Avatar Creation and Video Game Enjoyment

TLDR

The model of complex entertainment experiences posits that a game's competitiveness and a player's life satisfaction influence enjoyment, and that avatar-player similarity determines identification, which in turn enhances enjoyment. A quasi‑experimental study with 666 participants had them select avatar personality features across six game scenarios. Results show that competitiveness and life satisfaction shape avatar choice and identification, with noncompetitive games and satisfied players favoring similar avatars; avatar‑player similarity boosts identification (especially in noncompetitive games) and identification strongly predicts enjoyment, while controlling for identification reveals a negative direct effect of similarity on enjoyment, indicating identity play as an independent enjoyment source.

Abstract

Based on the model of complex entertainment experiences ( Vorderer, Klimmt, & Ritterfeld, 2004 ), the competitiveness of a computer game (media prerequisite) and the individual life satisfaction (user prerequisite) are hypothesized to influence game enjoyment. Avatar-player similarity was hypothesized to determine identification with the avatar, which in turn was suggested to enhance the enjoyment experience. In a quasi-experimental study, (N = 666) participants were asked to choose the personality features of an avatar for six different game scenarios. The results demonstrate that the games’ competitiveness as well as the participants’ life satisfaction influenced avatar choice and identification. In noncompetitive games, similar avatars were created, whereas in competitive games, dissimilar avatars were created. Participants who were well satisfied with their lives created avatars that resemble themselves in terms of personality factors, whereas dissatisfied users created dissimilar avatars. Player-avatar similarity was positively related to identification. This correlation was significantly stronger for noncompetitive games. Identification with the avatar was strongly related to game enjoyment. When controlling for the influence of identification on enjoyment, player-avatar similarity was negatively related to enjoyment, suggesting that identity play can be an independent source of enjoyment in computer games.