For assignment number 10, I decided to play a multi-player videogame called Madden ‘08. This experience will be different from others because the avatars are pre-made since they are the logos of professional football teams, but the team you pick and how you represent yourself is your imagination.
The great thing about Madden is that your appearances can not be modified by changing your facial or body features to look more attractive. You are who you choose to be and that choice is backed up by your performance and trash talking ability. I normally play with my favorite team (Arizona Cardinals), but after the reading I felt as if my team just did not give me the edge on my opponent according to Yee and Bailenson. A person with a more dominant team will self disclose with others more than a person with a team that has a lower ranking. Because of this I decided to be the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are ranked the second best team in Madden with a rating of 95% overall and show strong signs of both offense and defense.
With my team picked out I got right into the lounge in order to find a competitor. Now having a new “avatar” since I normally play with a different team, my attitude changed drastically. I became more confident and a little (ok maybe more then a little) cockier. So finding a game was not difficult at all since people seemed to want to play me since I was talking a little smack about being the almighty Chargers. I received a challenge from a player who was the Oakland Raiders. I gladly accepted with out a flinch of the controller because I knew that I would beat this person since the Raiders are ranked 67% overall. This just added to Yee and Bailenson’s idea about a stronger avatar giving you a mental edge over your opponent.
I was really excited to start this game off because I had an attitude that I was going to crush this person especially since he was the RAIDERS. Opening Drive I went 3 Plays 72 yards for a touchdown, then the next possession 9 plays 63 yards for another touchdown. In the second quarter, I had an interception at his 30 yard line, which I took back for a touchdown. The score was 21-0 at halftime which was when I realized that the “Proteus Effect” of me playing to the expectations that the avatar (Chargers) brought upon me. I was playing like a champion and decided to finish out the game and did so by a final score of 31 Chargers – 10 Oakland.
Looking back on my experience today and with my previous experiences with the Arizona Cardinals, the Proteus Effect by Yee and Bailenson (2007) is very true. My feelings toward the two football teams were completely different at the start and I noticed the dramatic change while playing. The level of respect was also completely different since more people respect and acknowledges the more powerful teams.
Reference:
Madden 08: Team Rankings
http://nflguru.net/2007/madden-2008-team-ratings-revealed/
1 comment:
Hi Jadd,
I thought your post was a nice change from the Second Life posts that are pretty dominant this week. I can't exclude myself from that group, but none the less it was nice to see read a different perspective. I thought it was a good approach to choose a space where you could choose your avatar based on something entirely different than physical appearance. It certainly seems that in the process of changing teams you got the confidence to perform at a higher level than you would with the Cardinals. I wonder if part of the reason for this is because with more confidence you take more risks in making big plays and such, that if successful, translate to an overall improved performance. Overall I enjoyed your post very much. And props for picking the chargers and not the pats... BOO Tom Brady!
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