Exploring Gaze Dynamics in VR Film Education: Gender, Avatar, and the Shift Between Male and Female Perspectives

Abstract

In virtual reality (VR) education, especially in creative fields like film production, avatar design and narrative style extend beyond appearance and aesthetics. This study explores how the interaction between avatar gender, the dominant narrative actor's gender, and the learner's gender influences film production learning in VR, focusing on gaze dynamics and gender perspectives. Using a 2*2*2 experimental design, 48 participants operated avatars of different genders and interacted with male or female-dominant narratives. The results show that the consistency between the avatar and gender affects presence, and learners' control over the avatar is also influenced by gender matching. Learners using avatars of the opposite gender reported stronger control, suggesting gender incongruity prompted more focus on the avatar. Additionally, female participants with female avatars were more likely to adopt a "female gaze," favoring soft lighting and emotional shots, while male participants with male avatars were more likely to adopt a "male gaze," choosing dynamic shots and high contrast. When male participants used female avatars, they favored "female gaze," while female participants with male avatars focused on "male gaze". These findings advance our understanding of how avatar design and narrative style in VR-based education influence creativity and the cultivation of gender perspectives, and they offer insights for developing more inclusive and diverse VR teaching tools going forward.