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Proteus effect avatar profiles: Associations with disordered gaming and activity levels
Kaiden Hein1, Tyrone L Burleigh1, Angela Gorman2
1School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
Addictive Behaviors Reports
|September 2, 2024
Summary
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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