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The Avatar Affordances Framework: Mapping Affordances and Design Trends in Character Creation Interfaces

Authors:

Victoria McArthur,

Robert John Teather,

Jennifer JensonAuthors Info & Claims

CHI PLAY '15: Proceedings of the 2015 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play

Pages 231 - 240

https://doi.org/10.1145/2793107.2793121

Published: 05 October 2015 Publication History

Abstract

Avatar customization is available in many games, but as yet there is no analytical framework capable of enabling systematic comparison between games. To investigate this issue, we present our novel analytical framework, referred to as the Avatar Affordances Framework. To model the framework, we analyze the character creation interfaces of 20 games. We focus in particular on the different ways gender and ethnicity are presented to players. Preliminary analysis reveals that many popular games have socially exclusive values, and that high fidelity character creation interfaces are no exception. The framework itself offers a more comprehensive tool than previous (e.g., count-based) approaches to investigating self-representation issues in character creation interfaces.

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Cited By

Oyedokun OMubarrat SJoshi AMousas CKao D(2024)Exploring the Influence of Avatar Skin Tone in VR Educational GamesCompanion Proceedings of the 2024 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play10.1145/3665463.3678799(227-234)Online publication date: 14-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3665463.3678799
Wan QLu Z(2024)Investigating VTubing as a Reconstruction of Streamer Self-Presentation: Identity, Performance, and GenderProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36373578:CSCW1(1-22)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3637357
Iantorno MConsalvo M(2023)Background Checks: Disentangling Class, Race, and Gender in CRPG Character CreatorsGames and Culture10.1177/1555412022115034218:8(979-1003)Online publication date: 5-Jan-2023
https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120221150342
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Index Terms

The Avatar Affordances Framework: Mapping Affordances and Design Trends in Character Creation Interfaces
1. Applied computing
  1. Computers in other domains
    1. Personal computers and PC applications
2. Human-centered computing

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI PLAY '15: Proceedings of the 2015 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play

October 2015

852 pages

ISBN:9781450334662

DOI:10.1145/2793107

General Chairs:
Anna L. Cox
University College London, UK
,
Paul Cairns
University of York, UK
,
Program Chairs:
Regina Bernhaupt
IRIT, France
,
Lennart Nacke
University of Waterloo, Canada

Copyright © 2015 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than the author(s) must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected].

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

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Published: 05 October 2015

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CHI PLAY '15

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CHI PLAY '15: The annual symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play

October 5 - 7, 2015

London, United Kingdom

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CHI PLAY '15 Paper Acceptance Rate 40 of 144 submissions, 28%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 421 of 1,386 submissions, 30%

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Cited By

Oyedokun OMubarrat SJoshi AMousas CKao D(2024)Exploring the Influence of Avatar Skin Tone in VR Educational GamesCompanion Proceedings of the 2024 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play10.1145/3665463.3678799(227-234)Online publication date: 14-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3665463.3678799
Wan QLu Z(2024)Investigating VTubing as a Reconstruction of Streamer Self-Presentation: Identity, Performance, and GenderProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36373578:CSCW1(1-22)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3637357
Iantorno MConsalvo M(2023)Background Checks: Disentangling Class, Race, and Gender in CRPG Character CreatorsGames and Culture10.1177/1555412022115034218:8(979-1003)Online publication date: 5-Jan-2023
https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120221150342
Hube NReinelt MVidackovic KSedlmair M(2023)Work vs. Leisure – Differences in Avatar Characteristics Depending on Social SituationsProceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Visual Information Communication and Interaction10.1145/3615522.3615537(1-9)Online publication date: 22-Sep-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3615522.3615537
Wan QLu Z(2023)GANCollage: A GAN-Driven Digital Mood Board to Facilitate Ideation in Creativity SupportProceedings of the 2023 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3563657.3596072(136-146)Online publication date: 10-Jul-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3563657.3596072
Mack KHsu RMonroy-Hernández ASmith BLiu F(2023)Towards Inclusive Avatars: Disability Representation in Avatar PlatformsProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3581481(1-13)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544548.3581481
Reza AChu SNedd AGardner D(2022)Having skin in the game: How players purchase representation in gamesConvergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies10.1177/1354856522109971328:6(1621-1642)Online publication date: 16-May-2022
https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565221099713
Joshi AMousas CHarrell DKao D(2022)Exploring the Influence of Demographic Factors on Progression and Playtime in Educational GamesProceedings of the 17th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games10.1145/3555858.3555873(1-15)Online publication date: 5-Sep-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3555858.3555873
Kao DRatan RMousas CJoshi AMelcer E(2022)Audio Matters Too: How Audial Avatar Customization Enhances Visual Avatar CustomizationProceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3491102.3501848(1-27)Online publication date: 29-Apr-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3491102.3501848
Loewen MBurris CNacke L(2021)Me, Myself, and Not-I: Self-Discrepancy Type Predicts Avatar Creation StyleFrontiers in Psychology10.3389/fpsyg.2020.0190211Online publication date: 15-Jan-2021
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01902
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