Impact of Role Assignment through Complementary Design of Self and Other Avatars on Self-Image and Behavior Change

This study investigates the impact of both self-and other’s avatars (virtual bodies) with complementary traits on self-image and behavior change, drawing on role theory: individuals adopt and internalize their social roles as expected by others. In our experiment, participants and a non-player character played a cooperative virtual reality action game together, embodying a “warrior” avatar and a “witch” avatar with complementary appearances and in-game abilities. Results revealed that role assignments based on the use of complementary avatars has significant interaction effects with participants’ personal characteristics on influencing individuals’ behavior and self-image. Furthermore, a risk of unpredicted change resulting from failed role assignments was discovered, suggesting the importance of achieving role assignments that match avatar complementarity. By providing a new perspective on the impact of interactions between multiple users with diverse avatars, these findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of cognitive augmentation with avatars and have implications for the design of avatar-related experiences in the metaverse.