Identity styles in adolescents and the adolescent–avatar gender and skin color consistency

Avatars are virtual representations of users. Creating a virtual representation can be considered an important element of the identity formation process in modern adolescents and the choice of avatar’s gender and skin color is crucial; however, the number of such studies is very limited. The first aim of this study is to check whether adolescents choose their avatar gender and skin color in line with their own. As its second goal, the study examines the relationship between adolescent identity styles and the consistency of the avatar’s gender with the user’s gender and the consistency of the skin color with the user’s skin color. In this study, 130 adolescents played the Characterium computer game and they underwent an assessment of their identity styles. The vast majority of the study participants created avatars according to their gender. About a third of adolescents chose their skin color for the avatar: almost half of the girls and a few boys. No relationship was found between the adolescents’ identity styles and two variables: gender consistency and skin consistency. I consider this study to be a step forward in understanding the relationship between forming identity in adolescents and their virtual representations – avatars.