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TY - JOUR
JO - ARIES, Anuario de Antropología Iberoamericana
TI - Avatars, Bodies, and Sociality in Virtual Reality: Ethnographic Explorations in VRChat
VL - 
IS - 2025
PB - Asociación AIBR, Antropólogos Iberoamericanos en Red
T2 - ARIES, Anuario de Antropología Iberoamericana
PY - 2025
M1 - 
SN - 2530-7843
UR - https://aries.aibr.org/articulo/2025/31/6826/avatars-bodies-and-sociality-in-virtual-reality-ethnographic-explorations-in-vrchat
DO - doi:
AU - Luis E. Andrade Silva
A2 - 
A3 - 
A4 - 
A5 - 
A6 - 
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SP - 
LA - Esp
DA - 31/01/2025
KW - 
AB - Spanish: This ethnographic study examines the intersection of self-construction and sociality in virtual reality environments, with a focus on VRChat. By employing participant observation and experimental anthropology, it explores how avatars serve as symbolic extensions of the body, allowing users to experiment with new forms of identification, social interaction, and digital embodiment.

The findings reveal that VRChat users do not merely design idealized characters but engage in fluid identity expressions that challenge conventional understandings of corporeality. Avatars range from anthropomorphic animals (furries) to hyper-stylized figures, often reflecting players’ aspirations, fantasies, and social positioning within virtual spaces. These digital representations facilitate complex interpersonal interactions, giving rise to virtual families, role-playing communities, and emergent economies based on in-game labor. Such dynamics illustrate how VRChat functions not only as a leisure platform but as a social arena where users negotiate norms, hierarchies, and belonging.

Furthermore, the immersive nature of virtual reality enables an intensified engagement with digital identities, where the lines between physical selfhood and virtual representation blur. The study underscores that virtual reality is not merely an extension of traditional gaming but a transformative space where relationships, social performances, and identity formations are continuously redefined. By examining these dynamics, this research contributes to the broader discourse on digital anthropology and the evolving nature of online socialization, emphasizing virtual reality as a critical field for understanding contemporary digital cultures. English: This ethnographic study examines the intersection of self-construction and sociality in virtual reality environments, with a focus on VRChat. By employing participant observation and experimental anthropology, it explores how avatars serve as symbolic extensions of the body, allowing users to experiment with new forms of identification, social interaction, and digital embodiment.

The findings reveal that VRChat users do not merely design idealized characters but engage in fluid identity expressions that challenge conventional understandings of corporeality. Avatars range from anthropomorphic animals (furries) to hyper-stylized figures, often reflecting players’ aspirations, fantasies, and social positioning within virtual spaces. These digital representations facilitate complex interpersonal interactions, giving rise to virtual families, role-playing communities, and emergent economies based on in-game labor. Such dynamics illustrate how VRChat functions not only as a leisure platform but as a social arena where users negotiate norms, hierarchies, and belonging.

Furthermore, the immersive nature of virtual reality enables an intensified engagement with digital identities, where the lines between physical selfhood and virtual representation blur. The study underscores that virtual reality is not merely an extension of traditional gaming but a transformative space where relationships, social performances, and identity formations are continuously redefined. By examining these dynamics, this research contributes to the broader discourse on digital anthropology and the evolving nature of online socialization, emphasizing virtual reality as a critical field for understanding contemporary digital cultures.
CR - Copyright; 2025 Asociación AIBR, Antropólogos Iberoamericanos en Red
ER -