Gaming Disorder: A systematic review exploring the user-avatar relationship in videogames

Videogames can often be a source of pleasure and relaxation for many individuals, but they can also lead to disordered and potentially addictive behaviour, which is referred to as Gaming Disorder (GD). The purpose of the present systematic literature review was to explore virtual world avatars and the dynamics of the user-avatar relationship in the context of GD utilizing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 15 peer-reviewed studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. The results showed a consistent positive association between avatar identification and GD across many of the studies. Gamers with GD often design an avatar to resemble their vision of their ideal self, and the avatar can be used as a means to reduce self-discrepancy between the actual and ideal self as well as compensate for perceived physical-world inadequacies. Moreover, the present review highlights how an individual's view of their ideal self in the context of the user-avatar relationship may extend beyond the limitations of what may be achievable in the physical world and include elements of fantasy derived from a game world.