Some Assembly Required: Player Mental Models of Videogame Avatars

Abstract

In playing videogames, players often create avatars as extensions of agency into those spaces, where the player-avatar relationship (PAR) both shapes gameplay and is the product of gameplay experiences. Avatars are generally understood as singular bodies; however, we argue they are functional and phenomenological assemblages—networks of social and technological components that are internalized by players as networks of knowledge about the avatar. Different PARs are based on different internalizations (i.e., mental models) for what an avatar is and why it matters. Toward illuminating nuances in PARs, we examine the content and structure of players’ internalizations of avatars as evidenced by descriptions of those digital bodies. Secondary analysis of N = 1,201 avatar descriptions parceled them by PAR type (avatars as asocial Objects, psychologically merged extensions of Me, hybrid me/other Symbiotes, and authentically social Other). Aggregated descriptions for each PAR type were subjected to semantic network analysis to identify patterns in salient avatar components, and then qualitatively compared across the four PARs. Results indicate component clusters that are universal to PARs (demographics and body features), common to three of four PARs (time, appearance, clothing, and player agency), and idiosyncratic to specific PARs (significance, character narratives, game dynamics, liminality, and gratifications). Findings signal the importance of theoretically engaging avatars as assemblages both (a) influenced by player-avatar sociality and (b) that contribute (in part and whole) to antecedents, processes, and effects of gameplay.

Thought Bubbles: A Proxy into Players' Mental Model Development

“…The concept of elicitation is fundamental in studying mental models. In the HCI context, numerous studies on eliciting mental models exist [6,40]. However, most of them approach the elicitation process in a non-diegetic form, for example, using interviews before or after the interaction.…”

What is the post-game depression? A narrative inquiry

“…Mentioned avatar plays a key role in the video game playing experience. It is not only part of the game mechanic but rather a phenomenological entity (Banks & Bowman, 2021) created by the player -when players attach different meanings and fantasies about, for example, the adventures of the avatar but also their moral judgments, values and how they develop relationships with them, in their mind, it makes the avatar something more than just pixels on the screen. The relationship between the player and his avatar influence the degree of enjoyment from the game and constitutes applying important meaning to that experience (N. D. Bowman et al, 2016).…”

“…The relationship between the player and his avatar influence the degree of enjoyment from the game and constitutes applying important meaning to that experience (N. D. Bowman et al, 2016). Banks (2015;Banks & Bowman, 2021;Downs et al, 2019) presented four types of relationship between the player and avatar: avatar as object, avatar as me, avatar as symbiote and avatar as other. That typology is social in its' approach, meaning that player and avatar can have no social relation (the avatar as object, that is treated as a tool), a one that is defined as being an extension of the player into the virtual world (avatar as me), a one in which the avatar and player are intertwined (avatar as symbiote, this type emphasis identities negotiation and sense-making), and lastly treating avatar as a distinct social agent having own life story, values and exists independently within the game world.…”

“It’s More than Just a Game”: How a Sense of Belonging is Fostered and Maintained in Video Games

“…Namely, when regarded at face value, many perceive the avatar as solely a tool for gameplay (Banks & Bowman, 2021). However, character customisation permits it to be used as a form of identity creation, exploration, and management that typically leads to a degree of personal attachment .…”