Open AccessOutside oneself in "World of Warcraft": Gamers' perception of the racial self-other
Author(s) -
Thomas D. Rowland,
Amanda C. Barton
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
transformative works and cultures
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1941-2258
DOI - 10.3983/twc.2011.0258
Subject(s) - popularity , perception , psychology , character (mathematics) , virtual world , social psychology , computer science , human–computer interaction , geometry , mathematics , neuroscience
The popularity of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) has created a unique, heavily populated virtual reality wherein player characters are explicitly differentiated by the physical characteristics of their avatars. To investigate the way real-life race perceptions influence these adopted player-character identities, we invited MMO players to participate in an online survey. In this study, we are particularly interested in overlap, or deviation, between real-life racial perceptions and the perception of fictional fantastic races (elves, dwarves). On the basis of the data collected, we found that whether players consciously associate themselves with their avatars or consciously dissociate themselves from their avatars, real-life racial tendencies unconsciously manifest through players' choices of their avatars and in their interactions with other players within the game environment