Gifted adolescents may identify as “gamers” who create avatars to navigate video games and cell phone apps. Avatars provide a unique venue through which gifted teens can explore the issues of self and identity in a critical time of their development. The purpose of this article is to (a) provide an overview of what avatars are, (b) explain how avatars can be a venue to explore concepts of identity for gifted students, and (c) suggest how educators can utilize the concept of avatars in their classroom activities. We provide questions that educators can use to facilitate dialogue with their gifted adolescents about avatars and identity.
AdachiP. J. C.WilloughbyT. (2013). More than just fun and games: The longitudinal relationships between strategic video games, self-reported problem solving skills, and academic grades. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42, 1041–1052. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-99793-9
ChenJ.DaiD. Y.ZhouY. (2013). Enable, enhance, and transform: How technology use can improve gifted education. Roeper Review, 35, 166–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783193.2013.794892
6.
DalisayF.KushinM. J.YamamotoM.LiuY.SkalskiP. (2015). Motivations for game play and the social capital and civic potential of video games. New Media & Society, 17(9) 1399–1417. doi: 10.1177/1461444814525753
7.
EriksonE. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. W. W. Norton.
8.
ErikssonG. (2010). Authentic and virtual global connections: The transformation of gifted education. Gifted Education International, 27, 19–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/026142941002700105
9.
FalloonG. (2010). Using avatars and virtual environments in learning: What do they have to offer?British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(1), 108–122. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00991.x
10.
GentileD. A.AndersonC. A.YukawaS.IhoriN.SaleemM.MingL. K.. . . SakamotoA. (2009). The effects of prosocial video games on prosocial behaviors: International evidence from correlational, longitudinal, and experimental studies. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35(6), 752–763. https://doi.org/10.1177/014616709333045
11.
GranicI.LobelA.EnglesR. C. M. E. (2014). The benefits of playing video games. American Psychologist, 69(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/a004857
12.
GriffithsM. (2010). Online video gaming: What should educational psychologists know?Educational Psychology in Practice, 26(1), 35–40. doi: 10.1080/02667360903522769
HefnerD.KlimmtC.VordererP. (2007). Identification with the player character as determinant of video game enjoyment. In MaL.RauterbergM.NakatsuR. (Eds.), Entertainment Computing—ICEC 2007 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 4740). Springer. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-3-540-74873-1_6.pdf
HussainZ.GriffithsM.D. (2008). Gender swapping and socializing in cyberspace: An exploratory study. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 11, 47–53. doi: 10.1089/cpb.2007.0020
17.
JinS. A. (2012). The virtual malleable self and the virtual identity discrepancy model: Investigative frameworks for virtual possible selves and others in avatar-based identity construction and social interaction. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(6), 2160–2168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.06.22
KimC.LeeS.KangM. (2012). I became an attractive person in the virtual world: Users’ identification with virtual communities and avatars. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 1663–1669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.04.004
LeeJ. J.HoadleyC. M. (2007). Leveraging identity to make learning fun: Possible selves and experiential learning in massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs). Innovate: Journal of Online Education, 3(6), Article 5. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/innovate/vol3/iss6/5
23.
ManciniT.SibillaF. (2017). Offline personality and avatar customization: Discrepancy profiles and avatar identification in a sample of MMORPG players. Computers in Human Behavior, 69, 275–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.031
24.
MarciaJ. E. (2009). Education, identity and iclass: From education to psychosocial development. Policy Futures in Education, 7(6), 670–677. doi:10.2304/pfie.2009.7.6.670
Morahan-MartinJ. (1999). The relationship between loneliness and Internet use and abuse. Cyber Psychology and Behavior, 2, 431–440.
27.
Morahan-MartinJ. M.SchumacherP. (2003). The relationship between loneliness and Internet use and abuse. Computers & Human Behavior, 19, 659–671. doi: 10.1016/s0747-5632(03)0004-2
OldenburgR. (1997). The great good place: Cafés, coffee shops, community center, beauty parlors, general stores, bars, hangouts, and how they get you through the day. Marlow & Company.
30.
PrzybylskiA. K.WeinsteinN.MurayamaK.LynchM. F.RyanR. M. (2012). The ideal self at play: The appeal of video games that let you be all you can be. Psychological Science, 23(1), 69–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797911418676
31.
RatanR.SahY. J. (2015). Leveling up on stereotype threat: The role of avatar customization and avatar embodiment. Computers in Human Behavior, 50, 367–374. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.04.010
32.
SchrierK. (2016). Designing role-playing video games for ethical thinking. Educational Technology Research and Development, 65(4), 831–868.
33.
SibillaF.ManciniT. (2018). I am (not) my avatar: A review of the user-avatar relationships in massively multiplayer online worlds. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 12(3), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2018-3-4
34.
SimpsonE. S. (2005). Evolution in the classroom: What teachers need to know about the video game generation. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 49, 17–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-011-9369-7
35.
SkinnerE. A.PitzerJ. R. (2012). Developmental dynamics of student engagement, coping, and everyday resilience. in ChristensonS.L.ReschlyA.L.WylieC. (Eds.). Handbook of Research on Student Engagement, p. 21–44. Springer.
36.
SouléH.WarrickT. (2015). Defining 21st century readiness for all students: What we know and how to get there. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 9(2), 178–186 doi:10.1037/aca0000017
SteinkuehlerC. (2007). Massively multiplayer online gaming as a constellation of literacy practices. in SheltonB.EWileyD.A. [eds.], Educational Design & Use of Computer Simulation Games, p. 187–214, Sense Publishers.
39.
TanS. C.SeahL. H.YeoJ.HungD. (2008). Online learning communities in K-12 settings. In VoogtJ.KnezekG. (Eds.), International handbook of technology in primary and secondary education (pp. 249–266). Springer.
40.
TurkayS.AdinolfS. (2015). The effects of customization on motivation in an extended study with a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 9(3), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2053-2
41.
TurkleS. (1995). Life on the screen: Identity in the age of the Internet. Simon & Schuster.
42.
VieiraE. T. (2012). The relationships among girls’ prosocial video gaming, perspective-taking, sympathy, and thoughts about violence. Communication Research, 41(7), 892–912. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650212463049
