Exploring the Process of Avatar Identification in Role-Playing Games : a Case of <The Last of Us>

With the advancement of media technology, it has become increasingly challenging to study new media contents and mechanics through traditional narrative theories.The emergence of video games once sparked intense debates between narratologists and ludologists.In video games, Role-Playing Games are particularly notable for creating a strong sense of immersion and identification with game characters.Furthermore, an avatar is the representation of the player that is projected to other players.During the gameplay experience, players tend to identify with the characters they control, leading to a profound state of flow.Through theoretical analysis and the process of developing avatar identification this study explores the beneficial impact of player avatar recognition on RPG gaming experience.It posits that the process of experiencing the game and the process of avatar identification largely overlap.To make the research results more obvious, the study analyzed the game <The Last of Us>( 2013) by examining the avatar identification process in this game.Due to the single storyline of this game, it can more specifically demonstrate the role of avatar identification.The study aimed to illustrate how such a psychological mechanism emerges during the gameplay experience.Furthermore, avatar identification can stimulate a stronger desire for exploration within players during the game and suggests that players form an attachment to, or focus on the construction of avatar identity in games.