In What Videogames Have To Teach Us about Learning and Literacy, Jim Gee argues that part of the learning benefits that players receive from games is that they have to try on different identities:
Real world Identity
The Real World Identity represents the player’s real world identity. This identity however, is not a fixed thing, as in real life we try on different identities in different contexts.
Virtual Identity
The Virtual Identity is the identity that the game designer has created for the player and it exists solely in the context of the game. For example, if a person plays Mario in Super Mario Brothers, then Mario and what Mario does is the virtual identity that person plays with.
Depending on the game genre, the Virtual Identity may play more or less of a role in the decisions players make in-game. Shooter games, for example, do not regularly stress the Virtual Identity whereas role playing games do.
Projective Identity
The Projective Identity refers to some sort of hybrid or interface identity between the Real World and Virtual Identity, i.e., the player-as-character. This identity is used by the player to resolve conflicts between the values of the real identity and the virtual one.
For example, in game, the character must defend himself from other characters. However, in real life, the player is a pacifist completely opposed to violence.
How, then, can the player (real world identity) and character (virtual identity) resolve their conflict of values? How much does the real world identity influence the virtual identity? Can the virtual identity influence the real world identity?