If people relate themselves to their avatars, as Gregory Ulmer suggests, and visual advertising of the human body can affect a person’s self-image, then using more realistic figures in video games must affect the people who play these games. These existing avatars might already have an effect on gamers, in fact. The goal of this study is to zero-in on the use of advergaming in order to persuade college students to make healthier dietary choices.

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For example, since eating right is the first step in maintaining a healthy appearance and activity level, using realistic consequences for the choice of in-game foods on a user’s avatar, should cause that user to change their perception of the consequences of unhealthy foods in real-life.​