Aesthetic Choices and Player Motivation in Baldur's Gate 3

This thesis investigates how players engage with avatar creation in Baldur’s Gate 3, focusing on the motivations behind character design and the interplay between identity, narrative immersion, and gameplay strategy. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study draws on pre-game surveys, recorded character creation sessions, first-hour gameplay observations, and post-game interviews to explore how players balance aesthetic and mechanical choices, and how avatars function as tools for expression, experimentation, and performance. Findings reveal that players approach avatar creation with diverse intentions, including self-representation, role-play, and strategic optimization. While some enter with a clear gameplay goal, others make intuitive choices shaped by narrative context or emotional resonance. Popular selections of fantasy races and mechanically advantageous builds illustrate how identity expression often coexists with functional decision-making. Many players demonstrated partial awareness of their own motivations, reflecting a fluid relationship between player type, avatar behaviour, and in-game choices. The analysis is grounded in theories of digital identity, player motivation, and avatar embodiment, drawing on the work of Turkle, Bowman, Klevjer, Vasalou, Juul, Bartle, and others. The study concludes that avatar creation in narrative-rich RPGs is a complex and adaptive process, shaped by personal, ludic, and narrative factors. Avatars serve not only as visual representations, but as dynamic interfaces through which players negotiate identity, strategy, and immersion.