Abstract

Video games as a medium have always focused on having their players interact with their game worlds and narratives regardless of genre. However, a repeatedly debated concept is whether players are able to feel a sense of identification with their avatars. The majority of this debate revolves around studying works with a multiplayer focus, such as MMOs, where players can interact with one another. This paper seeks to explore if players can identify with their avatar in single-player role-playing games (RPG), as this genre focuses on the player's direct influence on the narrative through various mechanics that allow the player to craft an avatar's identity. These mechanics typically include character customization, dialogue choice, and narrative consequences, which permits the player to form a unique narrative with their avatar and thus characterize the avatar throughout their time playing a game. This paper will use Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins as case studies on how this genre accomplishes player identification and how different games use their own methods to accomplish this. The ultimate goal is to explore how games as an interactive medium can allow players to become active participants in these games and shape their narratives.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2022

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Lohmeyer, Edwin

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Games and Interactive Media

Degree Program

Digital Media

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0009649; DP0027530

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0027530

Language

English

Release Date

February 2026

Length of Campus-only Access

3 years

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Campus-only Access)

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Restricted to the UCF community until February 2026; it will then be open access.

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