My avatar, fashion and me
Abstract
• Objective
Based on the study of Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH), our study aims to understand the relationship
between the player, their avatar and fashion. It intends to answer two main questions: What are
the specificities of the player’s projection mechanism towards their avatar in this video game? What is the
role of fashion in this mechanism?
• Methodology
With an understanding approach, our qualitative methodology is based on two main sources: participant
observation and a survey of the ACNH gaming community.
• Results
As a sandbox game, ACNH is characterised by the opportunity for the players to create clothes and, potentially,
share them with the online community. Chosen according to the situation, the avatar’s look seems to
be crucial in the identification process. Players choose a style of clothing that corresponds to their actual,
dreamed or fantasised look.
• Managerial implications
Our study underlines the interest for brands to seize the opportunities offered by the ACNH gameplay and
offers recommendations to them about product placement.
• Originality
While many video games have become fashion showcases, the issues associated with the avatar’s look are
little explored in the marketing literature. It is on the basis of the specificities related to the creation and
sharing of designs in the ACNH video game that we propose to better understand the issues associated
with fashion.
Origin : Publisher files allowed on an open archive