Aspects of Identification in Computer Gaming

This article relates computer gaming to the social psychology of identity, focusing the notion that identity construction has a reflected character not only in virtual reality but also in real life. This gives a tight correspondence between the two, although the screen construction of identity goes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inHuman IT Vol. 9; no. 3; p. 37
Main Author Berg, Lars-Erik
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 2008
Subjects
action
anticipatory identification
computer games
identity
meaning
psychology
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Summary:This article relates computer gaming to the social psychology of identity, focusing the notion that identity construction has a reflected character not only in virtual reality but also in real life. This gives a tight correspondence between the two, although the screen construction of identity goes on in greater independence of real other persons. Gaming has the trait that it contracts several events at one point in space and time. This provides for two extremes of identification: functional and existential identification, which are tightly coupled in gaming, but also for the element of meaning creation in gaming, where the step from concrete action to mental act is short, as well as for the processes of anticipatory identification that are found in it. This gives a high emotional intensity to it. The analysis is based on a theoretical sketch of stages in the act, building on the work of G. H. Mead.
ISSN:1402-1501
1402-151X
1402-151X