex Libris Join date: 9 Jan 2003 Posts: 934	03-15-2004 13:07 As a word-nerd, I find this fascinating. Check out "avatar", the earliest citation is 1991! http://www.jessesword.com/SF/sf_citations.shtml _____________________ Sarcasm meter: *0 \|------------------------\| 10** Rating: Awww Jeeze!
Devlin Gallant Thought Police Join date: 18 Jun 2003 Posts: 5,948	03-15-2004 15:25 Damn! You scared me Wednesday. I was sure this was Viagra spam or something from that subject line. Stuff like that seems to be all I see in my email anymore. _____________________ I LIKE children, I've just never been able to finish a whole one.
Kex Godel Master Slacker Join date: 14 Nov 2003 Posts: 869	03-16-2004 09:22 You may not know this, but our own Oracle Omega is the very person who coined the term 'avatar' (IIRC, in Lucasart's Habitat, one of the first graphical MMORPGs), and was cited in the acknowledgements at the end of recent prints of Snow Crash. Look at his first life profile.
Remo Yossarian Registered User Join date: 15 Feb 2004 Posts: 121	03-16-2004 11:21 Hmm there was an animated move in the late 1970's called "Wizards." The hero, a 4' tall frumpy wizard, was named Avatar. (The movie is cute if you like adult hippy humor and post-apocalyptic Tolkien fantasy. It has some great original 70's-ish tracks. The sparse violence is A+ for American work.)
Cybin Monde Resident Moderator (?) Join date: 27 Jan 2004 Posts: 2,468	Ralph Bakshi.. 03-16-2004 11:44 yes Remo.. 1977 to be exact. awesome movie! i think part of the inherent problem with this debate is that there are two ways to look at it.. 1) first use of "avatar" describing a character on a computer in a shared community experience or 2) first use of "avatar" ever, regardless of description ..you will end up with two VERY different answers to these. _____________________ "We, as developers, are doing the easy part – building the scaffolding for a new world. You, as the engines of creation, must breathe life into it." - Philip Linden "There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be." - Willy Wonka (circa 1971) SecondSpace (http://groups.myspace.com/secondspace) : MySpace group for SLers.
Remo Yossarian Registered User Join date: 15 Feb 2004 Posts: 121	03-16-2004 12:46 I know what you are getting at Cybin. I am just playing here due to current lack of desire to perform less interesting tasks. I was thinking about the oddity of the world Avatar about two years ago. Maybe Oracle was inspired by Wizards? Diddn' t the Ultima computer RPG series use the word Avatar to describe some kind of transcended character? This could have occured as early as 1988 or so. I propose the word was plagarized from the poor hippy writer of Wizards, who now probably lives in a middle class neighborhood in SoCal and drives a low-end Beemer. (Beemer is also a town in Nebraska I think)
Wednesday Grimm Ex Libris Join date: 9 Jan 2003 Posts: 934	03-16-2004 13:13 Well don't debate it here! If you have citations, send them to the OED!!! You could contribute to the greatest dictionary in the world! _____________________ Sarcasm meter: *0 \|------------------------\| 10** Rating: Awww Jeeze!
Cybin Monde Resident Moderator (?) Join date: 27 Jan 2004 Posts: 2,468	OED.. oh my! 03-16-2004 13:53 Wednesday.. great idea.. for someone else! lol.. ..if i start submitting info to OED, i'm afraid i may never get back to SL! hahaha.. ..my tendency to research is to do so relentlessly and extensively.. ..see my suggested list of 30 sim namesand the description of what i went through coming up with it to see what i mean in more detail.. lol ..that link is for information/amusement.. i dont expect any responses to it.. it's old.. lol _____________________ "We, as developers, are doing the easy part – building the scaffolding for a new world. You, as the engines of creation, must breathe life into it." - Philip Linden "There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be." - Willy Wonka (circa 1971) SecondSpace (http://groups.myspace.com/secondspace) : MySpace group for SLers.
Chastity Zidane Junior Member Join date: 14 Mar 2004 Posts: 5	03-16-2004 14:14 Avatar is an old old word originally meaning the incarnation of a Hindu deity. It comes from sanskrit so you know it's ancient. It has come to mean the manifestation of any mystic force or philosophy and usually in human form. That's why characters in games are called avatars. We are the virtual incarnations of our mystic (real world) selves. Deus ex machina. goes back to lurking

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