Jaime Banks ~ @amperjayNicholas David Bowman ~ @bowmanspartanWest Virginia University, USA ~ @wvucommstudies #ixlab
Validation of a merged metric for Player-Avatar Interaction (PAX)
(the next chapter)
Avatar =
• Graphical user representations
• Carriers of meaning/agency
• Mediators of phenomenal
gameplay
…
• Psychological Merging
• Dimensions
• Identification
• Suspension of Disbelief
• Sense of Control
• Sense of care/responsibility
• Associated with play motivations, pro/antisocial
tendencies, enjoyment/appreciation
Lewis, Weber, & Bowman (2008)
Bowman, Schultheiss, & Schumann (2012)
Bowman, Rogers, & Sherrick (2013)
Object Me Symbiote Other
Banks (2013, 2015)
• Theoretically divergent
• Conceptual overlaps: agency, emotion
• Predictive/associative value
• Narrative involvement
• Prosocial/cooperative play
• Appreciation
Avatar as
Object
Avatar as
Me
Avatar as
Symbiote
Avatar as
Social Other
Identification Low High Mid Low
Suspension of
disbeliefLow Mid Mid High
Sense of
ControlHigh Mid Mid Low
Sense of care/
responsibilityLow Mid Mid High
Banks & Bowman (2013)
Para-social Social
Banks & Bowman (2014)
• RQ1: Can exploratory and linguistics-based indicators of player-avatar relationships be translated to a meaningful survey instrument to measure perceived PAR sociality?
• RQ2: Are dimensions of PAR sociality and CA empirically distinct?
• RQ3: Can PAR sociality and CA dimensions be synthesized into an instrument with (a) predictive and (b) convergent validity?
• Online surveys• 95 questions from exploratory/follow-up work + CA Scale + construct
validity measures + PAR type
• Sociality scale + CA embedded in larger study
• Sample• Multi-game, international (N = 494, initial subsample n = 176)
• WoW only, international (N = 458)
• Recruited via Reddit/Blizzard forums
Character Attachment
• Identification
(pretending, being,
affinity)
• Suspension of disbelief
(error, plausibility)
• Control
(‘obedience,’ frustration)
• Care/responsibility
(wants, needs, interests)
PAR Sociality
• Anthro. autonomy
(thoughts, feelings, life)
• Emotional investment
(love, appreciation, loss)
• Companionship
(friends, understanding,
reciprocation)
(18-item, penultimate, multi-game sample)
(15-item, final, WoW sample)
NNFI (Tucker-Lewis
index) = .978
IFI = .983
CFI = .982
RMSEA = .046
Correlations shown are
significant at the p < .001
level or greater.
• 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.
• Human-like relatedness
• PAR type
• Motivations for play - social
• Motivations for play - immersion
• MMO genre preference
Object Me Symbiote Other
• I sometimes forget my own feelings and take on
those of my character.
• I enjoy pretending my character is a real person.
• I consider my character a friend of mine.
• I enjoy pretending I am my character.
• I could see myself being attracted to my character.
• I daydream about my character.
• Shifts in anthropomorphism PAX
• “Me versus We” in serious games
• Variations in character identification among dimensions
• Moral decision-making (self v. other)
• Symbiotes … unpack those buggers
