The majority of people in a virtual world only have or use one account and one avatar. Of course, that's normal, and expected. Now take it a step farther ....in IMVU, you've probably seen friends who have more than one avatar and more than one account, and you're probably wondering, ..."Why would they do this?"
Well, part of it is "Anonymity", and before you say or think that's a bad thing, keep in mind there's a GOOD reason not to let people know your real identity and "especially" on the internet, where you are "Globally" exposing yourself out there to anyone and everyone. It's not dangerous just for minors. It's dangerous for adults as well. NO ONE should know or have access to who you really are IRL, unless you choose to, trust them, and want them to. Taken a step farther, even your virtual personna (over time) also can develop an identity, especially when more people are more familiar and know about you. Are you starting to get it now?
Let's get deeper. Some people can't wrap their head around this concept, or they are immediately "paranoid" or fearful of anyone who sports or has multiple avatars. The "trust" level goes down, and much of the time, you are labeled as a weirdo, a troublemaker, someone who can't be trusted, ...or worse, a troll, hacker, or some really nasty or bad person. It depends on the platform, the ease of having them, and most of all, the ease of actually using them. On IMVU, it is exceedingly EASY to have multiple avatar accounts, as the cost is low, and the means of being able to utilize them, at once at the same time, ...even in the same room instance, is easy to do in IMVU as well. I'm definitely "not" a gamer, ....but I really do love this concept in a social platform, and it's exclusive to 'non-vr headset' platforms like IMVU and Second Life. It's definitely challenging, and it can be every bit as hard as any good game out there. There are MANY reasons for doing this, ...one is just for general backup and protection, another reason is just for fun and experimentation, ...and there is actually another good reason which I will cover.
....and Yes, WE ALL KNOW trolls, hackers, scammers, spies, and troublemakers do it exclusively and constantly all the time! It's no secret. IMVU especially makes it easy for them. One of the worst cases of it that I uncovered was a whole damn "network" made up of over 100 avatar accounts on IMVU specifically made to harass and threaten people. But forget about that for now, and let's move on....
ALTERNATE BACKUP ACCOUNT:
This is the main and first reason. You need to create at least one alternate & secondary backup account, and "everyone" should do this! Why? ...because you need a "backup". The first time you get locked out of your account, or if your account is ever suspended or permanently disabled by IMVU, or your account is hacked away from you, etc, etc, ...you'll wish you had done it. Whether it's a carbon-copy of your original account, or different, it's a very smart thing to have a secondary account ready and put into place for safety and protection ...just in case. I was wrongfully "permanently disabled" by IMVU in 2021 ....TWICE ....all because of an error in one of their scripts. I got my account back, but many other people who were also disabled (other than myself) were not as fortunate.
For FUN, EXPERIMENTATION, and ANONYMITY:
For a lot of people it can be a lot of fun to create more than one avatar or "personna". Yes, it's true that people can change-up their avatar on a single account, and even go from male to female or vice-versa, but let's think outside the box for a second with a few possibilities:
1) You can operate one avatar account in one room instance, and another avi account with "another name" in another room instance, and still remain completely anonymous to everyone else in the adjacent rooms. Maybe you just want to experience IMVU, a particular room, or a different circle of people or friends in it, but not as your own original virtual self. If you want to protect your main account, its name, its anonymity, ...and (in some cases) even its reputation (from the trolls, or from backstabbing aquaintances or slanderers, jealous people, etc), sometimes there are good reasons for doing this, such as being able to go into rooms undetected to know what might be going on or what people might be saying about you, or about others.
See Elena's picture above? When I first made her, I used her countless times as an undercover private investigator (P.I.)
(yes, I know that is spying, and before you say it, ...I know it also has its bad or deceptive uses as well).
2) Maybe you're sick and tired of the whole love, romance, relationship & dating crap that rarely "ever" works-out on these virtual platforms and is the source of most of the "drama" for everyone on them, and ends up in frustration, hurt, and depression. ...well, guess what? ...you can have one with your own self with two accounts, ...with safety, comfort, and peace of mind, and ....no one else has to know or be able to figure out what's really going on. Now don't shoot me down here because I even state this. Some people are very lonely. If you can't or are unable to get a date or a companion, or you're extremely lonely, ...of course it's not the real thing, but it could be an option that can work, help you cope, or make you happy to some degree, and it can look like the real thing to everyone else. ...maybe until you actually "do" find that special someone.
3) The most fun one I'm going to put under a separate 'header' all on its own....
USING 2 AVATAR ACCOUNTS AT THE SAME TIME, and IN THE SAME ROOM/INSTANCE:
FORWARNING! When you decide to do this, it's not so easy and can be extremely challenging, and there certainly is a lot of potential to screw it all up, but DAMN is it a lot of FUN! If I actually were a gamer, this would be my game....and I LOVE to do this! The concept of operating two avatars at the same time in the same room, and both engaged in conversation with people at various intervals talking in the chat is an exhilarating and mind-blowing experience, ...whether the others in the room know ahead-of-time that you're operating both, or even if they don't. It's like your soul existing and operating separately in two bodies at the same time.
Take another look at the pictures at the top of this page. The two accounts I use consistently together are Jesse and Elena. I publically admit and let everyone know that I am both accounts, and everyone I know already knows it. They all know I'm playing both avi's, and there is no deception at all going on. It's extremely fun and I'll tell you why. It's because I can initiate a conversation between my two avatars in front of everyone else in the room.
In truth, in real life and on IMVU, I am an "introvert". I don't do very well in a large group of people, that is, unless I already know most of them, but I've never been good at 'small talk' or getting in conversations with others I don't know. ...but for me, ...it's easy for me to talk to my own self. ...and there's strength in "numbers". Two is all you need. Unable to break the ice or start a conversation with someone? Just bring your other avatar in the room and then start up your own conversation with it. Others see the conversation and listen in, and even come over and join in the conversation. Yes, it makes a great "Ice Breaker"!
It gets even crazier! ...once I got more comfortable doing this, I took it to the next level, ...like Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon bouncing back and forth on the Tonight Show, but worse! Hehe. I would have Jesse and Elena make sarcastic remarks to each other, insult each other, increasing in intensity. I always made Elena the practical joker and trickster. She would annoy Jesse and I even had a skit where Elena would dance in back of her and then pull out a pair of scissors and cut her hair off. I quickly changed Jesse's hair to a shorter hairsyle, and then I had Jesse 'freak-out' and chase Elena all around the room, and then get into a fight on the floor. It was great and entertaining, and everyone in the room loved it. People who were patrons of the C4 Rock Clubs have witnessed this skit and my antics and "loved" it! ...even those who didn't know both those avi's were me. It can be VERY creative and FUN for sure!
Now I'll get Serious ........here is my own story of how I even started doing this (Jesse's story)
I never planned on doing this, nor did I even think that I could. Before I ever came on IMVU, my own IRL backstory is I suffered many years from deep depression and loneliness. I've also have a traumatic past that I won't talk about, but I will state that MPD is a real thing. It is for me. When I wasn't at work or traveling (usually by myself), I spent most of my time isolated in my home, even before the pandemic hit. The pandemic just made it worse and intensified it. For brevity, I'll be skipping how I re-discovered and came back on IMVU 10 years later, as even that was unexpected, and is a whole story in-and-of itself.
In a way, IMVU brought new life into me, it was fresh and new, ...but even as a newbie or "noob", it had its ups and downs. In the first year of being on it, I watched as all my friends in there that I knew, all of them, had a special someone, ...and I didn't. It finally hit it's peak when my family in IMVU had a special event going on, and at some point, everyone else broke-off with their "special someone" into partner slow dances or just going somewhere to cuddle. In a way, I felt embarassed, and my heart hurt and broke. I wasn't necessarily looking for love, but during that moment, all the loneliness I've experienced prior came flooding back, ...so I left and logged-off....
...but the next day I was determined to fix this problem I had. It took several days of ingenuity, but I did fix it. Enter ...."Gina"! ....my new second account, companion, and dancing partner. To do this, I used two laptops (my existing one, and a really old one), each running their own IMVU client. It wasn't easy at all, but somehow, some way, I managed to pull it off. Back then, no one knew that I was doing both accounts. No one knew, and everyone thought Gina was really someone else. I was happy now. ...and That's how it started. ....and NO, I didn't create Gina to be a sex partner!!! (you people have sick dirty minds) "Everyone" wants to be loved, hugged, and someone to be with, and this was my way of making that happen at the time.
I won't get into how Elena was created, because that story is a little bizzare, and you would never believe me even if I told you. In real life, I have 4 personalities (that I know of), and there's things even I don't fully understand. Let's just say that Elena is the deeper, wounded, hurting, and much darker side of me. Elena identifies as very Gothic, loves murder mysteries, is highly analytical, and very deep into the metaphysical/spiritual side of things. It just happened, and I won't talk about it, so I'll end it on that note. I managed to create yet another 3rd account shortly after this. Today currently, I have 7 accounts ...each fully stocked with their own inventory of clothes, accessories, poses, credits, and even VCOIN.
For someone like myself, there is another great reason for mutiple accounts. Maybe it's why I've even created them.
SELF THERAPY:
Some have done what I am about to describe ...by writing stories and books with mutiple characters in them, all interacting with each other. However, I took it a step farther than that. I basically did the same thing in IMVU, with my avatars in conversation with each other in a private room instance, usually just two, ...usually Jesse and Elena, ...and sometimes Jesse and Gina. ...and as stated earlier, there's strength in numbers, and strength in opening up and talking about things out loud. Many psychologists will attest to the fact that this is extremely good therapy, and it is. I didn't realize it at the time, but over those years, I had a lot of great sessions in private rooms where I've engaged Jesse and Elena in deep, emotional, and personal conversation for hours. I know in reality, I was having conversation with my own self, maybe with my different sides or own personalities, but I'll never forget it. It was a major healing process for me, and actually helped me in more ways than one, and I would recommend it to anyone. I'm sure there are others just like myself, and I think they would benefit greatly from it.
In closing, the use of multiple avatars is a powerful way to express yourself and be creative. It's thinking outside-of-the-box (...or tetrahedron). Unfortunately, it gets a bad rap because of the amount of people of who make and use them for all the wrong, selfish, and evil reasons. I urge everyone who does this to use caution and do it wisely, and DO IT for the RIGHT REASONS, as you can possibly ruin or destroy your online reputation in an instant.
The end of the story?
Not quite. When you reach the end of your own "self" like I eventually did, and there is not really anywhere else to go....
....you either stay where you are, or you wake up somehow, ....and move on.
In my particular case, it was into the arms of my Creator God, who I have my conversations with now.
This isn't related to the topic, but I'll talk about it anyway....
For many engrossed in a virtual 3D world, or a game, or even some other love or hobby, ....many people get very addicted to it.
I know, because I'm "one of them"
It's exciting, causes the dopamine to skyrocket, and you can't get enough of it. ...and the more engrossed and the more time you spend in a game or virtual world, the more it "becomes" your reality, even more than the real world. I was completely drenched in IMVU the first two years I was on it. It broke the loneliness, and I wanted more of it. I was on it every moment I wasn't at work or doing something I had to do IRL.
Yet, ....some handle it much better than others. Even now, I see and watch people I know, many in their 40's, 50's, and 60's acting like, (and probably really believe) that they really "are" younger, better looking, more energetic. I see nothing wrong with that and I think that is great! I've actually seen and witnessed changed lives and people in IMVU for the better, and even more....
- I've seen women who couldn't have children, or no longer have children, ....give birth to and have children.
- I've seen people in their late teens and early twenties that were from broken homes or foster homes, who had a roleplay family "adopt" them and love them, so they could redo or re-live their childhood with a normal family.
- I've seen countless lonely people find friends and families to be with and be a part of.
- The same goes with others finding a community of people with "like-minded" interests, such as Furries, Anime, D&D, Medieval, Gaming, Motorcycle Clubs, DJ's, Musicians, Modeling Agencies, and every role-play or interest you can imagine .....you name it.
...but an addiction can affect you in negative ways, ....if you let it "consume" you
I've also seen the bad side of this where people lost touch with reality so much, to the point that:
- their involvement with a gf/bf or marriage in IMVU ended up destroying their IRL relationship or marriage.
- time away from IRL affecting their relations with IRL friends and family, employment, finances, health, hygiene, etc.
- problems, infidelity, and rejection in romantic IMVU relationships driving people into IRL depression, deteriation, and in one case I know of, ...suicide.
....but the biggest problem I see all the time is:
....some of these very same people (in their 40's/50's/60's) acting like complete children who have lost all sense of who they really are, as well as their lack of love, compassion, manners, decency, morals, ...you name it ...doing things and acting in ways they would "never" do IRL. Anonymity should never become a justification or excuse for this, ...unless, ...that's they way they "really truly are" and they're much better at hiding it better IRL.
Of course I understand ....many of us came into a virtual world to find that "escape" from RL along with its problems and pressures, and yes, we need to and should seek out and find that escape. But we also need to remember that "no one" can truly hide behind an avatar. You can still have that anonymity, but you will still always be "You" .....your true and very real personality, your essence, your soul and spirit. That is not something that anyone can hide well with ease. Regardless of anonymity, regardless of whatever body you are in, or whatever location or reality you're in, you are still who you are and (more importantly) ...who you "choose" to be. Something to think about....
....and I state all I've said not just to everyone reading this, but to myself as well. I'm no better than anyone else out there for sure.
If you recognize that there is some problem going on, or you feel like you've losing yourself, or things are "off" and not right....
Log off for a few days, or a week, ...or two, ....to get yourself grounded and balanced again.
FOMO (fear of missing out) is a bitch. I know! ...I have that really bad.
but the truth is that everything will still be there when you come back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (hopefully).......
....and in the event things "have" changed, or for whatever reason, it's "not" still there . . . . . . . then.....
(I can't believe I'm actually about to say this)
.....it's actual 'validation' that you made the right decision in taking a break to get yourself away from it.
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