Skip to main content

Avatars should have a way of indicating when they are asynchronous.

When playing back an Avatar message or when the user is AFK (away from controls), it should be clearly indicated that the Avatar’s owner is not currently operating it.

Other users should not be able to affect an asynchronous Avatar. (See guideline 1.)

Soon after we develop more robust synchronous Avatar communications, we will start building asynchronous ways to message and communicate with our Avatars. We will need to figure out how a message you leave for another person looks and acts like. What does it mean to be away from keyboard and what kind of interactions can and cannot happen while you are away?

Should another user be able to put their arms over your shoulder and take a selfie with an asynchronous version of you? Should they be allowed to interact with your asynchronous avatar without your consent?

The situation this creates can potentially be hilarious or abusive depending on who was in the experience with your asynchronous avatar.

I believe that we have to protect users who are in this very vulnerable state.

BACK TO THE GUIDELINES
Roblox

Disclaimer

These were written aspirationally. I did not write these guidelines with my employer’s specific context in mind. These were written knowing that there are some aspects of these that we already do really well and some that we are still working on as an industry.

Copyright images used are credited inline. Additional images were generated with Midjourney.

CONTACT THE AUTHOR