The researchers questioned nearly 300 users of Second Life, a virtual 3D universe, about the shape and appearance of their avatars. They then compared them to the health of the users as well as their sporting practices in life.
“Creating an avatar allows you to try out a new look and character without much effort,” commented researcher Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz,. And to add: “This alter-ego can have a positive influence on the life of a person”.
“For example, people looking to lose weight can create thinner avatars to help visualize themselves in better shape,” adds the researcher. The avatar can be a source of motivation or inspiration to take better care of your body when you go offline, “writes Behm-Morawitz in the study. The researcher also insisted that avatars in games like WiiFit were very sophisticated and interacted with others, which would make it easier for players to project themselves into real life.
So it looks like gamers are taking advantage of their avatar to take a little more care of themselves and maybe do more sports and get started. a diet.
This study was published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior.
