The objective of this thesis is to examine how respondents who self identify as transgender or genderqueer experience avatar creation systems in digital games. In the wake of GamerGate, gender has become a more prevalent topic of discussion, as such, this thesis seeks to survey transgender and genderqueer people in order to gain a better insight into their their experiences with avatar creation in games, and do they perceive the status quo of current avatar creation systems to be in need of change? If so, how? The results of the survey shows that the respondents use avatar creation systems as a means to experiment in a safe environment with aspects of their identity expression, and to improve avatar creation systems, more options need to be added for diverse body types and non-binary identities. / Syftet med denna studie är att examinera erfarenheterna bland respondenter som identifierar sig som trans eller icke-binära personer av avatar skapande system i digitala spel. I kölvattnet av GamerGate har genus blivit ett mer förekommande ämne för diskussion. På grund av detta kommer denna studie att utföra en undersökning bland trans och icke-binära personer om deras erfarenheter med avatar skapande system i spel, och om de anser att förändringar bör genomföras för mer inkluderande avatar skapande system? Och i så fall, vad? Resultaten från undersökningen visar att respondenterna använder avatar skapande system som ett verktyg för att experimentera i en säker miljö med aspekter av deras identitets uttryck, och för att förbättra avatar skapande system bättre krävs mer alternativ för olika kroppstyper och icke-binära identiteter.

In this essay, we have unpacked four different levels (the role of women as: a) a part of game history, b) design process, c) characters of the game and d) users) to get a better understanding of the users choice of characters in the popular fighting game Tekken 7.   We have examined the role of women as part of the game’s history and design-process to gain a deeper understanding into the background of the game’s designing process. We have interviewed users with qualitative methods and used analysis strategies such as semiotic analysis and thematic analysis.   The results of our analysis show that users choose their characters based on visual attributes and that they imagine the characters as being an extension of themselves. Users apprehend the characters as stereotypical and thereby reproduce gender-related norms. The process of picking a character to play with is difficult for some of the users - There is a difference between female and male users due to stereotypical visual attributes of the characters which means that it is more problematic for female users to identify themselves with many of the characters. This is affecting the female users experience in a negative way.

L’acteur est-t-il l’objet d’une nouvelle mise en cause radicale, un siècle après Maeterlinck, Jarry et Craig ? La discussion prend aujourd’hui une tournure inédite. Il ne s’agit plus d’écarter l’homme de la scène pour le remplacer par une marionnette idéale. Les acteurs artificiels, avatars, robots et autres doubles, semblent désormais pouvoir devenir autonomes. La question n’est pas seulement : qu’est-ce qui manque, lorsque l’acteur manque ? Mais aussi, qu’est-ce qui ne manque pas ? Pour étudier ce sujet, cette thèse s’appuie sur trois œuvres qui ont fait événement à l’orée du XXIe siècle : Les Aveugles de Denis Marleau, Stifters Dinge de Heiner Goebbels, et Re : Walden de Jean-François Peyret. Elle introduit la conjecture anthropologique d’une « disparition » de l’homme. Expression problématique, qui est à entendre de prime abord au sens d’un retrait ou d’une instrumentation de l’acteur, mais qui sous-tend en arrière-plan d’autres enjeux : brouillage des frontières entre vivant et artificiel, perte du lien au monde, déclin de l’humanisme, effondrement écologique. Si l’homme devait disparaître, c’est peut-être au théâtre qu’il résisterait le plus longtemps à sa disparition. Mais la proposition peut s’inverser : n’est-ce pas là qu’il ne cesse de s’effacer avec le plus d’ostentation, jouant depuis toujours avec les oppositions apparence / réalité, apparition / disparition ? La thèse explore ces problématiques, en s’intéressant aussi bien à la scénographie, à la dramaturgie, à la relation acteur spectateur, et aux nouvelles machines qui transfigurent le dispositif scénique en une anamorphose visuelle, sonore, éminemment troublante, de l’être humain en train de disparaître. / Is the actor thrown back into doubt again, one century after Maeterlinck, Craig and Jarry ? The topic happens to be brought up to date. But the purpose is no longer to get rid of the actor, so that he could be replaced by puppets. Artificial actors, like avatars, robots and other doubles, are likely to get their autonomy soon, on stage. The question is not only : what is missing, when the actor is missing ? But also, what is not missing ? This thesis is based upon three performances that stroke the minds on the first decade of the 21st century : Les Aveugles by Denis Marleau, Stifters Dinge by Heiner Goebbels, and Re :Walden by Jean-François Peyret. Our conjecture is about human disappearing on stage, with a special focus on anthropological aspects. The notion of « disappearing » means, at first sight, the withdrawing of actors, but we show that other deep challenges stand in the background : body instrumentation, interferences between life and artificial, disconnection to the phenomenal world, mankind decline and ecological disasters. If the human being is supposed to disappear soon, it’s probably on theatre stage that he will stand for a while. At the same time, isn’t it on stage that he has been playing for ever with appearing and disappearing, reality and illusion ? This thesis explores these problems, dealing with all the aspects : scenography, dramaturgy, actors and spectators, technology and new machines that are completely transforming the stage into a visual, sound, and highly confusing anamorphosis, by which the human being is involved in a vanishing process.

There is an apparent problem with children being abused in different ways in their everyday life and the lack of education related to these issues among working adults in the vicinity of these children, for example as social workers or teachers. There are formal courses in child interview training that teach participants how to talk to children in a correct manner. Avatar-mediation enables new methods of practicing this communication without having to involve a real child or role play face-to-face with another adult. In this study it was explored how a system could be designed in order to enable educational practice sessions where a child interview expert can be mediated through avatars in the form of virtual children. Prototypes were developed in order to evaluate the feasibility of the scenario regarding methods for controlling the avatar and how the avatar was perceived by the participants. It was found that there is a clear value in the educational approach of using avatar-mediation. From the perspective of the interactor it was found that using a circular radial interface for graphical representation of different emotions was possible to control a video-based avatar while simultaneously having a conversation with the participant. The results of the study include a proposed design of an interface, description of underlying system functionality and suggestions on how avatar behavior can be characterized in order to achieve a high level of presence for the participant.

Dans ce travail de thèse l´auteur explore le lien entre virtualité et réalité pour montrer l´enjeu des identifications possibles, dans un jeu vidéo, pour un adolescent avec son avatar. Cette identification serait, d´après l´auteur, un facteur important dans le développement de certaines psychopathologies. L´auteur présente notamment le phénomène de la relation à l´objet cyber-narcissique, un mécanisme à l´œuvre dans la pratique excessive de jeu vidéo. Le travail est structuré en trois parties : une première partie théorique d´orientation psychanalytique, une deuxième partie empirique basée sur les résultats d´un questionnaire à choix multiples (N = 67) et une troisième partie clinique de 12 études de cas provenant de la pratique clinique de l´auteur, ainsi que de deux adolescents joueurs excessifs hospitalisés en pédopsychiatrie. Enfin les possibilités du jeu vidéo comme support psychothérapeutique sont présentées et discutées. / In this thesis, the author explores the link between virtual and reality as a means of demonstrating the stakes at play in the identifications teenagers establish with their avatars in videogames. The idea is that these identifications play a key role in the development of some psychopathologies. In particular, the phenomenon of the cyber-narcissistic object relation is presented. This mechanism seems to be involved in excessive video-gaming. The thesis is divided in three parts: first, the theoretical framework oriented on psychoanalytic theories is defined; second, an empirical study based on results from a multiple choice questionnaire (N = 67) is presented; and third, a clinical part is laid out on 12 case studies that emerged from the author’s practice, as well as on two cases of teenagers hospitalized in child psychiatry due to excessive video-gaming. Finally, the possibilities of including videogames in psychotherapeutic processes are presented and discussed.

Denna studie skrivs i ett intresse av ett företag som arbetar med 3D-simulering vid prototypframtagning av provplagg. Syfte med studien är att undersöka korrespondensen mellan virtuell- och fysisk avprovning gällande storlek, passform och val av tyg. I studien undersöks 3D-simuleringsprogrammet CLO 3D och digitalisering av tygprov med applikationen CLO Fabric kit, som komplement i syfte att utvärdera skillnaden mellan virtuell- och fysisk avprovning. Två plagg, bestående av t-tröja i bomullstrikå och skjorta i linneväv, provas av i storlekar: XS, M och XL på tre provpersoner och tre avatarer med motsvarande mått. Ett protokollmed foton från båda avprovningarna bedöms med frågor gällande plaggets visuella skillnad och passform. Resultatet visade att T-tröjan i bomullstrikå gav likvärdigt passform mellan virtuell- och fysisk avprovning i samtliga storlekar. Vid avprovning av skjortan i linneväv var passformsskillnaden mellan virtuell- och fysisk avprovning på storlek XL tydlig. Övriga storlekar hade däremot ett likartat resultat.3D-simulering är en effektiv avprovningsmetod, då man kan modifiera avaterns mått, digitalisera in tygprover och prova av flera storlekar vid virtuell avprovning. Däremot behöver man vara medveten att flera faktorer kan påverka passformen vid virtuell avprovning som till exempel avatarens kroppshållning och tygets mekaniska egenskaper vid digitalisering. / This study writes in an interest of a company that works with 3D-simulation in prototyping sample garments. The purpose of the study is to investigate the correspondence between the virtual and physical try-on regarding size, fit and fabric choice. The study examines the 3D-simulation program CLO 3D and digitization of fabric samples with the CLO Fabric kit application as a complement to evaluate the difference between virtual and physical try-on. Two garment, consisting of t-shirt made of knitted cotton and a shirt made of linen, are fitted in size XS, M and XL on three test persons and three avatars with corresponding measurements. A protocol containing photos from both virtual and physical try-on where evaluated with questions regarding the balance and fit of the garment. It showed that the T-shirt made of knitted cotton gave equivalent results between virtual and physical try-on in all sizes. When comparing the shirt in linen, the fit differed in size XL during virtual and physical try-on. However, Size XS and M had a similar result during virtual and physical try-on. Using 3D-simulation is an advantage when you can modify the avatar's dimensions, digitize fabric samples and try multiple sizes during virtual try-on. However, one needs to be aware that several factors can affect the fit during virtual try-on, such as the avatar posture and the mechanical properties of the fabric during digitization.

Abstract Purpose - The purpose of this master thesis is to research the Generation Y’s online purchase intention for fashion items while creating and using a customised avatar. Overall, the objective is to create a better understanding of this technology’s potential, formulate managerial implications for fashion businesses and strengthen business viability. Design/Methodology/Approach - The research approach of this study is deductive, whereby hypotheses derive from the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour. After secondary data is reviewed, a single quantitative data collection is applied, thus following a mono-method. This primary data is gathered virtually through a self-administered online questionnaire. A total number of 205 qualified responses from the Generation Y are statistically analysed using a structural equation modelling. This descriptive research design is chosen to conduct the relationships between the latent variables and the behavioural intention. Findings - The empirical findings reveal, that the attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control significantly and positively influence the Generation Y’s online purchase intention to create and use a customised avatar. While the attitude, with the behavioural belief of perceived usefulness specifically, shows the strongest influence on the behavioural intention, the research sample also sees a fit to all technology facilitating conditions, affecting the perceived behavioural control. In comparison to this, the subjective norm influences the behavioural intention in a weaker manner, whereby the research sample is influenced more by external than interpersonal factors. Implications - To enlarge the Generation Y’s online fashion purchase intention while creating and using a customised avatar, fashion marketers are advised to highlight and improve the usefulness of the technology. Fashion businesses are recommended to implement interactive digital platforms, by employing influencer marketing, in order to endorse and promote the brand awareness in regard to the technology. Originality/Value - This master thesis addresses the online purchase intention for fashion items while creating and using a customised avatar from a commercial perspective. Where prior literature findings lack the link to managerial implications, this study examines the Generation Y’s behavioural intention towards this technology. The Generation Y has an immense and increasing purchasing power, which is accompanied with technical skills, thus making them crucial for the market success of online fashion businesses. Therefore, the authors examine the technology's commercial potential and encompass the whole fashion industry.

Dans ce travail de thèse, nous réalisons des outils de mesure pour caractériser l’avatar et évaluer l’engagement du joueur. Ces deux axes sont des points critiques dans la conception de jeux vidéo et de serious games. L’engagement est une sensation très étudiée dans différents domaines de recherches et encore mal définie. Elle peut être caractérisée par la sensation de présence et le désir de poursuivre la partie. Théoriquement, le sentiment de responsabilité est une composante de l’engagement du joueur. L’engagement est central à l’expérience du joueur. Le joueur et jeu constituent un système dynamique. L’environnement graphique est une part de ce système. Les aspects sémantiques ou la cohérence du jeu participe à maintenir le joueur engagé. D’autre part, l’avatar est un objet dynamique de l’environnement virtuel du jeu. Son character design a un impact sur les comportements des individus dans les environnements virtuels et dans le jeu vidéo. Des outils et méthodes existent pour mesurer l’engagement du joueur, caractériser l’avatar ou un comportement de jeu. Mais ces outils et classifications ont des limites dans la recherche pour les jeux vidéo et pour les designers. Nous avons choisi de mener trois expérimentations pour éprouver l’efficacité de nos méthodes et outils. Après avoir défini le sentiment de responsabilité dans le jeu vidéo, nous montrons qu’il est une composante de l’engagement du joueur et qu’il peut être mesuré. Nous proposons une méthode et éprouvons notre classification des images du jeu vidéo. Elle peut être employée par des designers. Son utilisation complète des analyses théoriques de l’image. Pour finir, nous avons conçu un jeu vidéo, Sympathy, dédié à la recherche sur l’avatar et l’engagement. Nous avons établi que les avatars conçus selon notre classification ont eu une influence sur les comportements de jeu. / In this thesis, we produce measurement tools to characterize the design of an avatar and evaluate the player’s engagement. These are two critical points for the design of video games and serious games. Engagement is widely studied in different research fields and it is not defined yet. The feeling of presence and the desire to pursue the game are two elements of the player’s engagement. Theoretically, the feeling of responsibility is also a part of it. This sensation can be similar to the player experience. The player and the game form a dynamic system. The graphical environment is part of this system. Its semantic aspects or its consistency keeps the player engaged. On the other hand, the avatar is a dynamic object from this virtual environment of the game. Its character design has an impact on one's behaviors in virtual environments and in the video game. Some tools and methods seem effective to measure the player’s engagement, describe the player’s behaviors or characterize an avatar. But these tools and classifications are unsuitable for research studies in video games and for designers. We conducted three experiments to test the effectiveness of our methods and tools. First, we define the feeling of responsibility in video games. The results show that this feeling is a component of the player's engagement and it can be measured. We propose a method and we test our classification of video games' images. This classification can be used by designers. Its use can occur interesting theoretical analysis of images. Finally, we design a video game, Sympathy, dedicated to studies on the avatar and the player’s engagement. We conclude that avatars' design according to our classification have influenced the behavior of play.

Emotionell design är ett fenomen som är relevant i samband med användarupplevelsen inom speldesign. Designers har möjlighet att utveckla en produkt som ger en större känslomässig upplevelse för användaren genom att ta hänsyn till emotionella förbindelser och känslor. I samband med den växande spelindustrin är det relevant för spelutvecklare att ta emotionella förbindelser till hänsyn. Då det är viktigt att förstå vart motivationen för spelandet ligger hos användaren.  Denna studie har undersökt hur användare relaterar och identifierar sig med egenskapade karaktärer. Studien har utgått ifrån massiva onlinespel rollspel (eng. massive multiplayer online role-playing games, MMORPG) där sociala och emotionella förbindelser tas till hänsyn. Arbetet utvärderar också hur relationen mellan användare och avatar förefaller. Det kommer också att presenteras teorier som sammanställer datainsamlingen vilket presenteras och diskuteras. Slutligen redovisas ett resultat som bevisligen introducerar hur relationerna ser ut och varför det ser ut som det gör. / Emotional design is a phenomenon that is relevant in connection with the user experience in game design. Designers could develop a product that provides a more emotional experience for the user by taking emotional connections and emotions to consideration. With the growing gaming industry, it is relevant for game development to take emotional connections into consideration. During the process it is important to understand where the motivation for the game lies within the user.  This study examined how users relate and identify with their own created characters. The study has been based on Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) where social and emotional connections are observed. The work also evaluates how the relationship between the user and the avatar appears. Theories will also be presented that compile the data collection, which will be presented and discussed. Finally, the result is presented that demonstrably introduces what the relationship looks like and why it looks the way it does.

[pt] Nas duas últimas décadas, as pessoas passaram a estar mais conectadas remotamente, transferindo para o mundo virtual atividades que, anteriormente, só ocorriam de forma presencial. Esta transição do real para o virtual vem mudando o cenário da comunicação interpessoal, dando lugar a formas mais imersivas de interação. Esta pesquisa teve como foco investigar, através da perspectiva do Design, como os elementos através dos quais os usuários conseguem se representar e interagir em ambientes virtuais contribuem na formação de espaços seguros para a população LGBTQUIAP+. Buscou-se, ainda, demonstrar como essas mesmas representações de uma corporeidade virtual são utilizadas em aplicativos de Realidade Virtual Social (Social Virtual Reality), plataformas que se caracterizam como o encontro entre as redes sociais, a telepresença e a realidade virtual. As etapas da pesquisa incluíram a análise e o desenvolvimento de uma taxonomia das principais plataformas de Realidade Virtual Social, bem como entrevistas com participantes queer em um ambiente virtual desenvolvido para esta pesquisa. Os resultados da pesquisa sugerem que os ambientes virtuais sociais atuam como facilitadores de performatividades individuais e coletivas para a população LGBTQUIAP+. / [en] In the last two decades, people have become more connected remotely, transferring to the virtual world activities that previously only took place in person. This transition from real to virtual has been changing the scenario of interpersonal communication, giving way to more immersive forms of interaction. This research focused on investigating, through the perspective of Design, how the elements through which users are able to represent and interact in virtual places contribute to creation of safe spaces for the LGBTQUIAP+ population. It was also sought to demonstrate how these same representations of a virtual corporeality are used in applications of Social Virtual Reality, platforms that are characterized as the meeting between social networks, telepresence and virtual reality. The research steps included the analysis and development of a taxonomy of the main Social Virtual Reality platforms, as well as interviews with queer participants in a virtual place developed for this research. The research results suggest that social virtual places act as facilitators of individual and collective performativities for the LGBTQUIAP+ population.