Thesis
The affordances of character customization features in educational public media games for children
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Jun 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011451
Abstract
This thesis examines the affordances of character creation and customization (CC&C) features in children's educational video games. I am to evaluate the CC&C features of PBS KIDS games, one of the leading free, educational gaming platforms for children, as I theorize that these features can support identity exploration, increase diversity in media representation, and increase a game's educational efficacy. This thesis does not evaluate these effects, instead offering descriptive research into the current game offerings of the PBS KIDS platform. Focusing on a corpus of 42 games, I investigate what affordances players ages two to eight have in PBS KIDS games by using the Avatar Affordances Framework to document each game's CC&C (McArthur et al., 2015). The data was analyzed with three different focuses: gender, race, and ability. Findings reveal that many games used an age-appropriate, gender-neutral approach regarding gender expression, consistent with how children naturally engage in social play. The analysis also identified various games that included representation of Black features and Black characters while exposing gaps in the representation of other racial and ethnic identities. Disability representation was notably limited, with only one game including assistive mobility devices and hearing aids. These findings and design recommendations contribute to a broader discussion of diversity and inclusion in children's media while highlighting omissions to be addressed by educational game designers seeking to create more diverse and engaging experiences for young players. Future research should examine how players engage with the different CC&C affordances, their potential impact on learning and identity development.
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Details
- Title
- The affordances of character customization features in educational public media games for children
- Creators
- Ana Victoria Acosta Ruiz
- Contributors
- Arianna Gass (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University
- Number of pages
- iv, 70 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Digital Media; Drexel University; Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design
- Other Identifier
- 991022189593804721