A videogame player is not an actor. He is not a hero either. To the outsider looking in it is often thought that he is (or might be one day), but in practise he is not.
He is instead himself, projecting his own identity and self image into a game world. He experiences and acts in the world through an intermediary conduit called a doll (often mistakenly labelled a ‘player character’), but preserves his own identity and regards the game on his own terms.
Sometimes he defines a part of his identity by something in the game world that resonates with him (for example, purchasing status items in a game, or related souvenirs outside it). He is also capable of finding meaning and even believing in the existence of the game world to the extent that is also true of any other fantastic world.
These thaumatic experiences are just as important as those in any other art form, and they transfer an impression, but they do not turn the player into someone else. The player always remains him or herself.
Self is one of the six creative constants that apply to all videogames.
