Embodiment in Virtual Environments
Aliens versus Humans: Do avatars make a difference in how we play the game?
Using Virtual Reality it is possible to make a person feel empowered, stronger and more confident.This research brings together two well known psychological effects: Embodiment (Body Ownership) and The Proteus Effect. The methodology could be used as a form of therapy in, for example, fear of public speaking, confidence building, and treatment of anorexia. In this paper we described an experiment in which players of a simple game were made to play better when they had a stronger looking avatar.
The Proteus effect describes a phenomenon in which the behavior of an individual, within virtual worlds, is changed by the characteristics of their avatar.