Proteus effect avatar profiles: Associations with disordered gaming and activity levels
- 1School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
- 2Catholic Care Victoria, Victoria, Australia.
- 3Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.
- 0School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Gaming avatars significantly impact user behavior, creating distinct proteus effect profiles. Higher proteus effect is linked to increased gaming disorder, while physical activity levels remain unaffected.
Area Of Science
- Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Digital Media Studies
Background
- The proteus effect describes how virtual avatars influence user self-perception and behavior.
- Understanding avatar influence is crucial for addressing potential negative impacts of gaming.
Purpose Of The Study
- To identify distinct proteus effect profiles among gamers.
- To investigate the association between these profiles, disordered gaming, and physical activity.
Main Methods
- Latent class analysis of data from 571 gamers.
- Longitudinal assessment of gaming disorder symptoms and physical activity.
Main Results
- Three proteus effect profiles were identified: non-influenced, emotion-perception influenced (highest effect), and emotion-behavior influenced (moderate effect).
- The high proteus effect group showed significantly higher gaming disorder symptoms at baseline and 6 months.
- Disordered gaming and proteus effect predicted decreased physical activity over time, though profiles did not directly differ in activity levels.
Conclusions
- Avatar influence, as measured by the proteus effect, differentially impacts gamers' experiences and functioning.
- Stronger proteus effect may elevate risks for gaming disorder.
- Minimal avatar influence appears protective, while disordered gaming can negatively affect physical activity.
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