A systematic review and investigation of avatar- and self-related processes and problematic gaming
Date
2020
Authors
Green, Racquel
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Thesis
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Abstract
Many games feature avatars that enable adoption of, and experimentation with, roles and
identities. How avatar- and self-related processes develop and maintain gaming disorder
(GD) is unclear. This review examined 18 quantitative studies of avatar- and self-related
concepts and problematic gaming, including 13 survey-based and 5 neuroimaging studies.
Survey-based studies consistently reported that negative self-concept, avatar identification,
and large self-avatar discrepancies were associated with problematic gaming. Poor selfconcept
appears to be a GD risk factor. Further research should explain how avatars relate to
GD’s addictive mechanisms (e.g., cognitive distortions, reward-seeking), amid calls for GDrelated
interventions to focus on avatar identification.
School/Discipline
School of Psychology
Dissertation Note
Thesis (M.Psych(Clinical)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2020
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