Computers in Human Behavior Reports 6 (2022) 100176

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Computers in Human Behavior Reports

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Fancy avatar identification and behaviors in the virtual world: Preceding

avatar customization and succeeding communication
Masanori Takano a, *, Fumiaki Taka b
a
CyberAgent, Inc., Japan
b
Kanagawa University, Japan

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Avatar communication, which provides a wealth of emotional expressions under anonymity, can effectively
Avatar communication compensate for a lack of social resources in real life. It enables players to construct close relationships, disclose
Avatar identification themselves, and receive social support on the Internet. To facilitate such communication, we focus on fancy
Self-disclosure
avatar identification and its correlates. This is because avatar identification is a bridging factor between avatar
Behavioral logs
customization and social behavior in the virtual world. Therefore, we analyzed the association between avatar
customization, avatar identification, and communication behavior. We discovered that 1) embodied identifica­
tion, one of the forms of avatar identifications, facilitates close relationship construction and self-disclosure with
friends in a virtual world; and 2) embodied identification is reinforced by avatar customization when the aspects
being customized are also mutable in real-life, such as hairstyle and fashion. This suggests that players’ social
lives can be enhanced through a virtual world, for example, an application provider can facilitate such avatar
customization by campaigns.

1. Introduction
Avatar communication in an online virtual world enables a wealth of
nonverbal expressions under anonymity(Baccon et al., 2019). This can
compensate for a lack of social resources in real life because people can
self-disclose and receive social support in the online virtual world
(Green-Hamann et al., 2011; Takano & Tsunoda, 2019; Yokotani &
Takano, 2021).
However, it is difficult to directly facilitate such communication in
avatar communication applications, for example, suggesting self-
disclosure by the applications, because self-disclosure and social sup­
port are preferred to be spontaneous. Therefore, we considered an in­
direct facilitation of communication. In this study, we focused on the
effects of avatars on communication because people are unconsciously
affected by the avatars that they are controlling(Yee & Bailenson, 2007;
Yee et al., 2009). Additionally, application providers can easily facilitate
avatar customization. For example, they can stage a campaign for avatar
customization.
Players’ behavior depends on how players reflect themselves,
namely, their appearances, personalities, and ideal self, in their avatars
(avatar identification(Van Looy et al., 2012))(Bailenson et al., 2006;
Vasalou et al., 2007; Van Reijmersdal et al., 2013; Hooi & Cho, 2014;
Birk et al., 2016; Kao & Fox Harrell, 2018; Mancini et al., 2018; Mes­
singer et al., 2019). Therefore, avatar communication application pro­
viders can affect players’ social behavior through their avatar
identification. In this study, we aim to understand how communication
can be facilitated by avatar identification. This can compensate for a
lack of social resources in real life.
Facilitating players’ social behavior through avatar identification
requires investigations into how players reinforce their avatar identifi­
cation by customization because people can reinforce avatar identifi­
cation through an avatar design process(Przybylski et al., 2012; Van
Looy et al., 2012; Van Reijmersdal et al., 2013; Birk et al., 2016; Mancini
et al., 2018).
To facilitate communication in a virtual world, we studied the rela­
tionship between avatar customization, avatar identification, and actual
communication behavior, as well as mediation factors between avatar
identification and communication behavior, namely the factors of self-
expression and social relationships, as shown in Fig. 1. Previous
studies for avatar identification and/or communication via avatars tend
to be based on questionnaire surveys(Bessière et al., 2007; Ducheneaut
et al., 2009; Van Looy et al., 2012; Hooi & Cho, 2014; Van Reijmersdal

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: takano_masanori@cyberagent.co.jp (M. Takano).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100176
Received 22 May 2021; Received in revised form 7 February 2022; Accepted 12 February 2022
Available online 22 February 2022
2451-9588/© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc-nd/4.0/).
M. Takano and F. Taka
Fig. 1. Overview of our analysis. Each factor has some subcomponents, for
example, avatar identification has similarity, embodied, and wishful
identification.
et al., 2013; Crenshaw & Nardi, 2014; Mancini et al., 2018; Messinger
et al., 2019; Yokotani & Takano, 2021), interview(Green-Hamann et al.,
2011; O’Connor et al., 2015), ethnography(Antonijevic, 2008), and lab
experiments(Bente et al., 2008; Birk et al., 2016; Triberti et al., 2017;
Kao & Fox Harrell, 2018; Birk; Mandryk, 2019; Kao, 2019). However, it
is important to understand them in more realistic environments, such as
actual avatar customization and communication behavior on commonly
used avatar applications, for reinforcing communication on the appli­
cation. On the other hand, behavioral data lacks psychological factors.
Hence, we combined both behavioral logs (avatar customization
behavior and communication behavior) on a Japanese avatar commu­
nication application, Pigg Party (Fig. 2)1 and a questionnaire survey
with Pigg Party players (N = 9, 145; the reasons for avatar custom­
ization, avatar identification, self-expression, and social relationships. In
Pigg Party, players communicate by using fancy avatars. In this study,
avatar identification is an explanatory variable for communication
behavior. Communication behavior is an objective variable that appli­
cation providers intend to facilitate. Avatar customization is an
explanatory variable for changing avatar identification. This is
controllable by application providers. We assume mediation factors
from avatar identification to communication behavior, such as
self-expression and social relationships, for interpretability. Interpret­
ability is important for planning campaigns for communication facili­
tation through avatar customization by application providers.
Our research questions are as follows:
● RQ1: How does avatar customization reinforce avatar identification?
● RQ2: How does avatar identification affect communication?
We reveal the following findings:
● RQ1: Avatar customization as in real life, such as customizing based
on the influence of friends and events as well as changing hairstyles,
increases avatar identification.
Fig. 2. Pigg Party. Players can customize their own avatar; they visit rooms of
friends or strangers to chat with them.
1
As of April 2021, it has over 1 million downloads in the Google Store (https:
//play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.cyberagent.miami) and over
90,000 ratings in the App Store (https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id
966099615).
2
Computers in Human Behavior Reports 6 (2022) 100176
● RQ2: Embodied identification, one of the forms of avatar identifi­
cation, promotes actual communication behavior in different
methods depending on whether communication spaces are public or
private. This identification facilitates nonverbal actions in private
spaces.
These findings provide insight into how avatar communication ap­
plications can facilitate self-disclosure and close relationships.
2. Related studies
2.1. Avatar identification
The relationships between avatars and players, including avatar
identification, play a role in social behavior in a virtual world. Having a
higher avatar identification facilitates social interactions(Vasalou et al.,
2007; Van Reijmersdal et al., 2013; Kao & Fox Harrell, 2018). The
appearance similarity between players and avatars facilitates their
self-disclosure via self-awareness and self-presence(Hooi & Cho, 2014).
Additionally, players who design avatars that are more attractive than
themselves become more sociable(Messinger et al., 2019). In addition to
social behavior, avatar identification affects players in various forms,
such as satisfaction, motivation, and playtime in games(Birk et al., 2016;
Birk; Mandryk, 2019; Kao, 2019; Kao & Fox Harrell, 2018; Van Reij­
mersdal et al., 2013).
Players establish their identities in a virtual world by designing their
original characters, that is, avatars’ appearances and personalities.
Therefore, avatar customization reinforces avatar identification(Birk
et al., 2016; Mancini et al., 2018). Carefully created character names
(Crenshaw & Nardi, 2014) and personal interest settings (e.g., favorite
movies/musics/foods)(Kao & Fox Harrell, 2018) also facilitate avatar
identification.
Although players can design their avatars without restrictions from
real life, players tend to reflect their ideal selves in their avatars(Bessière
et al., 2007; Ducheneaut et al., 2009; Messinger et al., 2019) while
retaining their core identity elements(Triberti et al., 2017; Messinger
et al., 2019) such as gender and race.
A previous study(Van Looy et al., 2012) pointed out three distinct
forms of avatar identification: similarity identification, embodied
identification, and wishful identification. Similarity identification is the
degree to which a player perceives that their avatar resembles them.
Embodied identification is the degree to which a player perceives as if
they are inside their characters when playing. Wishful identification is
the degree to which a player reflects their ideal self to their avatar.
Therefore, these identifications correspond to similarities to self in real
life (similarity), sharing degree of body and emotion (embodied), and
reflection degree of the ideal self (wishful).
2.2. Avatar communication
Avatar communication, a form of online communication, has many
features in common with offline communication. This might enable self-
disclosure and the receipt of social support more optimally than online
text and physical-world communication. Because people with virtual
bodies can display facial expressions and gestures in virtual spaces of
this communication system, the communication system realizes offline
like communication accompanied by the wealth of emotional nonverbal
expressions, copresence, real-time interaction, and proxemic behavior
through the Internet(Antonijevic, 2008; Green-Hamann et al., 2011;
Takano & Tsunoda, 2019; Yokotani & Takano, 2021) while maintaining
anonymity(Bente et al., 2008; Küster et al., 2015) (one of the online
communication features).
The anonymity of the Internet promotes self-disclosure regarding
negative experiences(Kang et al., 2016) (e.g., sexual abuse(Andalibi
et al., 2016) and self-harm(Ashktorab et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2017))
because disclosing serious problems is often difficult owing to the fear of
M. Takano and F. Taka Computers in Human Behavior Reports 6 (2022) 100176

rejection by listeners without anonymity(Omarzu, 2000; Andalibi et al.,

2016; Yokotani & Takano, 2021). Even in a virtual world, if realistic
avatar appearances facilitate the identification of players themselves,
then they hesitate to disclose themselves(Bailenson et al., 2006; Hooi &
Cho, 2014).
People frequently use nonverbal expressions during self-disclosure
and social support(Mehrabian, 1970; Manusov & Patterson, 2006;
Green-Hamann et al., 2011; O’Connor et al., 2015; Takano & Tsunoda,
2019; Collange & Guegan, 2020) because they facilitate emotional
communication(Mehrabian, 1970; Manusov & Patterson, 2006), which
is important in self-disclosure (e.g., disclosing negative emotions) and
emotional social support (e.g., empathy)(Mehrabian, 1970; Manusov &
Patterson, 2006; Choudhury & Sushovan, 2014; Takano & Tsunoda,
2019). Regarding self-disclosure and social support in communities,
members prefer nonverbal communication(Green-Hamann et al., 2011;
O’Connor et al., 2015). These features of avatar communication have
been observed to provide experiences similar to face-to-face communi­
cation in real life(Antonijevic, 2008).
Additionally, avatar communication is effective for the construction
of close relationships and communities(Green-Hamann et al., 2011;
O’Connor et al., 2015) because nonverbal communication such as facial
expressions and gestures increases the closeness and satisfaction of
communication(LaCrosse, 1975; Bente et al., 2008; Koyama et al., 2017;
Vlahovic et al., 2012). Close relationships facilitate good communica­
tion, including self-disclosure and social support in virtual worlds
(Jaidka et al., 2018; Takano & Tsunoda, 2019).

2.3. Summary

Avatar identification reinforced by avatar customization can affect

social behavior; avatar communication can facilitate better communi­
cation, including self-disclosure and social support. This suggests that
such communication can be improved by promoting avatar custom­
ization in avatar communication applications. On the other hand, it is
unknown the details of the relationships between avatar customization,
avatar identification, and communication behavior because of the
complexity of these relationships.
Additionally, the effect of avatar identification on actual communi­
cation behavior is yet to be elucidated. Thus, it is hard to depict the
entire picture because of many variables. In this paper, as a first step, we
focus on analyzing the local relationships to select relevant variables and
build a foundation for integrated understanding (avatar customization
effects on avatar identification (RQ1) and avatar identification effects on Fig. 3. Example of avatar customization screen.
communication (RQ2)) using actual communication and customizing
behavior data.
rewards of a game-event clear. As an overall trend, the initial parts are
ordinary (e.g., jeans), whereas additional parts are out of the ordinary
3. Materials and methods
(e.g., fantasy-style dresses and science-fiction-style suits).
They can synchronously communicate with each other in virtual
3.1. Avatar communication application
spaces. In addition to sending a text message, players can respond with
dozens of avatar animations known as avatar actions, as shown in Fig. 4.
The Pigg Party is a Japanese avatar communication application
(virtual community). Pigg Party players communicate with their own
designed avatars in virtual spaces (Fig. 2). The Pigg Party avatar art style
is fancy and not realistic. In terms of demographics, 61% of the players
are teenagers, and 65% of the players are female (Takano & Tsunoda,
2019).
Pigg Party players can represent their individuality by designing
their avatar faces, clothes, and accessories from an array of parts (Fig. 3).
They can customize the shapes of their face parts (eye, mouth, nose, lip,
facial contour, eyebrow, beard, front hair, and hair backside), color and
position of those face parts, make-up (lip color, eyeshadow color, cheek,
and cheek color), clothes (tops, bottoms, shoes, headwear, and others (e.
g., accessories and bags)).
Some parts of all categories are provided as initial parts. In addition,
players can use new parts (additional parts) for the categories of clothes, Fig. 4. Examples of avatar actions: laugh (left), sad (center), and angry (right).
hair, and make-up. Players get new parts through purchase or as the Pigg Party offers dozens of actions.

3
M. Takano and F. Taka
The Pigg Party offers three types of communication spaces: private,
temporary, and public rooms.
● Private room: Each player owns this type of room as private space.
Players can enter a private room in the following manner: 1) by
clicking the enter button shown in a room owner’s profile window,2
or 2) by random entry, which is initiated by a random entry mode.
The capacity of a room is 10 players. In private rooms, players tend to
talk with a few friends (Takano & Tsunoda, 2019).
● Temporary room: This type of room is an ad hoc space for any
player, i.e., public space. Anyone can enter an arbitrary room on a
temporary room search page. The capacity of this room type is 10
players. Creating a room of this type by a player is to have a party in
their personal room in this application. In the party, a host player
welcomes various people, including strangers in the Pigg Party. This
type of rooms is closed 2 h after it is created. In contrast to private
rooms, players tend to talk with many strangers in temporary rooms
(Takano & Tsunoda, 2019).
● Public room: This room is offered as a public space accessible to all.
The capacity of a room varies between rooms. The largest public
room can have up to 20 players; the smallest public room can have up
to 5 players. In this study, we excluded this room type because public
rooms did not show obvious tendencies in communication among
players(Takano & Tsunoda, 2019). This is because this room type has
various roles, e.g., for beginners’ practices, large capacity rooms
(named as city), small capacity rooms (named as cafe), and
limited-time-only official events. Additionally, the number of players
who use this room type is less than one-tenth of that in private and
temporary rooms(Takano & Tsunoda, 2019).
3.2. Questionnaire data
We conducted a Japanese online questionnaire survey with Pigg
Party players (Apr 5 to 30, 2019) who allowed the authors to analyze
their data for academic purposes. The participants of this survey were
recruited in Pigg Party. The Pigg Party administrator announced the
questionnaire survey to all users and requested the survey with virtual
coins equivalent to 100 JPY. We excluded the most rapid 3% of partic­
ipants who completed their questionnaires in less than 1.98 min.
Consequently, we analyzed players (N = 9, 145) who answered the
questionnaire completely. The frequencies of participants’ age and
gender are shown in Table S1. All questionnaire items were based on
five-point Likert-type scales.
We used the scales of avatar identification(Van Looy et al., 2012),
self-expression on the Internet(Fuji & Yoshida, 2009), social relation­
ships on the Internet(Fuji & Yoshida, 2009), avatar customization rea­
sons, and players’ demographic information (age (five-year age level)
and gender).
3.2.1. Avatar identification
We measured three types of avatar identification: similarity identi­
fication, embodied identification, and wishful identification(Van Looy
et al., 2012). The questionnaire items for each avatar identification were
created by extracting the top-3 factor loading items from the original
scales(Van Looy et al., 2012). We modified the items in this scale by
replacing “in the game” with “in the Pigg Party.” Translation from
original items (English) to Japanese was conducted by the authors.
Typical question items for each identification were “My avatar is similar
to me” (similarity), “In the Pigg Party, it is as if I became one with my
avatar” (embodied), and “I would like to resemble my avatar more”
(wishful).
We conducted the confirmatory factor analysis by maximum
2
Another player’s profile window can be viewed if the player is an ac­
quaintance or is in the same room.
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Computers in Human Behavior Reports 6 (2022) 100176
likelihood estimation of this scale. Cronbach’s α of similarity, embodied,
and wishful identification were 0.855, 0.836, and 0.800, respectively
(Table S2).
3.2.2. Self-expression
We used the scales of self-expression on the Internet (self-presenta­
tion and self-disclosure)(Fuji & Yoshida, 2009). We added a term “in the
Pigg Party” to the questionnaire items. Typical question items of each
factor were “In the Pigg Party, I can present myself differently” (self-­
presentation), and “In the Pigg Party, I can disclose myself as my true
self” (self-disclosure). The questionnaire items were created by
extracting the top-3 factor loading items from the original items(Fuji &
Yoshida, 2009).
We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis using the maximum
likelihood estimation of this scale. Cronbach’s α for self-presentation
and self-disclosure were 0.838 and 0.843, respectively (Table S3).
3.2.3. Social relationships
We used the scales of social relationships on the Internet (group
belonging and relation expansion)(Fuji & Yoshida, 2009). We added a
term “In the Pigg Party” to the questionnaire items. Typical question
items of each factor were, “I feel that I belong in the Pigg Party” (group
belonging) and “I can interact with various people in the Pigg Party”
(relation expansion). The questionnaire items were created by extract­
ing the top-3 factor loading items from the original items(Fuji & Yosh­
ida, 2009).
We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis using the maximum
likelihood estimation of this scale. Cronbach’s α of self-presentation and
self-disclosure were 0.874 and 0.820, respectively (Table S4).
3.2.4. Avatar customization reasons
We created the scale of avatar customization reasons in the Pigg
Party. The questionnaire items were designed based on which we ask
Pigg Party staff why they think that the players customize their avatars.
They understand the game’s design and players’ psyche well, in part
through user interviews(Takano & Mizuno, 2018). Thus, these items
seem to satisfactorily capture the typical reasons for avatar custom­
ization. In these items, it was assumed that players customized their
avatar based on friends, new parts, events (e.g., seasons and Christmas
Day), and habits. We created two questionnaire items for each reason,
that is, this scale contains eight items. Typical question items were, “I
think I am often influenced by other players’ avatar fashions” (friends),
“I attempt to use the new part acquired” (new parts), “I change my av­
atar’s clothes to suit the season” (events), and “I sometimes customize
my avatar for no particular reason” (habits).
We acquired four factors by exploratory factor analysis for these
eight items using maximum likelihood estimation and Promax rotation,
where we selected the number of factors using the Bayesian information
criterion (BIC; comparative fit index (CFI)(Bentler, 1990): 1.000, root
mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)(Steiger, 1990): 0.015
[0.002, 0.028], where square brackets indicate a 90% confidence in­
terval). As hypothesized, these factors were interpreted as friends, new
parts, events, and habits (Table S5).
3.3. Behavioral logs
3.3.1. Log data prior to conducting questionnaire
We used the players’ logs of avatar customization, players’ profile
edit, and usage time in the Pigg Party before the questionnaire to explain
avatar identification. This data period was from February 1, 2019, to
April 3, 2019. The changing frequencies of the avatar parts are listed in
Table S6. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis of the logarithm
of each avatar part change frequency using maximum likelihood esti­
mation and Promax rotation, where we selected the number of factors by
the BIC (CFI: 0.979, RMSEA: 0.055 [0.054, 0.056]). The logarithmic
transformation was performed because those variables exhibit skewed
M. Takano and F. Taka
distributions. Consequently, we acquired eight factors (Table S7):
clothes (shoes, tops, bottoms, other clothes, goods, and headware), hair
(hair backside, front hair, hair color, eye color, and cheek), the facial
position (mouth position, nose position, eyebrow position, and eye po­
sition), make-up (lip color, eyeshadow color, and cheek color), face
outline (skin color, nose, facial contour, and option parts), beard (beard
color, beard, and beard position), shapes of face parts (eye and mouth),
and eyebrows (eyebrow color and eyebrow).
We used the players’ profile edit frequencies because the profiles
reflected the player and avatar’s personalities, which are related to
avatar identification(Crenshaw & Nardi, 2014; Kao & Fox Harrell,
2018). They were logarithmically transformed owing to their skewed
distributions. Players introduced themselves by their schools, jobs,
preferences (movies, music, comics, and foods), and close friends’ names
in the virtual world to other players in their profiles. Several players
described their avatars’ personality in the virtual world, for example,
virtual family relationships in the Pigg Party.
We used the players’ usage time in the Pigg Party because it was
previously reported that it increased avatar identification(Van Reij­
mersdal et al., 2013). It was logarithmically transformed due to the
skewed distribution by default, unless otherwise noted.
We acquired the avatars’ gender and age from the latest profile data.
Gender is not nullable (male/female) and determines the avatar body
bases and useable avatar parts. On the other hand, age is nullable; age is
null when players do not set their avatars’ birthday.
3.3.2. Log data after questionnaire is conducted
We used the players’ usage time in each chat room type as commu­
nication data after the questionnaire was conducted (May 1, 2019, to
May 14, 2019) to evaluate the effects of avatar identification on actual
communication behavior. We regarded the continuous posting of mes­
sages within 10 min as one session. The summation of the times of the
sessions is a usage time. Consequently, we acquired the usage time for
each room type as conversation time.
Furthermore, we discussed the frequencies of avatar actions during
chat room usage. Consequently, we acquired the avatar action fre­
quencies for each room type.
3.4. Statistical models
3.4.1. Structural equation modelling (SEM)
To integrate the understanding the relation between avatar cus­
tomization, avatar identification, self-expression, and social relation­
ships, we conducted an SEM to evaluate the association between these
variables (Fig. 1), which each have subordinate factors as mentioned
above section, by controlling demographic information of players (age
groups (− 14, 15–19, 20–24, ⋯ ) and gender (male = 0, female = 1), and
logarithmically transformed usage time before the questionnaire survey.
This SEM did not include the actual communication data (conversation
time and gesture frequencies) as it showed very skewed distributions.
Additionally, for avatar identification, we used dummy variables as the
differences in demographic information between the players and their
avatars, such as the same age level, higher age level of avatars than
players, lower age level of avatars than players (age null is a reference),
and same gender (a player gender equal to their avatar gender = 1,
otherwise 0). The explanatory variables, excluding the dummy variables
and logarithmically transformed usage time, were standardized.
3.4.2. Generalized linear models (GLM)
As shown in Fig. 1, hypothetical predictors of actual communication
were avatar identification, self-expressions, and social relationships,
which have the same structure as the SEM model described above. In
other words, avatar identification and self-expression variables might
have indirect effects mediated by other explanatory variables besides
direct effects. To illustrate these structured associations, we conducted
mediation analyses following citep Judd and Kenny 1981, James and
5
Computers in Human Behavior Reports 6 (2022) 100176
Brett 1984, Baron and Kenny 1986.
In these analyses, we evaluated the total, direct, and indirect effects
of each factor according to a combination of GLMs, as necessary,
A total effect is a sum of effects that an explanatory variable has on
an objective variable (i.e., actual communication). The total effects of
potential predictors are calculated in GLMs, where a focal layer of
explanatory variables and control variables are input, but potential
mediators are not. A total effect, in turn, can be disassembled into a
direct effect and some indirect effects.
A direct effect is a unique effect that is not explained by potential
mediators. Direct effects are calculated in GLMs, where potential me­
diators are added to the above models. In these GLMs, the effects of
potential mediators have on the actual communication are calculated at
the same time.
An indirect effect is an effect an explanatory variable has on an
objective variable through a mediator variable. Thus, an indirect effect
is calculated by multiplying the regression coefficient of a mediator with
an objective variable (calculated in the above GLMs) and the regression
coefficient of an explanatory variable on the mediator (calculated in the
GLMs whose objective variables are mediators of the above GLMs).
Among these GLM analyses, players’ age, gender, and usage time
before the questionnaire survey were consistently included as control
variables. The usage time was not logarithmically transformed in these
analyses for converging the models. The explanatory variables,
excluding dummy variables, were standardized.
To obtain standard errors for the significance tests of the indirect
effects, we used Aroian’s test(Aroian, 1947). Aroian’s test is an
improved version of the Sobel test(Sobel, 1982), widely used by popular
statistical software for testing indirect effects (The Sobel test is a
first-order approximation and Aroian’s test is a second-order approxi­
mation). These tests assume that the product of the coefficients of the
two paths obey a normal distribution. This assumption is appropriate for
a large sample (greater than 400)(Stone & Sobel, 1990).
4. Results
4.1. SEM
Fig. 5 shows the summary of the SEM result. Tables 1–4 show the
details for the SEM result. The SEM fitted the data well (CFI: 0.983,
RMSEA: 0.045 [0.043, 0.047]).
In this section, we describe the results of the analysis for each of the
layers in Fig. 5.
4.1.1. Avatar customization effects on avatar identification
Table 1 shows the direct effects on the three types of avatar
identifications.
4.1.1.1. Avatar customization reasons. The customization reasons for
friends and events were positively associated with all types of identifi­
cations. That is, reasons for avatar customization as in real life (people
may tend to change their fashion styles owing to influences by friends
and seasonal events also in real life) indicated positive associations with
all types of identifications. The reason for the new parts, that is, wearing
out-of-the-ordinary clothes (e.g., fantasy-style dresses) indicated
different tendencies; this was negatively associated with similarity
identification and positively associated with wishful identification.
4.1.1.2. Avatar customization behavior. As for all trends, the changes in
facial parts, such as face part position, face outline, shapes of face parts,
and eyebrows, tended to be negatively associated with avatar identifi­
cation. These parts were difficult to change in real life. By contrast, hair
parts, which are often changed in real life, were positively associated
with all identification.
Meanwhile, frequent changes in clothes were negatively associated
M. Takano and F. Taka
Fig. 5. Overview of the results of SEM. We only show paths which show statistically significant (p − value < 0.05). Additionally, we exclude control variables. Blue
arrows are the paths of positive coefficients. Red arrows are the paths of negative coefficients. Paths with the absolute values of coefficients above the threshold of 0.1
are shown with bold lines. See Tables 1–4 for the values of the coefficients of all paths.
with all identifications in the Pigg Party, although people routinely
change their clothes in real life. This may be owing to the relationships
between players and avatars. For example, if players treat their avatars
as dress-up dolls instead of themselves, then all types of avatar identi­
fications might be low(Mancini et al., 2018). Such playing dress-up dolls
might be associated with frequent changing avatar clothes.
Profile editing indicated positive associations with the embodied and
wishful identifications, consistent with(Kao & Fox Harrell, 2018).
4.1.1.3. Usage time. Usage time had positive effects on all avatar
identifications, which is consistent with the study reported in (Van
Reijmersdal et al., 2013).
4.1.1.4. Age and gender of players and avatars. Older players tended to
exhibit higher similarity identification. By contrast, younger players
tended to exhibit higher embodied and wishful identifications. Male
players exhibited higher identifications, particularly in similarity
identification.
Interestingly, setting the same age level was negatively associated
with similarity identification; setting the same gender did not yield any
significant coefficients. By contrast, setting the avatar’s age to higher
than that of the player indicated a positive association with all types of
identifications.
4.1.2. Avatar identification effects on self-expression and social
relationships
Tables 2–4 show the effects on self-expression and social relation­
ships, respectively.
In the following, we summarize these two analysis results for each
explanatory variables.
Self-presentation and self-disclosure indicated positive associations
with group belonging and relation expansion, particularly in self-
disclosure.
The effects of embodied identification on group belonging and
relation expansion were partially mediated by self-expression (Fig. 5).
Embodied identification indicated direct positive effects on self-
presentation, self-disclosure, group belonging, and relation expansion.
Furthermore, it indicated indirect positive effects on group belonging
and relation expansion mediated by self-presentation and self-
disclosure. The direct effects of embodied identification were more
significant than those of similarity and wishful identifications, excluding
the case of self-presentation.
The effects of wishful identification on group belonging and relation
expansion were completely mediated by self-expression (Fig. 5). The
6
Computers in Human Behavior Reports 6 (2022) 100176
wishful identification indicated positive effects on self-presentation,
self-disclosure, group belonging, and relation expansion. This identifi­
cation indicated only indirect positive effects on group belonging and
relation expansion mediated by self-presentation and self-disclosure.
In contrast to the embodied and wishful identifications, the simi­
larity identification indicated negative effects on self-expression and
social relationships. Furthermore, it indicated direct and indirect nega­
tive effects on group belonging and relation expansion (the indirect ef­
fects were mediated by self-presentation and self-disclosure). These
were statistically significant but weaker effects than those of other
identification effects.
4.2. GLMs for actual communication
In this section, we show the direct and indirect effects of avatar
identification, the direct and indirect effects of self-expression, and the
direct effects of social relationships on communication behavior (Fig. 1)
using GLMs. We analyzed the conversation times and avatar action
frequencies in each type of room based on avatar identification, self-
expression, and social relationships.
4.2.1. Avatar communication
Tables 5 and 6 list the results of mediation analyses using GLMs for
conversation time in private and temporary rooms, respectively.
In the following, we summarize the analysis results for each
explanatory variables.
The embodied identification indicated total positive effects on
communication in both room types. This effect was mediated by self-
disclosure, group belonging, and relation expansion in private rooms,
and self-presentation and relation expansion in temporary rooms.
The wishful identification indicated direct negative effects on
communication in private rooms, although its total effect did not indi­
cate a significant effect due to competiting between this direct effect and
the indirect effect via self-disclosure.
The similarity identification indicated a total negative effect on
communication only in temporary rooms. This effect was mediated by
self-presentation and relation expansion.
The self-presentation indicated different tendencies in both room
types. It indicated a direct negative effect on communication in private
rooms, although its total effect did not indicate a significant effect. By
contrast, that in temporary rooms indicated total and direct positive
effects on communication.
Furthermore, the self-disclosure indicated different tendencies be­
tween both room types; that in the private rooms had a positive total
M. Takano and F. Taka Computers in Human Behavior Reports 6 (2022) 100176

Table 1 Table 3
Effects of customization reasons, avatar parts, profile, usage time, and de­ Effect of three types of identification on group belonging through self-
mographic information on avatar identification in the SEM model (Fig. 5). presentation and self-disclosure in the SEM.
Standard errors are indicated in brackets. ***, **, and * indicate significant Explanatory variables Association type Coefficients
differences at p − value ≤ 0.001, 0.01, and 0.05, respectively (the symbols have
the same meaning in the following). Similarity Direct − 0.039 (0.008)***
Through self-presentation − 0.014 (0.002)***
Explanatory variables Objective variables (avatar identification) Through self-disclosure − 0.035 (0.006)***
Categories Variables Similarity Embodied Wishful Total − 0.088 (0.011)***
Customization Friends 0.084 0.170 0.147 Embodied Direct 0.230 (0.015)***
reasons (0.017)*** (0.014)*** (0.013)*** Through self-presentation 0.054 (0.007)***
New parts − 0.113 0.036 0.132 Through self-disclosure 0.201 (0.013)***
(0.026)*** (0.023) (0.022)***
Events 0.398 0.261 0.153 Total 0.486 (0.019)***
(0.028)*** (0.025)*** (0.022)*** Wishful Direct 0.002 (0.015)
Habits 0.019 0.049 0.028 Through self-presentation 0.056 (0.008)***
(0.037) (0.034) (0.030) Through self-disclosure 0.150 (0.012)***
Avatar parts Cloth − 0.063 − 0.092 − 0.059 Total 0.210(0.020)***
(0.022)** (0.019)*** (0.017)***
Hair 0.088 0.072 0.058 Self-presentation Direct 0.182 (0.022)***
(0.019)*** (0.016)*** (0.013)*** Self-disclosure Direct 0.592 (0.021)***
Face part − 0.059 − 0.057 − 0.022 Age Direct − 0.024 (0.003)***
position (0.020)** (0.017)*** (0.015) Gender Direct − 0.062 (0.016)***
Make-up 0.015 0.009 − 0.018
(0.020) (0.017) (0.014) Usage time Direct 0.093 (0.008)***
Face outline 0.000 0.000 − 0.055
Intercept Direct − 0.352 (0.048)***
(0.029) (0.024) (0.020)**
Beard − 0.023 − 0.014 − 0.011
(0.022) (0.018) (0.016)
Shapes of − 0.137 − 0.031 − 0.007 Table 4
face parts (0.024)*** (0.020) (0.018)
Effect of three types of identification on relation expansion through self-
Eyebrow − 0.055 − 0.024 0.014
presentation and self-disclosure in the SEM.
(0.020)** (0.016) (0.014)
Explanatory variables Association type Coefficients
Profile Profile 0.030 0.116 0.088
(0.029) (0.024)*** (0.021)*** Similarity Direct − 0.037(0.006)***
Through self-presentation − 0.015(0.002)***
Usage time Usage time 0.125 0.117 0.064
Through self-disclosure − 0.023(0.004)***
(0.023)*** (0.019)*** (0.018)***
Total − 0.076(0.008)***
Demographic Player’s Age 0.013 − 0.029 − 0.057
information (0.004)** (0.004)*** (0.003)*** Embodied Direct 0.142(0.011)***
Player’s − 0.254 − 0.124 − 0.069 Through self-presentation 0.061(0.006)***
Gender (0.031)*** (0.026)*** (0.023)** Through self-disclosure 0.132(0.009)***
Same age lv − 0.070 0.007 0.038
(0.024)** (0.021) (0.018)* Total 0.334(0.014)***
Higher age 0.102 0.113 0.086 Wishful Direct 0.001(0.012)
lv (0.039)** (0.033)*** (0.028)** Through self-presentation 0.063(0.006)***
Lower age lv − 0.048 0.038 0.044 Through self-disclosure 0.100(0.008)***
(0.046) (0.038) (0.034)
Same gender 0.039 − 0.016 − 0.000 Total 0.163(0.015)***
(0.039) (0.033) (0.029) Self-presentation Direct 0.203 (0.017)***
Intercept Intercept − 0.596 − 0.555 − 0.221 Self-disclosure Direct 0.389 (0.016)***
(0.122)*** (0.109)*** (0.094)* Age Direct − 0.022 (0.002)***
Gender Direct − 0.040 (0.012)**

Usage time Direct 0.066 (0.006)***

Table 2 Intercept Direct − 0.243 (0.037)***
Effects of avatar identification on self-presentation and self-disclosure.
Explanatory variables Self-presentation Self-disclosure
4.2.2. Avatar actions
Similarity − 0.076 (0.010)*** − 0.059 (0.010)***
Embodied 0.299 (0.017)*** 0.340 (0.018)***
As with the cases of conversation time, Tables 7 and 8 list the results
Wishful 0.308 (0.017)*** 0.257 (0.018)*** of mediation analyses using GLMs for avatar actions in private and
temporary rooms, respectively.
Age − 0.084 (0.003)*** − 0.084 (0.003)***
Gender − 0.096 (0.018)*** − 0.102 (0.019)*** In the following section, we summarize the analysis results for each
explanatory variable.
Usage time 0.087 (0.010)*** 0.124 (0.010)***
The embodied identification indicated total and direct positive ef­
Intercept 0.091 (0.058) − 0.271 (0.061)*** fects on avatar actions in private rooms. The total effect was weakened
by mediating self-presentation.
effect on communication. This effect was mediated by group belonging Wishful identification indicated total negative effects on avatar ac­
and relation expansion. By contrast, that in temporary rooms showed tions in private rooms, although its total effect did not indicate a sig­
only a positive effect through relation expansion. nificant effect. This effect was mediated by self-presentation.
Group belonging only indicated a total positive effect on communi­ The total and direct effects of similarity identification were not sig­
cation in private rooms. Meanwhile, relation expansion indicated total nificant in both room types.
positive effects on communication in both room types. Self-presentation indicated total and direct positive effects on avatar

7
M. Takano and F. Taka Computers in Human Behavior Reports 6 (2022) 100176

Table 5 Table 6
Effects of avatar identification, self-expressions, social relationships, and control Effects of avatar identification, self-expressions, social relationships, and control
variables on conversation time in private rooms. R2s denote the GLM where all variables on conversation time in temporary rooms.
variables (mediator, control, and other explanatory variables) were input. These Explanatory variables Association type Coefficients
explanations can be applied in Tables. 6, 7, and 8.
Similarity Direct − 0.049 (0.044)
Explanatory variables Association type Coefficients Through self-presentation − 0.018 (0.008)*
Similarity Direct 0.034 (0.038) Through self-disclosure − 0.008 (0.006)
Through self-presentation − 0.010 (0.007) Through group belonging 0.005 (0.004)
Through self-disclosure − 0.023 (0.006)*** Through relation expansion − 0.018 (0.006)**
Through group belonging − 0.011 (0.004)* Total − 0.109 (0.043)*
Through relation expansion − 0.011 (0.005)*
Embodied Direct − 0.016 (0.074)
Total − 0.008 (0.038) Through self-presentation 0.071 (0.029)*
Embodied Direct 0.126 (0.065) Through self-disclosure 0.043 (0.031)
Through self-presentation − 0.040 (0.025) Through group belonging − 0.030 (0.023)
Through self-disclosure 0.128 (0.027)*** Through relation expansion 0.067 (0.019)***
Through group belonging 0.067 (0.021)** Total 0.150 (0.072)*
Through relation expansion 0.042 (0.017)*
Wishful Direct − 0.040 (0.070)
Total 0.284 (0.063)*** Through self-presentation 0.073 (0.029)*
Wishful Direct − 0.143 (0.061)* Through self-disclosure 0.032 (0.023)
Through self-presentation − 0.041 (0.026) Through group belonging − 0.000 (0.002)
Through self-disclosure 0.097 (0.021)*** Through relation expansion 0.000 (0.005)
Through group belonging 0.001 (0.004) Total 0.062 (0.069)
Through relation expansion 0.000 (0.003)
Self-presentation Direct 0.206 (0.095)*
Total − 0.034 (0.060) Through group belonging − 0.025 (0.019)
Self-presentation Direct − 0.202 (0.083)* Through relation expansion 0.100 (0.018)***
Through group belonging 0.055 (0.017)** Total 0.235 (0.094)*
Through relation expansion 0.062 (0.024)*
Self-disclosure Direct − 0.010 (0.096)
Total − 0.132 (0.082) Through group belonging − 0.079 (0.061)
Self-disclosure Direct 0.068 (0.084) Through relation expansion 0.191 (0.053)***
Through group belonging 0.177 (0.054)*** Total 0.125 (0.090)
Through relation expansion 0.119 (0.046)**
Group belonging Direct − 0.133 (0.103)
Total 0.375 (0.078)*** Relation expansion Direct 0.489 (0.135)***
Group belonging Direct 0.298 (0.090)*** Age Direct − 0.025 (0.014)***
Relation expansion Direct 0.305 (0.118)** Gender Direct − 0.280 (0.085)**
Age Direct 0.012 (0.012) Usage time Direct 0.713 (0.032)***
Gender Direct − 0.597 (0.075)***
Intercept Direct 9.952 (0.094)***
Usage time Direct 0.882 (0.028)***
2
McFadden R 0.079
Intercept Direct 9.384 (0.082)*** Nagelkerke R2 0.130
McFadden R2 0.113
Nagelkerke R2 0.192
avatar identification.
It is noteworthy that changing clothes, which can also easily change
actions in both room types, although the avatar actions extended the in real life, indicated negative associations with all types of avatar
players’ expression range. These effects were not mediated by social identifications. This may be because players who treat their avatars as
relationships. dress-up dolls instead of themselves decrease all types of avatar identi­
Self-disclosure, group belonging, and relation expansion did not fications(Mancini et al., 2018).
indicate significant effects on avatar actions in both room types. Customizing avatar parts that are difficult to change in real life, such
In summary, the analysis results show that communication in both as the face, indicated negative associations with all avatar identifica­
room types indicated similar tendencies, excluding that of embodied and tions. This appears to be because the avatar faces can reflect the players’
wishful identification. core identity. People prefer to reflect their core identity to their avatars
(Triberti et al., 2017; Messinger et al., 2019).
5. Discussion Meanwhile, setting a higher avatar age than players’ age was posi­
tively associated with avatar identification, although age was related to
5.1. Reinforcing factors of avatar identification (RQ1) core identity. Additionally, avatar identification did not depend on the
relationship between the player and the avatar’s gender. This may be
We discovered that the associations between avatar customization because the avatars can be represented by any age and gender, which are
and avatar identification depended on the relationship to real life. perceived as true by the players.
Players who customized their avatars because of avatar customization as Interestingly, the customization reason for acquiring the new parts
in real life, such as the influences of friends and events, showed high indicated was a negative association with similarity identification and a
avatar identifications for all types. Similarly, changing avatar parts such positive association with wishful identification. This phenomenon might
as hair parts, which can easily change in real life, were positively depend on the relationship between real life and virtual life. In other
associated with all types of avatar identifications. Players tend to prefer words, players’ avatars wearing new parts (out-of-the-ordinary clothes,
these customizations according to a previous study(Ducheneaut et al., e.g., fantasy-style dresses) moved away from themselves and were close
2009). The similarity of behavior relating to appearances between to their ideal self because players would not wear out-of-the-ordinary
players and their avatars may reinforce three types of avatar identifi­ clothes in real life.
cations. These suggest that avatar customization as in real life facilitates

8
M. Takano and F. Taka Computers in Human Behavior Reports 6 (2022) 100176

Table 7 Table 8
Effects of avatar identification, self-expressions, social relationships, and control Effects of avatar identification, self-expressions, social relationships, and control
variables on avatar actions in private rooms. variables on avatar actions in temporary rooms.
Explanatory variables Association type Coefficients Explanatory variables Association type Coefficients

Similarity Direct − 0.003 (0.017) Similarity Direct − 0.008 (0.018)

Through self-presentation 0.008 (0.003)* Through self-presentation 0.008 (0.003)*
Through self-disclosure − 0.002 (0.002) Through self-disclosure − 0.003 (0.002)
Through group belonging − 0.003 (0.002) Through group belonging − 0.002 (0.002)
Through relation expansion 0.000 (0.002) Through relation expansion 0.000 (0.002)

Total 0.001 (0.017) Total − 0.007 (0.018)

Embodied Direct 0.115 (0.030)*** Embodied Direct 0.036 (0.031)

Through self-presentation − 0.031 (0.012)** Through self-presentation − 0.031 (0.012)*
Through self-disclosure 0.010 (0.012) Through self-disclosure 0.015 (0.013)
Through group belonging 0.016 (0.010) Through group belonging 0.012 (0.010)
Through relation expansion − 0.002 (0.008) Through relation expansion − 0.000 (0.008)

Total 0.110 (0.029)*** Total 0.033 (0.030)

Wishful Direct − 0.037 (0.029) Wishful Direct 0.035 (0.030)

Through self-presentation − 0.032 (0.012)** Through self-presentation − 0.032 (0.013)*
Through self-disclosure 0.007 (0.009) Through self-disclosure 0.011 (0.010)
Through group belonging 0.000 (0.001) Through group belonging 0.000 (0.001)
Through relation expansion − 0.000 (0.001) Through relation expansion − 0.000 (0.001)

Total − 0.062 (0.028)* Total 0.017 (0.029)

Self-presentation Direct − 0.110 (0.039)** Self-presentation Direct − 0.107 (0.041)**

Through group belonging 0.013 (0.008) Through group belonging 0.010 (0.008)
Through relation expansion − 0.002 (0.012) Through relation expansion − 0.000 (0.012)

Total − 0.103 (0.038)** Total − 0.104 (0.040)**

Self-disclosure Direct − 0.008 (0.039) Self-disclosure Direct 0.009 (0.041)

Through group belonging 0.042 (0.025) Through group belonging 0.031 (0.027)
Through relation expansion − 0.005 (0.022) Through relation expansion − 0.000 (0.024)

Total 0.029 (0.037) Total 0.043 (0.039)

Group belonging Direct 0.070 (0.043) Group belonging Direct 0.052 (0.046)
Relation expansion Direct − 0.012 (0.057) Relation expansion Direct 0.000 (0.061)

Age Direct 0.173 (0.006)*** Age Direct 0.212 (0.007)***

Gender Direct 0.160 (0.034)*** Gender Direct 0.110 (0.036)**

Conversation time Direct 1.757 (0.012)*** Conversation time Direct 1.888 (0.015)***

Intercept Direct − 2.269 (0.060)*** Intercept Direct − 3.120 (0.073)***

2 2
McFadden R 0.763 McFadden R 0.704
Nagelkerke R2 0.984 Nagelkerke R2 0.957

Profile editing was positively associated with avatar identification,
as in(Kao & Fox Harrell, 2018). This may be because players established
their identities in a virtual world by representing their social settings
(Crenshaw & Nardi, 2014).
5.2. Effects of avatar identification on communication (RQ2)
We discovered the different associations between the three types of
avatar identifications and communication behavior.
The embodied identification indicated indirect positive effects on
group belonging and relation expansion partially mediated by self-
presentation and self-disclosure. This identification showed direct pos­
itive effects on self-presentation and self-disclosure. A previous study
(Van Looy et al., 2012) reported that players with a higher avatar
identification had higher group identifications, that is, they perceived
that they belonged to their groups because the avatar identification
facilitated the self-recognition of their roles in virtual societies(Gab­
biadini et al., 2014; Van Looy et al., 2012). Because the players were
immersed in a virtual world when they had a high embodied identifi­
cation(Kao & Fox Harrell, 2018), embodied identification might have
had large effects on social relationships.
Players with higher embodied identification communicated more
frequently in different methods depending on the room type. Embodied
identification was positively associated with communication mediated
by self-disclosure, group belonging, and relation expansion in private
rooms where players tended to communicate with a few friends(Takano
& Tsunoda, 2019). They appeared to have established close relation­
ships and communities, similar to Second-Life(Green-Hamann et al.,
2011) and massively multiplayer online role-playing games
(MMO-RPGs)(O’Connor et al., 2015). Furthermore, this identification
was positively associated with communication mediated by
self-presentation and relation expansion in temporary rooms where
players tended to communicate with several strangers(Takano & Tsu­
noda, 2019). These results suggest that players having high embodied
identification would deepen their friendships with a few friends in pri­
vate rooms and enjoy parties with strangers in temporary rooms.
The wishful identification indicated indirect positive effects on group
belonging and relation expansion completely mediated by self-
presentation and self-disclosure. This identification showed direct pos­
itive effects on self-presentation and self-disclosure. This suggests that
players tended to think their wishful avatars as socializable, which is
consistent with previous studies(Bessière et al., 2007; Messinger et al.,
2008; Ducheneaut et al., 2009). Players can express themselves using
their wishful avatars. As a result, they may have good relationships.
By contrast, wishful identification was not positively associated with
conversation time in both room types; in particular, it indicated a direct
negative effect on conversation in private rooms. This implies that the
actual communication behavior of players with high wishful identifi­
cations differed from their sociality, which was reported by them.
In contrast to the embodied and wishful identifications, similarity

9
M. Takano and F. Taka
identification was negatively associated with self-presentation, self-
disclosure, group belonging, and relation expansion. Furthermore, this
identification was negatively associated or was not associated with
communication behavior. This may be to occur because a player who
uses an avatar mimicking their appearance hesitates to disclose them­
selves with fearing to be identified themselves(Bailenson et al., 2006;
Hooi & Cho, 2014), even if they use the deformed Pigg Party avatars.
Nonverbal communication indicated a positive association only with
embodied identification, which was only effective in private room
communication. This was because players with high embodied identi­
fication, who immersed strongly in the virtual world(Kao & Fox Harrell,
2018), might have experienced offline like communication, for example,
nonverbal communication correlated with closeness to communication
partners(Andersen et al., 2006; Tucker and Anders, 1998) such as
communication partners in private rooms(Takano & Tsunoda, 2019).
5.3. Role of avatar actions
Avatar actions were negatively associated with self-presentation.
This was because players who experience difficulty in communication
might use avatar actions more frequently to convey their emotions and
intentions. Player interviews by the Pigg Party application provider
(Takano & Mizuno, 2018) indicated that a player tended to use avatar
actions when they could not easily explain their emotions and in­
tentions. Additionally, a previous study(Takano & Tsunoda, 2019) re­
ported that Pigg Party players tended to tell jokes to each other
accompanied by laughing when they delivered a difficult message
(self-disclosure of bullied experiences) as the action conveyed positive
feelings and facilitated self-disclosure(Ervin-Tripp & Martin, 2009). Our
results can provide a quantitative evidence that players use avatar ac­
tions to address difficulties in expressing their emotions and intentions.
5.4. Roles of communication rooms
The association between psychological factors such as self-
presentation, self-disclosure, group belonging, and relation expansion,
which become more prominent by embodied/wishful identification, and
communication behavior indicates how players used the two room types
in their communication.
Self-disclosure, which mediated from avatar identification to group
belonging and relation expansion, was positively associated with
communication in private rooms. Meanwhile, self-presentation and
relation expansion were positively associated with communication in
temporary rooms.
This result suggests the different roles of each room type. Players
who do not hesitate in self-disclosure and belong to the Pigg Party may
feel comfortable in private room communications. This result is
consistent with a previous study pertaining to the Pigg Party(Takano &
Tsunoda, 2019), where players disclosed their bullied experiences and
provided emotional social support in private rooms. Meanwhile, players
who excel at self-presentation and have many relationships enjoy tem­
porary room communications.
5.5. Facilitating close relationships and self-disclosure in a virtual world
How can avatar communication applications provide a place where
players feel a sense of belonging and can easily disclose their problems?
Our results suggest that embodied identification facilitates self-
disclosure, group-belonging, and actual communication. To facilitate
embodied identification, it is desirable for applications to facilitate
avatar customizations for reasons like those in real life, such as the in­
fluence of friends and events, for example, selling avatar items for
matching outfits with friends, and opening events where players feel
tempted to dress according to the events (e.g., Halloween). We can
observe the effects of these campaigns by the frequency of communi­
cation in private rooms, where players occasionally provide self-
10
Computers in Human Behavior Reports 6 (2022) 100176
disclosure and social support(Takano & Tsunoda, 2019).
5.6. Limitations and future works
This study was conducted in the context of a specific avatar art style,
such as fancy avatars. Considering other avatar art styles such as realistic
avatars would broaden the scope of our findings.
We used a cross-sectional design to examine the association between
avatar customization, avatar identification, self-expression, social re­
lationships, and actual communication behavior. These associations
suggests that there might be causality between them, however, there is
only partial evidence. For more insights into our findings, an experi­
mental study pertaining to the Pigg Party for manipulating avatar cus­
tomization should be performed. Performing such an experimental study
can help understand the causal relationships among the variables
clearly.
Conversation time was partially explained by avatar identification,
self-expressions, and social relationships (the statistical model for them
showed small McFadden R2Cohen (2013)). A model with more explan­
atory power is required for verification.
6. Conclusion
We studied the effects of avatar identification on actual communi­
cation behavior on an avatar communication application that serves
many users. Additionally, we analyzed how players reinforced their
avatar identification through avatar customization. Consequently, we
obtained answers to our two research questions: avatar customization,
as in real life, reinforces avatar identifications (RQ1); and embodied
identification promotes actual communication behavior in different
methods depending on whether communication spaces are public or
private (RQ2). Additionally, we determined the role of avatar actions
and room types. Nonverbal actions of avatars are used for filling in
communication gaps because of the players’ low self-presentation. Pri­
vate spaces such as private rooms provide places for self-disclosure and
close relationship construction. On the other hand, public spaces such as
temporary rooms provide places to enjoy making relationships.
These findings connect the effect of avatar customization on avatar
identification(Crenshaw & Nardi, 2014; Birk et al., 2016; Mancini et al.,
2018; Kao & Fox Harrell, 2018) with the effectiveness of avatars on
communication, including self-disclosure and receiving social support
(Antonijevic, 2008; Green-Hamann et al., 2011; O’Connor et al., 2015;
Takano & Tsunoda, 2019). Both tended to be discussed separately in
previous studies. Based on these findings, we discuss how avatar
communication applications can provide close relationships and
self-disclosure places.
Furthermore, our analysis of the detailed relationship between
avatar customization and avatar identification can facilitate studies
regarding the relationships between avatars and game immersion (Van
Reijmersdal et al., 2013; Birk et al., 2016; Kao & Fox Harrell, 2018;
Mancini et al., 2018; Messinger et al., 2019).
Ethics
We informed the purpose and use of this survey to participants. They
allowed the authors to analyze their data for academic purposes.
Author contributions
● Masanori Takano: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis,
Writing - Original Draft, Supervision
● Fumiaki Taka: Investigation, Methodology, Writing - Review &
Editing
M. Takano and F. Taka
Declaration of competing interest
Masanori Takano is an employee of CyberAgent, Inc. There are no
patents, products in development, or marketed products to declare.
Fumiaki Taka was funded by CyberAgent, Inc.
Acknowledgements
Fumiaki Taka was funded by CyberAgent, Inc.
Appendix A. Supplementary data
Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100176.
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