An Influence of Game Avatar on Real World

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the influence of gamers’ avatar self-identification in massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) play on their real lives. By proposing the concepts of avatar self-identification, this study explores a model that develops the antecedents of avatar self-identification and the role in influencing gamers’ real lives. For empirical analysis, this study gathered data from 228 university students in South Korean by a survey method and analyzes the data with AMOS 24. The results show as follows. First, social interaction and social support that gamers perceive in MMORPGs increase their avatar self-identification. Second, the gamers’ avatar self-identification increases their social capital and self-esteem in real lives. Finally, social interaction that gamers perceive in MMORPGs increases their social capital in real lives through their avatar self-identification. And, social support that gamers perceive in MMORPGs increases their self-esteem in real lives through their avatar self-identification. The research contribution on game research is to pay scholarly attention to the positive effect of MMORPGs in the perspective of avatar self-identification.