Affective Uplift During Video Game Play: A Naturalistic Case Study

Summary & key facts

This case study looked at 162,325 in-game mood reports from 67,328 play sessions of 8,695 players of the game PowerWash Simulator. On average, players reported a 0.034 (0.032, 0.036) higher mood during play than at the start of sessions on a 0–1 visual scale. The authors estimate that 72.1% (70.8%, 73.5%) of similar players show this small mood uplift, and most of the change happens in the first 15 minutes of play. The study does not show that playing caused the change, and the results may not apply to other games or groups of players.

Key facts:

• The data set contained 162,325 in-game mood reports from 67,328 play sessions by 8,695 players of PowerWash Simulator.
• Average mood during play was 0.034 (0.032, 0.036) higher than at the beginning of sessions on a 0–1 visual analog scale (VAS).
• The researchers predict 72.1% (70.8%, 73.5%) of similar players experience an affective uplift during play.
• Most of the measured mood increase occurred within the first 15 minutes of play.
• The mood reports were subjective, collected inside the game from real players of a commercial title.
• The authors state the study is a naturalistic case study and say they do not know whether the results are causal or generalize to other games or player populations.

Abstract

Do video games affect players’ well-being? In this case study, we examined 162,325 intensive longitudinal in-game mood reports from 67,328 play sessions of 8,695 players of the popular game PowerWash Simulator. We compared players’ moods at the beginning of play sessions with their moods during play and found that the average player reported 0.034 (0.032, 0.036) visual analog scale (VAS; 0-1) units greater mood during than at the beginning of play sessions. Moreover, we predict that 72.1% (70.8%, 73.5%) of similar players experience this affective uplift during play, and that the bulk of it happens during the first 15 minutes of play. We do not know whether these results indicate causal effects or to what extent they generalize to other games or player populations. Yet, these results based on in-game subjective reports from players of a popular commercially available game suggest good external validity and as such offer a promising glimpse of the scientific value of transparent industry–academia collaborations in understanding the psychological roles of popular digital entertainment.

Topics

Digital Games and Media Impact of Technology on Adolescents Mind wandering and attention

Categories

Cognitive Neuroscience Life Sciences Neuroscience

Tags

Cognitive psychology Computer science Economics Game theory Mathematical economics Multimedia Psychology Video game