Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb:113:106694.
doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106694. Epub 2020 Oct 7.

Avatar identification and problematic gaming: The role of self-concept clarity

Raquel Green  1 , Paul H Delfabbro  1 , Daniel L King  2
Affiliations

Avatar identification and problematic gaming: The role of self-concept clarity

Raquel Green et al. Addict Behav. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Some video-gaming activities feature customizable avatars that enable users to fulfil self-identity needs. Research evidence (e.g., fMRI and survey studies) has suggested that poorer self-concept and stronger avatar identification are associated with problematic gaming. Player-avatar relationships have thus been proposed to require attention in gaming disorder assessment and interventions. To examine the interplay of player-avatar interactions in problematic gaming, this study investigated whether avatar identification differed according to avatar characteristics and game types, and whether the association between avatar identification and problem gaming was mediated by self-concept clarity. A total of 993 adult respondents completed an online survey that assessed problematic gaming, avatar identification, and self-concept clarity. The results indicated that avatar identification scores were generally unrelated to avatar characteristics (e.g., human resemblance, degree of customizability, and in-game perspective). Avatar identification was significantly positively related to problematic gaming and significantly negatively related to self-concept clarity. There was a significant indirect relationship between avatar identification on problem gaming mediated through self-concept clarity. These findings suggest that poorer self-concept clarity may be one mechanism by which avatar identification affects problem gaming. Future research with clinical samples may help to gain a better understanding of avatar-related processes and psychological vulnerabilities related to problematic gaming.

Keywords: Avatar identification; Gaming disorder; Problematic gaming; Self-concept clarity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The direct and indirect effects of self-concept clarity on the relationship between avatar identification and problem gaming, with gaming time as a covariate.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The direct and indirect effects of self-concept clarity on the relationship between wishful avatar identification and problem gaming.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Allison S.E., Von Wahlde L., Shockley T., Gabbard G.O. The development of the self in the era of the internet and role-playing fantasy games. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2006;163:381–385. - PubMed
    1. Bailey K., West R., Kuffel J. What would my avatar do? Gaming, pathology, and risky decision making. Frontiers in Psychology. 2013;4:609. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bean A.M., Nielsen R.K., van Rooij A.J., Ferguson C.J. Video game addiction: The push to pathologize video games. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. 2017;48(5):378.
    1. Bessière K., Seay A.F., Kiesler S. The ideal elf: Identity exploration in World of Warcraft. Cyberpsychology & Behavior. 2007;10:530–535. - PubMed
    1. Billieux J., Thorens G., Khazaal Y., Zullino D., Achab S., Van der Linden M. Problematic involvement in online games: A cluster analytic approach. Computers in Human Behavior. 2015;43:242–250.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources