Emotion Evoking Game Design: Evaluating Induced Emotions Among Individuals with Healthy, Problematic, and Disordered Gaming

Individuals diagnosed with gaming disorder (GD) often exhibit increased arousal during gameplay.

This study aims to compare arousal levels among individuals with GD, problematic gamers (PG), and those with healthy gaming habits (HG) using a 14-stage hyper-casual racing game. It further investigates how game difficulty affects emotional responses.

We developed a detailed game and involved 146 participants to evaluate their feelings of dominance, arousal, and valence at each game stage, utilizing the Self-Assessment Manikin Test.

Problematic gamers and those with healthy gaming habits displayed similar emotional fluctuations throughout the game, whereas individuals with GD demonstrated a stable emotional pattern, regardless of game difficulty. An increase in game difficulty was associated with enhanced positive emotional experiences and a decrease in feelings of dominance. Stages 4, 12, and 13 of the game were identified as particularly emotionally engaging.

Individuals with GD may possess a distinct emotional profile, providing valuable insights into the psychology of gaming and emotional well-being in today's digital era.