Learning from Myself: Avatars and Educational Video Games

Abstract

This research explores which conditions for video game play are more effective in producing outcomes such as knowledge retained, involvement, behavioral intention, enjoyment, and self-efficacy. Additionally, given that identification with a model increases positive learning results and given the history of avatar use showing that people tend to idealize themselves in avatar form, expectations are that an ideal-self avatar would yield the greatest learning outcomes, followed by real-self avatar (both conditions that offer extreme identification), and lastly the third-party avatar. Self-efficacy was higher in the enactive condition. The ideal self condition resulted in the highest levels of involvement and enjoyment of game, learning, and avatar, indicating that the ideal-self avatar may have the stronger relationship with these variables.

Keywords

• avatars
• learning
• educational video games
• social cognitive theory
• observational learning
• enactive learning