Emotions about the Deniable/Undeniable: Sketch for a Classification of Game Content as Experienced


Leino Olli
2007 DiGRA '07 - Proceedings of the 2007 DiGRA International Conference: Situated Play

This paper deals with the emotions experienced by a player. It problematises the empirical psychological study of players' emotions. The paper suggests emotions to be understood as structured relationships instead of as reactions. It proposes players' emotions to be analysed through their intentionality, by looking at games as constituting the objects of the emotions. The article questions the validity of objective knowledge about games for the purpose of understanding games as experienced. It presents a method of categorizing game content as it appears as objects of the players' emotions. The categorization is further demonstrated by looking at two erotic variations of Tetris.

 

Introducing Applied Ludology: Hands-on Methods for Game Studies


Järvinen Aki
2007 DiGRA '07 - Proceedings of the 2007 DiGRA International Conference: Situated Play

The author calls for a more systematic methodology for game studies. The paper introduces a set of methods for 'applied ludology', a practical hands-on analysis and design methodology. It complements theories of games as systems with psychological theories of cognition and emotions. A sample of casual games is used to highlight the use of the methods. In conclusion, the author presents a model that enables analysing the eliciting conditions for game-related emotions, such as suspense.

 

The Psychophysiology of Video Gaming: Phasic Emotional Responses to Game Events


Rajava Niklas Saari Timo Laarni Jani Kallinen Kari Salminen Mikko
2005 DiGRA '05 - Proceedings of the 2005 DiGRA International Conference: Changing Views: Worlds in Play

The authors examined phasic psychophysiological responses indexing emotional valence and arousal to different game events during the video game Monkey Bowling 2. Event-related changes in skin conductance, cardiac interbeat intervals, and facial EMG activity over corrugator supercilii, zygomaticus major, and orbicularis oculi were recorded. Game events elicited reliable valence- and arousal-related phasic physiological responses. Not only putatively positive game events, but also putatively negative events that involved active participation by the player elicited positive emotional responses in terms of facial EMG activity. In contrast, passive reception of negative feedback elicited low-arousal negative affect. Information on emotion-related phasic physiological responses to game events or event patterns can be used to guide choices in game design in several ways.