The (not so) Secret Life of Avatars

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WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

THE (NOT SO) SECRET LIFE OF AVATARS

Interaction Lab(#ixlab)

ND BowmanOhio University6 October 2014

1954: BEFORE THE AVATARThe (Not So) Secret Life of Avatars

PARA-SOCIAL INTERACTION

• Media provides the “illusion of face-to-face relationships with the performer”…

• …that is “one-sided, non-dialectical, and controlled by the performer” Walter Cronkite, the most

Trusted man in America.

• The relationship can– Make content more

enjoyable– Let us explore new

relationships– Provide feelings of

importance, acceptance

• All social encounters involve a mindreading…

• …and these automated processes happen even with mediated encounters

• Mindreading leads to (a sense of) mutual awareness…

• …especially if mediated personae give off such cues!

Avatar = • From Avatara • Graphical user

representations• Carriers of

meaning/agency• Mediators of

phenomenal gameplay

“Organic” Player

“Inorganic” Avatar

PLAYER-AVATAR RELATIONSHIPS

These relationships exist as headcanons, in the

mind of the player!

Your wish is my command.

THROUGH A POST-POSITIVIST LENS

• Concurrent validity with;– RPG play (3.96)– Fantasy (.46)– Diversion (.26)– Social interaction (.23)– Enjoyment (.23)– Time Played (.17)– Addiction (.37)

Relationship ≈ • valenced connection• between two people• where each influences the other

Avatar

Socialgroups

Game environment

Interface

Physical Environment

Culture

agents

Gender

THROUGH A CONSTRUCTIVIST LENS

PLAYER-AVATAR RELATIONSHIPSPlayer Agencies

• Avatars as functional tools

• Avatar as an extension of the self– Identity tourism– Trait personality – Moral decisions

PLAYER-AVATAR RELATIONSHIPSAvatar Agencies

• Avatars as relational partners with– Needs – Desires – Affordances

• Proteus Effect

Object Me Symbiote Other

• Bowen (1976) suggested that a key to empathy is distinguishing one from another

• Separation leads to “true” empathy, without ego block

Object Me Symbiote Other

Character Bits SocialBits

THE BATTLE ROYALE …

Character Attachment

• Identification(pretending, being, affinity)

• Suspension of disbelief(error, plausibility)

• Control(‘obedience,’ frustration)

• Care/responsibility(wants, needs, interests)

PAR Sociality

• Anthropomorphic autonomy(thoughts, feelings, life)

• Emotional investment(love, appreciation, loss)

• Companionship(friends, understanding, reciprocation)

Avatar as Object Avatar a Me Avatar as Symbiote

Avatar as Other

Identification(I am that avatar)

LowMy avatar is a digital form.

HighMy avatar is me in

digital form.

MidMy avatar is a part

of me.

LowMy avatar is its

own being.

Suspension of Disbelief(Accepts Digital World as a Real One)

LowThe environment is

a space of competition.

MidI appropriate the

world to fit my own view of it.

MidI am able to visit my

avatar’s world.

HighMy avatar lives in a digital world with

its own norms.

Sense of Control(Physical)

HighMy avatar is a tool for mastery of in-game challenges.

MidMy avatar is my

social surrogate to accomplish my

social play goals.

MidMy avatar and I use

each other to accomplish

negotiated goals.

LowI am a tool for my avatar; it tells me

how to control it to accomplish its

goals. Sense of Care & Responsibility(Affective)

LowMy avatar has no

needs.

MidMy avatar is me – it needs what I need.

MidMy avatar and I

know each other’s needs.

HighI help my avatar get the things it

needs.

Table 1. A typology of Player-Avatar Relationships (PAR), from Banks and Bowman (2013).

SocialPara-social

EFA ~ THE BEAUTY PAGEANT• Emotional Investment

– ~24% variance• Anthropomorphic autonomy

– ~20% variance• Suspension of disbelief

– ~17% variance• Sense of control

– ~12% variance

CFA ~ THE TALENT SHOW

CMIN/df = 1.27, p = .076CFI = .989RMSEA = .036

*Correlations shown are significant at the p < .001 level or greater.

.44.32

INTEGRATED MODEL …

• Emotional Investment (from PAR)love, loss, appreciation

• Suspension of Disbelief (from CA, adjusted)error, plausibility

• Player Control (from CA)‘obedience,’ control

• Avatar Anthro-Autonomy (from PAR)(life, feelings, thoughts)

PLAYER-AVATAR RELATIONSHIPSAvatar as

Objectn = 267

Avatar as Me

n = 88

Avatar as Symbiote

n = 95

Avatar as Othern = 44

Emotional Investment

4.02a (1.57)

5.72b (1.12)

6.20c (.783)

5.45b (1.26)

Anthromorphism-Autonomy

1.36a (.745)

1.89b (1.32)

3.30c (1.67)

3.37c (1.64)

Suspension of Disbelief

3.33a 1.75)

4.53b (1.72)

5.06b (1.56)

4.54b (1.86)

Control 6.26b,c (.965)

6.44c (.825)

5.85a,b (1.27)

5.83a (1.20)

• Human-like relatedness

F (4,385) = 64.49, p < .001, R2 = 401 (Adj. R2 = .395)Durbin-Watson = 1.94

VALIDATIONS …

• Play motivations

• Immersion: F(4,488) = 34.76, p < .001, R2 = .222 (Adj. R2 = .215), DW = 1.93

BONUS: PLAYER-AVATAR RELATION SCALE• Emotional Investment

– This avatar is very special to me.– I appreciate this avatar.– I would be heartbroken if I lost this avatar.– I love this avatar.– (R) I don’t really care about this avatar.– (R) I have no emotional connection to this

avatar.

• Player Control– This avatar does what I want.– I control this avatar.

• Avatar Autonomy

– When I log out of the game, this avatar has its own life.

– This avatar has its own feelings.– This avatar has its own thoughts and

ideas.

• Suspension of Disbelief– I concentrate on inconsistencies in this

avatar's story and the game story.– It is important to check for

inconsistencies in this avatar's game.– I pay attention to errors or contradictions

in this avatar's world.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Nick Bowman, Ph.D. [CV]Twitter (@bowmanspartan)Skype (nicholasdbowman)nicholas.bowman@mail.wvu.edu

Interaction Lab (#ixlab)

http://comm.wvu.edu/fs/research/lab

The (not so) Secret Life of Avatars

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