The design of an avatar in a multiplayer serious game

Abstract

Avatars are often used to represent people in the virtual world. In the process, they can also have numerous psychological influences on the users. Therefore, this paper discusses a multiplayer application in virtual reality and how a appealing avatar could be designed in it. In a small study with six persons the application was tested competitively in teams of two, the users filled out a questionnaire and answered some additional questions. While an increase in motivation was observed in all participants, the choice of the preferred avatar was not uniform. Thus, this showed that an appealing avatar for everyone could not simply be determined, but personal preferences and experience must be taken into account.