Other Worlds, Other Selves: Moving Beyond Escapism

This chapter contextualizes the book’s premise and provides an overview of its contents. After establishing the relevance of the work’s general subject matter—virtual embodiment—the author demonstrates the importance of studying how disability identity functions within simulation narratives. Intrigued by both how it is represented and how it is received, the author positions their work as a reflective examination of what happens to the bodymind in these spaces. Through the type of identity play that simulated environments permit, they argue that this form of activity can lead to greater self-knowledge and self-acceptance, potentially resulting in an act of remediation. This argument is supported by an explanation of the author’s approach—as a posthumanist-new materialist folklorist—and an outline of the book’s chapters, all of which suggest that disability identity is very present in simulated experiences and deserves more deliberation across disciplines.