How Virtual Avatars are Influenced by Identity Presentation Processes

Identity and Avatars
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Identity and Avatars
Virtual Environments
Avatars are digital objects that humans engage in the virtual world. They represent users in digital space in different aspects, including interactive, graphic, and social representations. They can be in the form of screen names or profile photographs on social networks. On the other hand, they can take the more complex form of 3D bodies in games (Banks & Bowman, 2014). Precisely, avatars form the main link between human players, characters, and tasks in the game world. That said, the relationship between players and their avatars is paramount as it helps understand how humans behave and communicate in different virtual environments. There are different types of virtual environments with different character attachments, which influence player-avatar relationships differently.
The first kind of environment supports parasocial interactions. Here, players identify with media characters that are non-interactive. The players then develop some friendships with the characters (avatars). The resultant interactivity means that the player becomes an active viewer by influencing the avatar's actions and suffering the consequences. Eventually, the player merges psychologically with the avatar, resulting in a greater gameplay agency. Character attachment in such environments comprises four dimensions. The first is identification, where players view themselves as similar to the avatars. The second is control, where players feel they can control avatars' actions. The third dimension is the suspense of disbelief, where players embrace the virtual world as real. Finally, the other dimension is responsibility, where players feel mandated to safeguard the well-being of avatars.
The other environment involves social relationships, where the player and the avatar influence or act on each other. The resultant interaction leads to perceived or actual emotional reactions. In such an environment, distinct features influence and distinguish relationships between players and avatars. First, relationships vary in the extent to which the actors express their identities. Some avatars are graphic representations of players, while others have different individualities with separate lives in the game world. Second, the variance of relationships depends on the levels of emotional intimacy or closeness between the player and the avatar. In light of this, some relationships are devoid of emotional ties, while mutual cohesion and shared experience characterize others. Third, relationships are pegged on the degree to which each actor feels morally or functionally in control. In such situations, either the player or avatar may be in absolute control through their personalities, abilities, or behaviors. In addition, the degree of sociality depends on the types of gameplay practices. For example, actors cannot exhibit the same relationship in combat as in ritual identity negotiations.
Influence of Avatar Creation on Players
As indicated above, some players are inclined to develop emotional closeness to their avatars. They give the avatars a sense of personality, unique behavior, and style. Gr...