The Player and the Avatar: Performing as Other

Abstract

Abstract:This article considers the ethics of identity play in game worlds. Although previous scholarship has examined the ways in which race, gender, and sexuality operate in game worlds, there has been a lack of attention to the way that disability identity also functions in these spaces. Seeking to highlight this omission as well as encourage disability-rights activists to rethink their long-standing opposition to simulation, the author of this article conducted a survey with sixty gamers of diverse backgrounds. This article shares the results of this survey as well as recommendations for future research on the ethics of avatar performances.