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Abstract

Parasocial relationships can be described as one-sided attachments from media consumer towards character. The different types of parasocial relationships and phenomena in general tend to vary depending on what media they are based in. In more recent years, parasocial phenomena between player and video game character have become a topic of interest, due to the unique nature of video games as a media format. The aim of this study is to contribute new information
to this developing research field by examining the relationship between attachment to video game characters and player personality. The relevant data was gathered by distributing a questionnaire, which included the Big Five Inventory scale to measure personality aspects, alongside two additional scales to gather data about attachment to specific characters. Afterwards, a hierarchical multiple regression was run with each of the two aspects of character attachment, outlined in this study, serving as dependant variables and the personality items of the Big Five Inventory serving as independent variables. The analysis of the data showed that Openness and Conscientiousness predict the type of character attachment and Extraversion predicts the intensity of character attachment. These results were then used to draw conclusions, which could be beneficial to industry practitioners when designing characters, and they were also formatted to serve as a basis of new information, which could enable future research into the topic.

Course: Creative Media Technologies - BSc - C2734S

Date Deposited: 2023-10-12

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14224.html