Concept of identity within digital games is believed to be a prominent subject as the bond between the player and the character could potentially enhance the gameplay experience. There is as yet a lack of studies addressing the visual identification of predefined game characters. Therefore, this study aims to examine how the identification is established through visual attributes of a game character. To this end, a qualitative online survey was undertaking, gathering responses from 350 respondents. The responses were analysed using thematic analysis, and the elicited themes indicate that the identification has in fact been established, where visual attributes such as hair, weapons, outfits and even abilities had an influence on how the participants perceived and identified themselves with the character. / Begreppet identitet inom digitala spel tros vara ett betydande ämne när det kommer till spelforskning då samhörigheten mellan en spelare och en karaktär potentiellt kan förstärka spelupplevelsen. Eftersom en liten mängd studier använder termen identifiering inom visuella studier av fördefinierade spelkaraktärer, syftar denna studie till att undersöka hur identifiering etableras genom spelkaraktärens visuella attribut. Totalt har 350 respondenter besvarat ett kvalitativt online-frågeformulär. Svaren har analyserats med hjälp av tematisk analys, och de uppfunna teman indikerar på att identifiering har fastställts, där visuella attribut såsom hår, vapen, kläder men även förmågor har inverkat på hur deltagarna uppfattade och identifierade sig med en karaktär.

This study discusses product form perception within the context of communication. The emphasis is on meanings attributed to product visual form, and more specifically the correspondence between messages designers intend users to receive and the messages that users actually receive. Four groupings of appearance-based product attributes are identified / 1) social values and positions / 2) usability and interaction / 3) visual qualities / and 4) personality characteristics. The study was driven by the main research question / &lsquo / do users perceive the same meaning from product appearance as designers intended, or is there a level of mismatch?&rsquo / . An empirical study was conducted using newly-designed Turkish seating furniture to investigate the relationship between designers&rsquo / and users&rsquo / ascription of meanings to products based on appearance, as a means to validate or refute opposing answers to the main research question. The results of the study reveal that there exist some considerable differences between designers&rsquo / intended messages and users&rsquo / perceived messages decoded from product visual form. The study suggests that designers perform less well at communicating product meanings related to two of the four groupings: usability and interaction, and personality characteristics. Accordingly, these are identified as priority areas for improved message transmission.