A good scare: Leveraging game theming and narrative to impact player experience

Jarrek R. Holmes, Safinah Ali, Geoff Kaufman, Alexandra To, Fengyi Zhang, Se Eun Park, Zhen Bai, Jessica Hammer

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Game narrative and theming are ways in which game designers can affect player experience. In this work, we incorporate theories of emotion into game design, to explore the relationship between aesthetic elements and player experience. We designed and playtested two differently themed variants of the game Outbreak, a 'Horror' and a 'Sanitized' version. We present preliminary findings about playing differently themed versions of the same game which suggest that scary content can sustain interest throughout play and transform players' emotional response to uncertainty.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationCHI EA 2019 - Extended Abstracts of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)9781450359719
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2 2019
Event2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI EA 2019 - Glasgow, United Kingdom
Duration: May 4 2019May 9 2019

Publication series

NameConference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings

Conference

Conference2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI EA 2019
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityGlasgow
Period5/4/195/9/19

Keywords

  • Emotion
  • Game aesthetics
  • Game design
  • Game narrative

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A good scare: Leveraging game theming and narrative to impact player experience'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this