1 of 40

Realistic Avatar Creation and Player Choice

Thesis Proposal

James Lee

2 of 40

Rise of Gamers

In 2013, the gaming industry is at an all time high. Revenues will grow to $70.4 billion worldwide this year, with a 6% year over year increase. And the number of gamers in the US have increased 241% from 2008-2011

This data is obtained from Newzoo, a leading market research firm focused purely on the games market. They provide data for Valve, Microsoft, EA, Sega, and Nvidia.

Newzoo (www.newzoo.com) is the leading global market research firm focused purely on the games market. The company provides its clients with a mix of primary consumer research, transactional data and financial analysis across all continents, screens and business models. Newzoo’s clients include Valve, SEGA, Plantronics, Wizards of the Coast, Incomm, Nvidia, GlobalCollect, Microsoft, EA, Coca-Cola and Visa/PlaySpan.

http://www.newzoo.com/press-releases/newzoo-announces-new-report-and-projects-global-games-market-to-grow-6-to-70-4bn-in-2013/

http://www.newzoo.com/insights/pc-gaming-leading-the-way-with-esports-and-video-streaming/

The aforementioned 14.9% of the world’s population comes from the mature markets of Korea/Japan/Oceania, North America and West Europe who currently account for over 37% of the estimated 1.2 billion gamers and 700 million paying gamers at the end of 2013.

http://www.newzoo.com/insights/15-of-the-worlds-population-accounts-for-74-of-all-global-games-revenues/

The Number of U.S. Gamers increased 241% from 2008 to 2011

http://www.tvconnectevent.com/wp-content/uploads/2583Parks%20Assoc%20Trends%20in%20Digital%20Gaming%20White%20Paper.pdf

3 of 40

Rise of Gamers

As the graph shows, this growth year over year is expected to continue in the near future. As of 2016, the gaming industry’s revenue is expected to reach 86.1 billion. Certain gaming devices will grow in market share, most notably in the mobile sector, but all markets are expected to increase in revenue.

Newzoo (www.newzoo.com) is the leading global market research firm focused purely on the games market. The company provides its clients with a mix of primary consumer research, transactional data and financial analysis across all continents, screens and business models. Newzoo’s clients include Valve, SEGA, Plantronics, Wizards of the Coast, Incomm, Nvidia, GlobalCollect, Microsoft, EA, Coca-Cola and Visa/PlaySpan.

game revenues will grow to $70.4 billion worldwide this year

http://www.newzoo.com/press-releases/newzoo-announces-new-report-and-projects-global-games-market-to-grow-6-to-70-4bn-in-2013/

http://www.newzoo.com/insights/pc-gaming-leading-the-way-with-esports-and-video-streaming/

The aforementioned 14.9% of the world’s population comes from the mature markets of Korea/Japan/Oceania, North America and West Europe who currently account for over 37% of the estimated 1.2 billion gamers and 700 million paying gamers at the end of 2013.

http://www.newzoo.com/insights/15-of-the-worlds-population-accounts-for-74-of-all-global-games-revenues/

The Number of U.S. Gamers increased 241% from 2008 to 2011

http://www.tvconnectevent.com/wp-content/uploads/2583Parks%20Assoc%20Trends%20in%20Digital%20Gaming%20White%20Paper.pdf

4 of 40

What are we playing?

5 of 40

Call of Duty: Ghosts

Call of Duty: Ghosts is a 2013 first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward, with assistance from Raven Software and Neversoft, and published by Activision. It is the tenth primary installment in the Call of Duty series, and the sixth developed by Infinity Ward. The video game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U on November 5, 2013

Best selling game in the shooter genre ever, with the latest iteration earning $1billion dollars on the first day.

For the first time ever, Call of Duty Ghost is allowing players to choose female models

However, the male models and the female models have exactly the same model size for gameplay “fairness”

what are the implications?

Gameplay fairness quote

Character Creation Video 00:40: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cV4BlAt2oU

6 of 40

Call of Duty: Ghosts

"Even on the female characters, we can't make them smaller. We need to be fair. It has to be fair from a gameplay standpoint."

-Mark Rubin, Executive Producer

7 of 40

Rise of Female Gamers?

8 of 40

Rise of Female Gamers?

9 of 40

Media Effects on Women

Dr. Jane Ussher on women self concept

so with the rise of female gamers and the discrepancies in representing women in video games, how are women affected by media? In terms of the media’s role in affecting female body image, much research has examined the effects of exposure to the thin (or curvaceously thin) female body ideal so prevalent in mainstream U.S. media. According to Dr. Jane Ussher, trained clinical psychologist specializing in women’s health, research suggests the image of the body often becomes paramount to women’s sense of personal identity and self worth. Furthermore, research shows that media plays a significant role and becomes a source of comparison through which women and men form gender expectations and norms of females. The constant conflict that women have between the media’s portrayal of the female body and their own body is an issue that may last until old age. [25]

[25] J.M. Ussher. The psychology of the female body. New York: Routledge, 1989.

10 of 40

Media Effects on Women

(Harrison)

- Cultivation Theory

- Bulimia/Anorexia/

Body image issues

Given that body dissatisfaction is related to media exposure to idealized media images, what are some theoretical explanations for this relationship? One possible mechanism is cultivation theory, which posits that people’s view of social reality is molded by the media (Gerbner et al. 2002). Female body proportions in various media has been a heavily debated topic for years [1]. Print, digital, and physical merchandise have all been scrutinized for fairness and accurate portrayal of women [2]. The video game industry is no exception [3] [4].

Murnen asserts in an experimental research that young girls briefly exposed to idealized female body images developed lower self esteem about their own bodies. [32] Another research conducted by Harrison also asserts that exposure to idealized media images predicted bulimia, anorexia, and body dissatisfaction in middle and high school female students. [33] Harrison’s follow up study of grade-school children had similar results. [34]

Given that body dissatisfaction is related to media exposure to idealized media images, what are some theoretical explanations for this relationship? One possible mechanism is cultivation theory, which posits that people’s view of social reality is molded by the media (Gerbner et al. 2002). One of the assumptions of the original cultivation theory was that certain common features of the television landscape pervade all forms of programming. The content analyses summarized above suggest that this is the case with the thin body ideal. Cultivation theory provides one explanation for how the thin ideal propagated by the media becomes viewed as a normal and desirable attribute. These normative beliefs may then lead to an internalization of the thin ideal and excessive dieting in an attempt to be “normal” (see Harrison and Hefner 2008). In support of this theoretical model, Harrison and Hefner (2006) found that overall television exposure predicted the choice of a thinner ideal adult body shape one year later in their longitudinal study with girls aged 7–12 living in the United States. Further, in a study of elementary school boys and girls, Harrison (2000a) found that television exposure among American boys was correlated with an understanding that thinness was socially valued and fatness was socially stigmatized such that boys who were heavier television viewers tended to negatively stereotype a fat girl (i.e., to assume that she will be lazy, greedy, and have no friends).

[3] N. Martins, D. C Williams, K. Harrison, & R. A. Ratan. (2009). A Content Analysis of Female Body Imagery in Video Games. Sex Roles [Online]. 61, pp. 824-836.

Available:http://www.kristenharrison.org/uploads/8/7/1/3/8713266/martinsetalfemalevideogames.pdf

[33] K. Harrison, (2000, Oct.) Television viewing, fat stereotyping, body shape standards, and eating disorder symptomatology in grade school children. Communication

Research [Online]. 27, pp. 617-641. Available: http://crx.sagepub.com/content/27/5/617.abstract

[34] K. Harrison, (2006, Jan.) The body electric: thin-ideal media and eating disorders in

adolescents. Journal of Communication [Online]. 50, pp. 119-143. Available: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2000.tb02856.x/abstract

11 of 40

Females in Video Games

(Behm-Morawitz and Mastro)

A study done by Behm-Morawitz and Mastro (2009), delves into psychological effects of sexualized female game characters on women who play them. Specifically, the short-term effects of exposure to sexualized female video game characters on gender stereotyping and female self-concept among U.S. college students.”

The research question required a sexualized and non-sexualized game playing situation in order to determine if the sexualized condition would have any effects. A pilot study determined the best game to use was Tomb Raider: Legend because in some portions of the game Lara was dressed in revealing outfits that accentuated her exaggerated figure and showed a lot of skin, but in other portions of the game she was covered up in winter clothing that obscured her figure somewhat and that did not show much skin.

12 of 40

Females in Video Games

(Behm-Morawitz and Mastro)

With both the conditions set in the same game, researchers could control the other variables that could potentially confuse their results.

328 students at a US Southwestern university took part in the study. The participant were comprised of both men (37%) and women (63%).

Testers were randomly assigned either to a sexualized or non-sexualized video game condition, or a control condition, and played the game on their own for 30 min.

Researchers wanted to test the players‟ self-esteem, self-efficacy, and gender attitudes, among other things.

The results of the study showed a significant relationship between the sexualized condition and self-efficacy in women. Men were shown to have less favorable attitudes than women had towards women in all conditions, and these attitudes did not change according to the condition. Women had less favorable attitudes toward women‟s physical capabilities after being exposed to the sexualized condition.

This research suggests that exposure to sexualized images of women in video games could lead to women’s decreased beliefs about women‟s physical capabilities in general and a decreased confidence in their own abilities.

[14] E. Behm-Morawitz. (2009) The Effects of Sexualization of Female Video Game Characters on Gender Stereotyping and Female Self-Concept [Online].

https://www.academia.edu/1865189/The_Effects_of_the_Sexualization_of_Female_Video_Game_Characters_on_Gender_Stereotyping_and_Female_Self-Concept

That said, examples of exaggerated, sexualized characters, both male and female, are not hard to come by in video games. Tomb Raider's Lara Croft is an example of a powerful female character who remains sexualized with enlarged breasts and skimpy attire, although more recent versions of the game have edited down the sexualization a bit. The Mai Shiranui character from Fatal Fury and King of Fighters is infamous for incorporating copious breast displays in her ninja tactics

13 of 40

Females in Video Games

(Fox and Bailenson) - exposure to sexualized appearance

Another study done by Fox and Bailenson seeked to find out about the effects of exposure to female characters’ sexualized appearance and gaze in an immersive virtual environment. By testing exposure to agents that exhibit stereotypes such as the conservatively dressed low gaze “virgin” model and the suggestively dressed high gaze “vamp” model, the findings suggest that gender-stereotypical virtual females enhance negative attitudes toward women (such as rape myth acceptance or lowered self esteem) [39].

Another research conducted by Lalone analyzed female stereotypes exhibited in the best selling games of Microsoft’s popular Xbox 360 console and concluded that the vast majority of video games are catering to the male audience. The female characters are most often uncontrollable by the player, relegated to the background, and were far more likely in sexualized poses [40].

[39] J. Fox, and J. N. Bailenson. (2009). Virtual Virgins and Vamps: The Effects of Exposure to Female Characters‟ Sexualized Appearance and Gaze in an Immersive Virtual Environment. Sex Roles [Online]. 61, pp.147-157. Available: http://vhil.stanford.edu/pubs/2009/fox-sr-virgins-vamps.pdf

Source used in below too:

Disproportioned models can cause distress and negatively impact gamer perception of the game and even genre [39].

14 of 40

Character Creation

What’s currently available in different games?

15 of 40

World of Warcraft (2003-2013)

16 of 40

Guild Wars 2 (2012-2013)

17 of 40

Final Fantasy 14 (2010-2013)

18 of 40

Battlefield 4 (2013)

19 of 40

Research Question

Will the use of a more realistic and responsive in-game character creation tool help assess the impact of female characters’ models on the enjoyment and self-concept of the players?

20 of 40

Method

Nickolay Lamm Realistic Barbie

21 of 40

Method

(Rachel Myre) Female And Male Preferences In The Body Proportions Of Customizable Female Video Game Characters

Myres, a grad researcher at SMU looks at silhouettes and preferences of models derived from MMO models and Dr. Susan Ashdown’s definition of common female body types. Her work showed that the 66 participants, 33 men, 33 women preferred more realistically proportioned models. Some limitation includes the relatively small sample size and the lack of customization of the models.

[21] M. Rachel. (2011). Female And Male Preferences In The Body Proportions Of Customizable Female Video Game Characters [Online]. Available: http://guildhallportfolios.smu.edu/work/rachel-myre/female-and-male-preferences-body-proportions-customizable-female-video-game

https://www.google.com.tw/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smu.edu%2F~%2Fmedia%2FSite%2Fguildhall%2FDocuments%2FTheses%2Fmyre_thesis.ashx&ei=UceMUv7IMujE4APxlICoBA&usg=AFQjCNHr8hKAMGig8ZCpzYfDrUrfKxSOmQ&sig2=GhMopJlD4IEz7f4ZW_inTQ

22 of 40

Work Plan

Anthropometry

so my project looks to use Anthropometry - refers to the measurement of the human individual. An early tool of physical anthropology, it has been used for identification, for the purposes of understanding human physical variation, in paleoanthropology and in various attempts to correlate physical with racial and psychological traits

And the data is taken from the

CDC - is the national public health institute of the United States, Its main goal is to protect public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability, In addition, the CDC researches and provides information on non-infectious diseases such as obesity and diabetes

NSRDEC - an element of the United States Army , NSRDEC exists to develop and test new material systems for U.S. Army soldiers. It has been the prime developer of MREs, elements of the Future Force Warrior System, the PALS grid and other items and methods used in the modern American military

23 of 40

CDC�Centers for Disease Control

24 of 40

U.S. Army Anthropometry - 1966

25 of 40

U.S. Army NSRDEC

Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center

26 of 40

Work Plan

27 of 40

Work Plan

28 of 40

UMA (Unity Multipurpose Avatar)

http://glscene.com/unity/CharacterCustomization/UMA_Japan.html

how long do players spend on each option, with mouseovers and time selected

future development can include eye tracking (but might be difficult to ask user’s to use eye tracking device)

GitHub under MIT License

The MIT License

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy

of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal

in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights

to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell

copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is

furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in

all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR

IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,

FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE

AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER

LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,

OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN

THE SOFTWARE.

29 of 40

Project Proposal

Character Creation Tool Prototype
Body Sliders and UI with standard deviation
Mouse over timer
Report of data captured

http://glscene.com/unity/CharacterCustomization/UMA_Japan.html

how long do players spend on each option, with mouseovers and time selected

future development can include eye tracking (but might be difficult to ask user’s to use eye tracking device)

Pre

GitHub under MIT License

The MIT License

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy

of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal

in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights

to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell

copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is

furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in

all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR

IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,

FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE

AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER

LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,

OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN

THE SOFTWARE.

30 of 40

Realistic Avatar Creator (WIP)

31 of 40

Expert Panel Review

Susan Ashdown

Anita Sarkeesian

Nickolay Lamm

32 of 40

Limitations

Limited Data

Dr. Susan Ashdown of Cornell University has worked with anthropometric data focusing on better size fits for the clothing industry. She believes that 3D scanning will provide better anthropometric data in the very near future. This can hold implications for anyone who chooses to implement a more realistic character creation system that utilizes a wider sample of data.

Three models will be created in Maya based on the measurements in the survey. The three models will utilize at least 20 measurements to reproduce models of the first, fiftieth, and ninety ninth percentile of the NSRDEC numbers. The models will first be made without any apparel in order to test the validity and accuracy of the measurement number obtained. The models will also serve to test the similarity in proportions between NSRDEC numbers and the body types proposed by Dr. Ashdown.

Studies have revealed that American women are increasing in size and becoming more pear-shaped [29]. Furthermore, significant associations were found between body cathexis (satisfaction with head/upper body, lower body, height, weight and torso) and body shape. Subjects with an inverted triangle body type were more satisfied with their weight than all other body types [30]. However, anthropometric studies have been historically expensive to conduct and the data collected can be limited [31]. Professor Susan Ashdown believes that technologies such as 3D body scanning will be key to more accurate, affordable, and available anthropometric data in the future [29].

[29] L. B. McRoberts. "Petite Women: Fit and Body Shape Analysis," M.S thesis, Dept. Agricultural and Mechanical, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA, 2000. Available:

http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-08152005-112116/unrestricted/McRoberts_thesis.pdf

[31] S. P. Ashdown. (1998). An Investigation of the Structure of Sizing Systems: A comparison of three multidimensional optimized sizing systems generated from anthropometric data. International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology. 10(5), pp 324-341. Available: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1454308

33 of 40

Timeline

34 of 40

Q&A

35 of 40

Media Effects on Women

Heinberg and Thompson

TV

Fallon

36 of 40

Media Effects on Women

Altabe and Thompson

TV

37 of 40

Game Analytics/Telemetry

Data Gathering In-Game

Heat Maps

38 of 40

Females in Video Games

http://vhil.stanford.edu/pubs/2013/fox-chb-sexualized-virtual-selves.pdf

39 of 40

Rise of Gamers

The growth in revenue can also be seen in the population of gamers. Currently, this is illustrated by the fact that 14.9% of the world’s population accounts for an astounding 73.6% of all gaming revenues.

Newzoo (www.newzoo.com) is the leading global market research firm focused purely on the games market. The company provides its clients with a mix of primary consumer research, transactional data and financial analysis across all continents, screens and business models. Newzoo’s clients include Valve, SEGA, Plantronics, Wizards of the Coast, Incomm, Nvidia, GlobalCollect, Microsoft, EA, Coca-Cola and Visa/PlaySpan.

game revenues will grow to $70.4 billion worldwide this year

http://www.newzoo.com/press-releases/newzoo-announces-new-report-and-projects-global-games-market-to-grow-6-to-70-4bn-in-2013/

http://www.newzoo.com/insights/pc-gaming-leading-the-way-with-esports-and-video-streaming/

The aforementioned 14.9% of the world’s population comes from the mature markets of Korea/Japan/Oceania, North America and West Europe who currently account for over 37% of the estimated 1.2 billion gamers and 700 million paying gamers at the end of 2013.

http://www.newzoo.com/insights/15-of-the-worlds-population-accounts-for-74-of-all-global-games-revenues/

The Number of U.S. Gamers increased 241% from 2008 to 2011

http://www.tvconnectevent.com/wp-content/uploads/2583Parks%20Assoc%20Trends%20in%20Digital%20Gaming%20White%20Paper.pdf

40 of 40

Rise of Female Gamers?