We investigate how gender-anonymous voice avatars influence women’s performance in online computing group work. Female participants worked with two male confederates. Voices were filtered according to four voice gender anonymity conditions: (1) All unmasked, (2) Male confederates masked, (3) Female participant masked, and (4) All masked. When only male confederates used masked voices (compared to all unmasked), female participants spoke for a longer period of time and scored higher on computing problems. When everyone used masked voices (compared to all unmasked), female participants spoke for a longer period of time, spoke more words, and scored higher on computing problems. Effects were not significant on subjective measures and one behavioral measure. We discuss the implications for virtual interactions between people.

Avatar customization is known to positively affect crucial outcomes in numerous domains. However, it is unknown whether audial customization can confer the same benefits as visual customization. We conducted a preregistered 2 x 2 (visual choice vs. visual assignment x audial choice vs. audial assignment) study in a Java programming game. Participants with visual choice experienced higher avatar identification and autonomy. Participants with audial choice experienced higher avatar identification and autonomy, but only within the group of participants who had visual choice available. Visual choice led to an increase in time spent, and indirectly led to increases in intrinsic motivation, immersion, time spent, future play motivation, and likelihood of game recommendation. Audial choice moderated the majority of these effects. Our results suggest that audial customization plays an important enhancing role vis-à-vis visual customization. However, audial customization appears to have a weaker effect compared to visual customization. We discuss the implications for avatar customization more generally across digital applications.

Exergames offer both enactive and vicarious learning through the graphical representations of the self and virtual coach. This study established and tested a model of exergame motivation with Social Cognitive Theory as the foundation. A 2 (User Avatar: Absent versus Present) × 2 (Virtual Coach: Absent versus Present) between-subjects experiment was conducted with 137 high school students. Results supported a model in which the user avatar led to identification, with the relationship mediated by self-presence. Playing with a virtual coach increased social presence. Both identification and social presence were significantly related to future exercise intention, with the relationships mediated by in-game competence. These findings suggest notable theoretical and practical implications of using self-presence with avatars and social presence with virtual agents to enhance exergame outcomes through enactive and vicarious learning.

Because virtual reality (VR) shares common features with video games, consumer content is usually classified according to traditional game genres and standards. However, VR offers different experiences based on the medium's unique affordances. To account for this disparity, the article presents a comparative analysis of titles from the Steam digital store across three platform types: VR only, VR supported, and non-VR. We analyzed data from a subset of the most popular applications within each category (N= 141, 93, and 1217, respectively). The three classification types we analyzed were academic game genres, developer defined categories, and user-denoted tags. Results identify the most common content classifications (e.g., Action and Shooter within VR only applications), the relative availability of each between platforms (e.g., Casual is more common in VR only than VR supported or non-VR), general platform popularity (e.g., VR only received less positive ratings than VR supported and non-VR), and which content types are associated with higher user ratings across platforms (e.g., Action and Music/Rhythm are most positively rated in VR only). Our findings ultimately provide a foundational framework for future theoretical constructions of classification systems based on content, market, interactivity, sociality, and service dependencies, which underlay how consumer VR is currently categorized.

This study examines gender and country differences with respect to a range of gaming motivations (e.g., social, performance, habit) and game genre choices (e.g., action, sports, casual). Surveys were conducted with 634 university students from Singapore, Germany, and the United States. Overall, the findings suggest that many game motivations and genre choices differed by player gender, country, and the interaction between gender and country in some cases. Further, game motivations and genre choices were related to each other, though sometimes in a negative direction. Finally, differences in gaming motivations, genre choices, and gender, but not the country of residence, were all found to relate to differences in future intention to play. Although these topics have been studied in isolation in previous research, the present study contributes unique insights about the intersections of gender, cultural background, gaming motivations, and genre choices.

Microbiology is the study of the invisible world that is ever present in and around us. Oftentimes, it can be difficult to communicate and visualize microbiological concepts to students due to many limitations. Static images in textbooks and simple representations of microscopic organisms and processes attempt to combat this, but it can be restricting. To address this, we seek to understand if interactive learning biology video games can lead to better concept retention and comprehension than traditional assignments, such as a reading article with static images. To analyze this, we use Infection Defense, a free, appealing, easily accessible video game about the immune system, a highly relevant and important microbiological concept. Concurrently, we also seek to analyze participant interest before and after playing the game, compared to standard methods. It is reasonable that the use of a video game to learn can lead to enhanced comprehension and engagement in scientific concepts.

Avatar identification is one of the most promising research areas in games user research. Greater identification with one's avatar has been associated with improved outcomes in the domains of health, entertainment, and education. However, existing studies have focused almost exclusively on the visual appearance of avatars. Yet audio is known to influence immersion/presence, performance, and physiological responses. We perform one of the first studies to date on avatar self-similar audio. We conducted a 2 x 3 (similar/dissimilar x modulation upwards/downwards/none) study in a Java programming game. We find that voice similarity leads to a significant increase in performance, time spent, similarity identification, competence, relatedness, and immersion. Similarity identification acts as a significant mediator variable between voice similarity and all measured outcomes. Our study demonstrates the importance of avatar audio and has implications for avatar design more generally across digital applications.

Virtual environments facilitate group collaboration through avatars. While many studies have examined the effects of avatar attributes on users' behaviors and attitudes, few have explicitly tested how elements of avatar design relate to group collaboration satisfaction. The present study fills this gap using data from a field study with student groups in a collaborative virtual environment. Customizing an avatar to express identity was found to relate to more satisfaction with group collaboration, while similarity between the avatar and user's masculinity traits was related to less group collaboration satisfaction. Further, groups with fewer active members reported higher group collaboration satisfaction. Unexpectedly, number of customizations and using a face-similar were not related to group collaboration satisfaction, potentially due to limitations in the present design for which future research can account. These findings suggest that avatar design elements play an important role in collaborative virtual environments.