Date of Award
8-28-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
English, MA
First Advisor
Elizabeth Chamberlain
Committee Members
Jacob Caton; Kristen Ruccio
Call Number
LD 251 .A566t 2021 O88
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to measure the perceptions, thoughts, and interactions of avatars between players of a text-based RPG called Lusternia while also examining the rhetorical choices behind the creation of a character and how the user chooses to interact through this character. Prior research indicates that online spaces are used by those with social anxieties to find potential comfort in a non-physical location, surrounded by like-minded people. This study confirmed that players who were more socially anxious or were neurodivergent used these spaces for such purposes. The findings from the distributed surveys and conducted interviews were then used to propose an online, text-based, avatar-based FYC course. The study results are important to continue the support and growth for newer students who have trouble with expression. The proposed course will provide suggestions to better aid these students and expand course offerings.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Ottoson, James Anthony, "Identity Formation and Digital Spaces: A Nexus of Social, Sexual, And Character-Based Development and Their Educational Potential" (2021). Student Theses and Dissertations. 316.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/316
