The impact of video game character viewpoints and task on perceptions of cognitive and similarity identification

The following study examines the effect of character viewpoints in a video game and task (motivation) on outcomes associated with identification and enjoyment. The study employs a 2 (first-person viewpoint vs. third-person viewpoint) × 2 (task vs. no task) experimental design to test potential theoretical impacts of identification. Specifically, this study looked at how first-person and third-person viewpoints impact identification (cognitive vs. similarity) and enjoyment after playing a video game. The results showed that third-person perspectives through manipulated gaming objectives (task) positively impacted identification. Furthermore, task was associated with higher game play enjoyment. This study adds to the current literature by comparing different type’s identification (cognitive vs. similarity) and how these concepts are impacted by point-of-view and motivation. Thus, extending our theoretical understanding of identification.