Is it possible to find reality in digital fictional worlds? After reading “Fictional Worlds in the Digital Age” by Marie-Laure Ryan, I think I have more questions about the fictional, digital worlds than I do answers. Because I am really intrigued by this topic, I will focus Tuesday’s entire blog post on this topic. First, let’s start with Ryan’s ideas of what constitutes a fictional text. She considers fiction as “an act of make-believe whose prototype can be found in children’s role playing games, such as playing house, cops and robbers, or big bad wolf chasing little pigs” (13). She further states that the entrance into such fictional worlds can be found in two ways: through “entering the body of a specific individual…or they pretend to be an anonymous member of the fictional world who receives the narration or observes the unfolding fictionally real events” (13). In other words, the first way is through pretend or make-believe and the second is could be through something like reading a novel. The first entrance into the fictional world is applicable to the digital age, as Ryan points out that using an avatar is another way to enjoy fictional worlds, which leads to the discussion of how enjoyable “living” in a digital world can be.

For many years now people have engaged in digital worlds where they can create entirely alternative lives. SecondLife, Ryan points out, allows users to let their avatars create new rooms were they can decorate and comment on other people’s rooms (14). She even adds that avatars can be married online! This is where I start questioning the effects of the digital world on the realistic one. Is marrying ones online avatar considered “cheating” on ones real life spouse or partner? Clearly the marriages are not legal ones, but I wonder where the line is drawn in what is appropriate behavior in digital worlds. How do people who use avatars know when they have crossed that line? Another interesting aspect of digital worlds is in their economic values. Exchanging of “currency” is becoming an increasing popular action amongst online users. For instance, my goddaughter loves playing the video game “Grand Theft Auto” and to be successful in this online world currency is an important thing to have. Although what she buys cannot be reproduced in the real world (a Lamborghini, for instance) it does, as Ryan points out, provide her power over the other players she in communicating with. Video game stores like Game Stop carry gift cards with values ranging anywhere from $10 to $100 for digital words where economy rules. Ryan points out “Let’s consider what would happen if the currency of online worlds disappeared entirely, and all transactions took place in real-world money. If the developers of the online world had the right to make money and to freely distribute some amounts to players by changing the numbers in their accounts, this would create serious disruptions of the global economy” (16). I do not think the real world is at any risk for letting online worlds take over global economy, but her point is still a valid one- again, where do we draw the line? How do we separate the digital from reality?

This point is something to consider when we talk about what Ryan calls “transfictionality” or what it is more commonly called “fan fiction.” Scholarship has been recently taking more seriously fandom theory, or the study of fans and that includes fan fiction. This is another forum in which people have the option to create new worlds, new interactions that are most likely to never take place. Many celebrities are the object of fan fiction and these stories written about them calls into question the boundary between what is reality and the digital world. Sometimes fans (and I know this from personal experience) will forget that the fiction that is written about their favorite celebrity, novel or TV show is not what really exists. A great, recent book that considers the state of fan fiction and anonymity online is called “Fangasm: Supernatural Fangirls” by Katherine Larsen and Lynn S. Zubernis. Although they mostly discuss the world of the hit show “Supernatural” on the W.B., they take a look at how fans feel about the online world and what it means for their real names (and thus their reality) to be revealed in the online world on fan fiction.

If you are interested in the book, you can order it on Amazon. It’s a great read- especially if you are a”Supernatural” fan.