ERIC Number: EJ987343
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Oct
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0270-4676
EISSN: N/A
Avatar Gender and Ethical Choices in "Fable III"
Schrier, Karen
Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, v32 n5 p375-383 Oct 2012
This study investigates how players make ethical decisions in "Fable III," a video game, with consideration to avatar gender. Thirty males, 18 to 34 years old, were recruited; 20 were assigned to play "Fable III," with half assigned to play as a male avatar (Condition 1), and half assigned as a female avatar (Condition 2). Any ethical thinking skills and thought processes used were identified using a researcher-developed coding scheme. Analysis suggests that all game players, regardless of avatar gender, practiced ethical thinking--35 skills and 19 thought processes were identified and categorized. There were few differences found between conditions; however, when gender was a salient factor in a decision, this affected ethical decisions more frequently. Those in Condition 1 more frequently reported a personal connection to their avatar, and Condition 2 participants reported that gender factored into decisions more at the beginning of the game rather than at the end. (Contains 4 tables.)
Descriptors: Cognitive Processes, Thinking Skills, Ethics, Play, Video Games, Gender Differences, Males, Females, Decision Making, Values, Identification (Psychology), Stereotypes, Young Adults, Observation, Protocol Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A