TY - JOUR
T1 - Who Are You Online? a Study of Gender, Race, and Gaming Experience and Context on Avatar Self-Representation
AU - Dunn, Robert Andrew
AU - Guadagno, Rosanna
PY - 2019/7/1
Y1 - 2019/7/1
N2 - Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. The authors conducted an experiment to determine the effects of gender, race, online video gaming experience, and the experimental context in which participants played the video game (online vs. offline vs. no information control) on avatar selection. The qualities of the avatar compared were based on eight objective differences between avatars and individuals: attractiveness, skin tone, height, girth chest size, waist size, hip size, and height. As predicted, those with online gaming experience selected avatars that were taller, thinner, and more attractive relative to their real selves than did participants with no prior online game experience. Non-white participants selected avatars with lighter skin-tones, whereas white participants selected avatars with darker skin-tones. Surprisingly, male participants selected shorter avatars than female counterparts did.
AB - Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. The authors conducted an experiment to determine the effects of gender, race, online video gaming experience, and the experimental context in which participants played the video game (online vs. offline vs. no information control) on avatar selection. The qualities of the avatar compared were based on eight objective differences between avatars and individuals: attractiveness, skin tone, height, girth chest size, waist size, hip size, and height. As predicted, those with online gaming experience selected avatars that were taller, thinner, and more attractive relative to their real selves than did participants with no prior online game experience. Non-white participants selected avatars with lighter skin-tones, whereas white participants selected avatars with darker skin-tones. Surprisingly, male participants selected shorter avatars than female counterparts did.
KW - avatars
KW - body image
KW - gender
KW - self-presentation
KW - video games
UR - https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/9951
UR - https://doi.org/10.4018/IJCBPL.2019070102
U2 - 10.4018/IJCBPL.2019070102
DO - 10.4018/IJCBPL.2019070102
M3 - Article
VL - 9
JO - International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning
JF - International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning
ER -