Online gamers unmasked

Photojournalist Robbie Cooper captured images of gamers and their real-life selves. Here are their stories.

Bae plays a man because she thinks that male avatars have more charisma, she wants to “project strength”, and all the “masters” in the game have male avatars. She says if she had to play the game alone she wouldn’t bother. Initially, she was attracted to it because she thought it looked beautiful, but the social element has become part of her life. Her guild meets up regularly.