Research question:
How do virtual avatars in games reflect back on the player’s personality?
Sub-questions:
Is it possible to make people aware of the reflective quality of games, so they might get a better understanding of their own point of view?
And if so, would it be possible to confront people with their own ideas and behaviour and encourage them to change those for the better?
Although the virtual is mostly considered to be pure fiction, avatars in virtual worlds actually contain pieces of their creators (the players). People will transpose parts of their own character onto their virtual representation, even when they aren’t consciously aware of it.
If the virtual representation comes closer to reality the avatar’s character too comes closer to the player’s character. You can see this happening in Second Life, where there’s a heightened sincerity among players about the presentation of their avatar. If players play a fictional role that’s different from their real personality it’s often made known to the people they interact with.
Virtual avatars in relation to their context (MMO environments) can reflect (part of) the player’s personality. Playing a game that’s open enough to player influence can reveal something of that player’s identity. This could be something the player isn’t consciously aware of.
The virtual world can act as a mirror of the real world.
