Investigating the Perceived Abilities of Popular Game Characters' Clothes

The visual appearance of avatars can influence users’ behavior and perception based on their stereotypical associations. Avatars’ clothing govern the visual appearance and is not only aesthetically important but also determines the anticipated abilities. Therefore, avatar designers need to know the abilities that are associated with the clothing. However, a systematic investigation of avatars’ clothes and the perceived abilities is missing. Consequently, we conducted an online survey with 61 participants to explore the functionality, physical and cognitive abilities, as well as comfort and aesthetics of 15 selected popular action video game characters’ clothes. We contribute with a heatmap illustrating the correlation between clothes and specific abilities. This heatmap serves as a tool for avatar designers during the creation process to anticipate the perceived abilities of their avatars’ clothes.