Nicovich, Stefan. (2016).
Self Concept Clarity and its Impact on the Self-Avatar Relationship in a
Mediated Environment (update 2016).
Summary:
In this article, the
author has made two studies to determine if how we perceive ourselves will
negatively affect our avatars and perceived selves. The idea of external
situations affecting us is looked over as well. The study shows that the gamers
who played Skyrim don’t really have a sturdy self-concept of who they are. The
author concludes that self-concept is as much of a factor of the game because
it is the tendency of the person playing it that matters when conducting these
studies.
Response:
I must agree with this
article. I do believe that when given the choice in making our own avatars we
tend to “represent one’s aspirational identity". I believe this to be
true. When creating our avatars, do we make the character in an image that we
don’t like, or do we make the character in our best image? When I play (Skyrim),
I like to make my female characters look “badass” and they’re always strong. I’m
not going to make a character that is weak. This is because I aspire to be a
strong person myself.
The author is also
talking about there being more than one identity-this goes with what I have
been posting about this whole time. The author writes it more eloquently of
course, but he is saying the same thing. He writes, “…one’s understanding is
not unitary but fragmented into several different selves as represented by
virtual identities in virtual environments…”. We all have different sides to
ourselves, even in the digital world. As I have stated before (I think), I made
a new g-mail account that I could use for this class because it is more
professional than my original g-mail.
The discussion of
external forces affecting our self-concept/identities is brought up as well. I agree
with this as well because when someone isn’t confident in themselves in the
real world, they turn to the digital world for reprieve of the harshness that
reality has to offer. Personally, when I play video games I like to immerse
myself in the game and block out the real world completely.
Quotations:
“…one’s avatar represents
one’s aspirational identity” (1).
“…one’s self concept is
not unified but has more than one dimension” (1).
“We argue that one’s
avatar will be more susceptible to external situations and expectations if they
are not as confident in who they are” (1).
“…it appears that the
relationship between self and avatar concept is as much impacted by the
situation as it is by the individual” (5).
Hi Priscilla,
ReplyDeleteIn my household, everyone is, or was at one point, an avid gamer. From World of Warcraft to Fortnite, our family enjoys gaming on a daily basis.
Your response led me to reflect on the fact that I have always been aware of the amount of time my husband takes to create his avatars. Every detail is carefully selected, which is not quite the way he approaches his decisions in his everyday life. He completely immerses himself in the process of creating his avatar, and it must be a way for him to live vicariously through the characters he creates. As a father of two children, he may feel limited in his ability to pursue a “quest” or achieve his “aspirational identity” due to the demands of parenthood.
My 9-year-old has not reached that point, but I do notice that he strives to unlock avatar “skins” or “qualities” to make his avatar specific to his needs or wants.
-Kimberly Ortega
Chantelle,
DeleteI feel like I understand why your husband dedicates so much time to creating his avatars. For me, when I have to create a username for a game or whatever it is, it takes me at least 30 minutes of indecision and anxiety over what impression I will give off from the name that I choose. Our avatars and usernames are what others will think of when we play against them. Our everyday lives are not as exciting as the quests and adventures of gaming, so when we can, we live through these characters. If I turn on a game that I am spending hours on, I don't want to see a nerdy looking and short woman, I want to see a strong and intimidating avatar that I know my opponents will fear. These avatars become our identity and persona for that time.
I agree with the author we make our avatiar look what we want to look like. When I use to design my avatiar for yahoo. I made her look skinnier then I was and gave her a hair color that I couldnt dye my hair in real life because I was to scared to stand out.
ReplyDeletePriscilla,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I understand the difference between "perceive ourselves" and "perceived selves." This might be clarified with more details in the summary. Notice, also, that the second paragraph of your response is actually summary?
Hi Priscilla, Yes I agree with the author, Stephan Nicovich, we are always going to try to look our best when it comes to creating our avatar. It's silly but true
ReplyDelete