Hunting for Identity

As we increasingly incorporate the virtual into everyday life, we open new spaces for exploration and encounter new (and very old) questions about the nature of identity: Where does identity come from? How do we engage with others in spaces where only a non-real representation is our source of identification? This paper argues for a re-thinking of our notions of identity grounded in the everyday world and proposes a more comprehensive set of definitions to encompass the expanded spaces of identity in the digital age. Using the online game World of Warcraft as a backdrop, I offer three key concepts to describe identity: that it is performative and relies on various states of being and actions; that it is projected both by individuals outward as well as by others onto an individual; and that it is punctuated by specific times and places and actions.