Chapter 3 Empowering Avatars – The Impact of In-Game Presence on Everyday Functioning
In: Culture at Play: How Video Games Influence and Replicate Our WorldSearch for other papers by Marta Tymińska in
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Abstract
The status of the player within the game is still a subject of multidisciplinary research, and it changes along with videogame industry, the platforms, genres and particular titles. The most recognisable and interesting form of in-game presence are avatars: the visual (and sometimes auditory) representation of players. Avatars are said to create culture, influence human behaviour and change the way one performs as a player. Avatars, their look and agency, also influence players outside the game environment and be used therapeutically. Avatars can influence not only the gamers’ behaviour but can also empower them; solving in-game problems can help players transport causative feelings into their lives. This paper will focus on the results of an interdisciplinary questionnaire conducted among Polish gamers who experience various levels of social exclusion due to their gender, size, and/or socio-economic status. To compare, similar research was conducted among groups of males not threatened by either social exclusion nor discrimination. The study shows what aspects of avatars help with stress management and what mechanisms of avatar-gamer relations empower, enrich and influence behaviour.