角色扮演遊戲中化身客製化與情緒、自我認同之差異研究

Abstract

線上遊戲科技日新月異，推陳出新的3D線上遊戲中，均愈來愈注重畫面設計及人物繪畫風格的精細度，顯示視覺美觀已成為遊戲設計者與玩家所注重的趨勢，且更能激發玩家遊玩的動機及興趣。即便如此，目前的線上遊戲設計多僅注重整體畫面，較少聚焦於玩家所掌握操作，且與玩家最親近的化身。因此本研究欲愈經過玩家所設計的精細化身，愈能激發玩家在遊玩中的情緒與自我認同感。 本研究採用角色理論、化身、情緒、自我認同等概念，討論線上遊戲中玩家操縱化身進行遊戲的歷程與心理層面，並採用質量並行之研究方法，其中量化研究方法為實驗法，其中實驗組玩家能依照個人喜好創建化身，反之對照組玩家則無，而後以此化身進行遊戲，在每一階段中則採用情緒量表與認同量表測知玩家之情緒變化與對化身之喜好感受；質化方面利用使用者日誌與訪談法，深入瞭解玩家在進行一段時間的遊戲後，是否更有助於提升對化身之認同感。 研究結果發現：1.玩家在創建化身過程中若擁有較高的自主性，則能激起玩家較高的遊戲情緒；反之情緒喚起程度較低。2. 玩家在創建化身過程中若擁有較高自主性，則玩家在使用此化身進行遊戲後，會有較高的情緒喚起，反之則情緒喚起程度較低。3.玩家使用化身進行遊戲後所造成的情緒喚起程度差異，與玩家對化身的進一步認同感呈現正向相關。顯示依照自我喜好建置的精細化身有助於提升玩家對於遊戲的喜好程度，但需更多討論方能瞭解玩家個人差異之影響。

As online gaming technologies continuously advance, manufacturers and service providers increasingly emphasize the quality of visual effects. In virtual environments, players select avatars upon entering a game, in which their appearances and features both reflect the players and their desired values. This study examines how the customized details of an avatar affect players’ emotions in Role-Play Games, which aspects of avatars do players prefer, and how does a customized avatar affects the development of players’ self-identity. Results of this study provide further insight into how the participants displayed their emotional responses through various control levels in a customized avatar scenario. By adopting the conceptual frameworks of role theory, avatar, emotion and self-identity, methods such as user diaries and interviews are used to collect data and shed light on how avatars might affect players’ performances. This study used experimentation, user diaries and interviews. According to the study results, players with more controls of customizing their avatars will have more positive emotions and higher avatar identities in terms of three stages (role-expectation & role-conception, role-acceptance, and role-performance) of the role theory than players without controls of customizing their avatars. Closely examining the user diaries of game-playing in a longer term, it reveals that players who are able to customize their avatars prioritized the unique appearances, skills and personalities as primary factors to affect their self-identities. Players continuously improve their avatars during the game to achieve a sense of becoming a complete individual. This observation correlates with the former experimental findings, in which customized avatars lure players to the game and trigger more positive responses. Results of this study are expected to provide game developers the design guidelines of how to design avatars in a role-play game environment to enhance players’ emotions and self-identities.