Transmutations of Self: The Personality Psychology of Cyberspace Through the Modern Video Game

Three hypotheses positing divergent psychological mechanisms underlying human interaction within cyberspace and in relation to the self--Turkle's theory of multiplicity, Talbott's notion of automaticity, and the reapplication of Marcuse's term, non repressive sublimation -- were considered with respect to the computer gaming population. Issues of gender, addiction, aggression, and age were also investigated. Subjects were recruited\ud through Internet discussion groups according to their interest in the three games (genres) of\ud investigation: Quake (First Person Action), Everquest (Role Playing), Starcraft (Real Time\ud Strategy). Subjects in each category completed an on-line questionnaire regarding descriptive and personality data, gaming proclivities, the within and out of game subjective\ud experience, and gaming motivations. It was predicted that the psychic process of greatest import while gaming related to non repressive sublimation. In addition, a specific\ud personality rubric was thought to correspond with each gaming population. A cathartic\ud effect in relation to aggression was also hypothesized along with the presence of a strong\ud association between high levels of gaming and auxiliary addictive behaviors. Females were\ud predicted to be less numerous and embody unique personality characteristics. Age\ud assumptions presumed a large inclusion of subjects acting within Erikson's developmental\ud stage of Identity versus Role Confusion. Results suggested aspects of both role play and sublimation (of a repressive nature) best described the mental processes at work while\ud gaming. Personality, gender, and age hypotheses were partially supported while addiction\ud and aggression predictions were not. The findings are discussed in relation to the "self."\ud Future research in this area must pay particular attention to the multifaceted interaction\ud between personality and the context of cyberspace, seriously considering the existential impact of virtual experiences on the self of the physical realm