Is There a Difference Between the Real Self and the Virtual Self of Internet Game Players? The Effect of Avatar Identity

TThe purpose of this study was to validate a proposed theoretical model of adolescent internet gaming disorders from a reality-virtual perspective. A questionnaire survey was conducted using random stratified cluster sampling on 3,058 middle school students with internet gaming experience, drawn from four middle schools in a province in northern China. The research tools included measures of ego identity, avatar identification, ego depletion, and the internet gaming disorder (IGD) scale. The study’s results revealed that avatar identity mediated the relationship between ego identity and IGD, with a mediation effect of 25%. Additionally, ego depletion was found to moderate the relationship between ego identity and avatar identity/avatar identity and IGD. These findings highlight the importance of considering the virtual self (avatar) in future diagnoses or interventions for IGD.