The computer game I played was an online version of the Final Fantasy series. The game revolved around playing out a story line in a game while completing certain tasks and battles. Battles being described as real-time turn based fights between yourself and another. What I found to be the most powerful aspect of the game were the actual battles. It is where the player has the most control and discretion of the video game characters power. Through this control of the on-screen characters, you can really get a feel for the game functions. The game itself has a very engaging storyline which keeps you latched to the game for hours on end. The strategy behind the game also plays an important role since it keeps you constantly involved in the game. You are also able to communicate between other online players.
Within the fighting aspect of the game, I felt more compelled to use forceful and physical attacks when using the male characters versus the female characters. There just seemed to be something stronger looking about the male characters. This is an example of the “Proteous Effect”. I was taken by the physical characteristics of my character and acted in a way I perceived them to act based on their image.
Throughout the game, you are given the option of talking to other members and responding with whatever you want. When using a stronger looking character to approach others, I was generally treated friendlier (stronger characters are more desirable in the video game). This is an example of the nonverbal expectancy violations theory since I created a positive valance with my character. I think this theory is very relevant to communications inside of a virtual world space like this since it really emphasizes the deindividual aspects of the video game.
I used to play a ton of video games as a kid and have since lost interest but I completely remember now what it was like to act inside of a virtual space with others. You can take on the role of another simply by their on-screen image.
5 comments:
It's interesting how most of the online virtual worlds are perceived to be so intriguing, and addicting. I guess i can see how many people fantasize about being someone else for a variety of reasons, and these online games, as you describe, and online worlds such as second life allow people to fulill their wishes. Yee and Bailerson's examination of this, seems to me to be a necessary evaluation considering how many people are taking part in these online worlds. Yee and Bailerson describe several positive attributes to communicating virtually based on how attractive you are, and also based on your height when concerning negotiations. Their results may explain why these online playgrounds are such a phenomena, when it seems there hasnt been a face to face interaction that has gotten a parallel level of attention.
Brendan,
I remember making fun of my younger brother because he used to constantly play games like Final Fantasy. This assignment has really introduced me to a wide spectrum of online games, and thus I have gained a slight appreciation for the creative energies that go into playing these games and maintaining online worlds.
Your reaction to be forceful and strong when using male characters definitely supports the Proteus effect, as you conformed to the expected stereotype of the character. I would be interested to hear you thoughts about final fantasy affecting behavior in real life, because many people argue that exposure to violent video games and violent TV shows increases violence in reality. Though it is difficult to pinpoint an exact correlation between violence in media and violence in reality because individual differences come in to play, I’m curious to know if videogames such as final fantasy incite violent tendencies in adolescents. On the other hand, some people argue that videogames are an outlet for such violent tendencies. I’m interested in your opinion since you were once an avid video-gamer. Thanks for a thought provoking post!
Brendan,
It interesting to see how engrossed people are these days with a computer mediated environment. After reading and immmersing one self in such an environment, I think about what this world is coming to. Furthermore, Yee and Bailerson's predictions were right-on about how being attractive has a direct effect on communication
Greatjob!
Brendan,
Through your experience on the Final Fantasy series game, it is clear to see how Yee and Bailerson’s examination of the correlation between our avatar’s appearance affects the way that we behave on a virtual space. Even without taking into account the theory of behavioral confirmation, where we confirm our perceiver's impression of ourself, instead Yee and Bailerson's "Proteus Effect" theory states that we fulfill and meet the self-perception of our avatar's attractive through the way we interact with other users; in your experience, the gender of your avatar affected how forcefully you treated the other avatars in the game. It’s also interesting to see how addicting these online virtual worlds become that furthers this escalating Problematic Internet Use (PIU) problem on the Internet.
Virtual worlds have gained a lot more appeal towards players as games have progressed in their content and visual realism. Because game developers devote just as much time to the story of many games as they do the gameplay and graphics, games can attract people in the same way a good book or movie does. In books and movies people tend to identify with the characters they are watching or reading about. The attention placed on these characters is placed on the player in MMOG's. I think while single player story driven games try to deindividuate the player, MMOG's do the opposite and place emphasis on the players skills and talents in comparison to others thus enhancing players individuality.
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