research-article

Avatars, characters, players and users: multiple identities at/in play

Authors:

Marcus Carter,

Martin Gibbs,

Michael ArnoldAuthors Info & Claims

OzCHI '12: Proceedings of the 24th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference

Pages 68 - 71

https://doi.org/10.1145/2414536.2414547

Published: 26 November 2012 Publication History

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Abstract

Avatars are ubiquitous in virtual worlds (VWs). As such, they have become central to how we understand the way they are experienced. Common conceptualisations of the user avatar relationship invoke an identity binary which has influenced discussions of presence and game enjoyment. This paper presents findings from EVE Online which suggest there are more than two identities involved in playing games in VWs. As such, we argue for a more nuanced approach to notions of identity in VWs and discuss how this approach understands the impact of VW design on the way identity is constructed by players.

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Rueben MHorrocks MMartinez JCormier MLaLone NFraune MToups Dugas P(2022)“I See You!”: A Design Framework for Interface Cues about Agent Visual Perception from a Thematic Analysis of VideogamesProceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3491102.3517699(1-22)Online publication date: 29-Apr-2022
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Avatars, characters, players and users: multiple identities at/in play

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Reviews

Reviewer: John M. Artz

The conceptual structure of this study is so convoluted that it is difficult to comment on. In essence, the authors are arguing for an expanded, more nuanced understanding of avatar identity. This is where the confusion begins. By way of explanation, I would distinguish between player identity and avatar identity. Let's say a video game's top scores are reported in a public place and "Big Joe" holds the top score. "Big Joe" would be an example of a player identity, and the person behind "Big Joe" might take a great deal of personal pride in "Big Joe's" accomplishments. But "Big Joe" is just a name on the scoreboard. It is not an avatar. Even if we add a picture of "Big Joe," it is still not an avatar. This distinction is important because psychological phenomena such as presence and avatar attachment occur when playing a game through a dynamic 3D character. While one may identify with a pseudonym and even be attached to it, it is unclear if all or indeed any of the psychological phenomena occur. One might argue, at some conceptual level, that the insertion of a persona into a virtual world qualifies as an avatar even if it is not supported by a 3D dynamic character. But that argument wasn't made here. Without that argument, the study adds more confusion to the concept of avatar identity than clarity. Furthermore, the study focused on players of EVE Online and was limited to the responses of 11 male players, so it lacks generality. To strengthen the study, the authors need to make meaningful distinctions between player identities and avatar identities. They need to explain the unique experiences of EVE Online players and how they impact generality. Hence, due to faulty conceptual foundations, it is unclear what to make of the authors' claims. Online Computing Reviews Service

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Published In

OzCHI '12: Proceedings of the 24th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference

November 2012

692 pages

ISBN:9781450314381

DOI:10.1145/2414536

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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SIGCHI: ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 26 November 2012

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OzCHI '12

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Human Factors & Ergonomics Soc

OzCHI '12: The 24th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference

November 26 - 30, 2012

Melbourne, Australia

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Overall Acceptance Rate 362 of 729 submissions, 50%

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https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-3796-7_6
Rueben MHorrocks MMartinez JCormier MLaLone NFraune MToups Dugas P(2022)“I See You!”: A Design Framework for Interface Cues about Agent Visual Perception from a Thematic Analysis of VideogamesProceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3491102.3517699(1-22)Online publication date: 29-Apr-2022
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