A recent study in the journal Emotion gives the results of a test that tracked the emotions of gamers playing a first-person shooter. What's surprising is that the tested gamers seem to have their emotions all mixed up.
According to Ars Technica, the study tracked players' emotions via skin conductance levels and facial muscle movements. The tested, all Finnish college students, played both James Bond 007: NightFire and Super Monkey Ball. Interesting choices, eh?
As you'd guess, James Bond caused emotional responses, but they seem a bit backwards from what you'd expect. The study said that "instead of joy resulting from victory and success, wounding and killing the opponent elicited anxiety, anger, or both." The victims responses were equally surprising: they appeared to respond positively to being killed. Ah, sweet death! Super Monkey Ball was a different story; the game's successes brought about positive responses.
Why do you think that the killed reacted positively. Could it be that they're momentarily relieved of the game's pressures and stresses? Or is it something more simple? Could it be that they're just having fun? I suppose it's possible that they're all just messed up individuals that find genuine pleasure in death.
And why were the successful players bummed by their frags? Anxiety and anger? These people are unlike anyone that I've gamed with!
What's really confusing to me is that there was any positive response to Super Monkey Ball at all. That game makes me want to kill every time I play it.
[Thanks, DF]
Contest:
10:56 AM on 02.27.2008
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When I get killed it's initially "CRAP CRAP CRAAAAAP!" which then swiftly fades to relaxing and planning my next move.
Unless I didn't deserve to die. Like everyone on XBox live seems to believe happens to them
every...
single...
time.
It's the Jenga effect. When that stack of wooden blocks comes tumbling down you're not really upset, your failure is amusing because there is no real consequence.
I mean, we've all huddled in corners trying to camp for kills to get to that air strike or helicopter and been so worried that someone's gonna run around the corner and stab us or snipe and we get all worried and freaked out and then you actually die and you can breath a sigh of relief knowing you don't hafta worry 'bout it anymore.
You can start anew. Okay, maybe that's just me.
I was so happy for you"
Whether or not it is obvious or misrepresented, this is a relevant study. Game developers need to think about how people are reacting; is it good or bad that players enjoy the "sweet release" in a game? How can that mechanic be used to the advantage of the experience?
Martyrdom, is a passive, last ditch attempt to get a kill that you can sit back and get a little bonus from.
Last Stand, is the exact opposite; the stress increases as you lose mobility and try to get a kill using your weakest weapon as you bleed out.
I think how a player picks one of these two can say a lot for the type of gamer they are and what they respond to in a game.
I wonder what Jacky-boy would make of these results. "This study proves that, not only are gamers soulless killing machines, but they are also semi-suicidal and obviously kitten murderers."
Come on, Jack. You're a D-toid member now. What would you say to this study?
I do take your point though, they are normally used by people with very different mentalities concerning death!
For me it's a time to have a sip of beer, burp into the microphone. Every so often it signals the ritual of getting up and go to the fridge in absence of the required fuel for the previously mentioned activities.
Unfortunately I think JT only joined to troll. It would certainly be interesting if he started posting valid, well-thought out comments though wouldn't it?
Skin conductance is an absolutely unreliable parameter to conduct a study like this. It can be affected by a varied number of states (fear, surprise, concentration etc...), I believe that simply what they saw was that when is killed, a player "relaxes", because he doesn't have to on his toes (watching his back, looking for opponents, aiming... )like when is playing. Did they need a study to learn this ??
:P
yeah it's kind of weird.. dying giving plesure? who did they tested? mentally ill?????
I agree. I've put in a few more hours on CoD4 this week and I can say it is stressful. Having to watch every single corner for the barrel of a gun pointed at you, dodging grenades, taking cover from helicopters and airstrikes...
When I die I get to sit back for a few seconds, take a drag from my cigarette, take a drink, and then it's back into the fray.
Also, I probably would never register as "Happy" when I'm performing a very difficult piece of music on my tuba, but afterwords, when I'm not playing, I'll probably be very happy, and appreciative of applause, and happy then, even though playing tuba is the enjoyed activity.
lots of room for interpretation there, I think, in this study (or report of the study)
So fighting involves adrenalin and fear, which is akin to anxiety, and your body would probably rather not be in that state, so when you get a break it releases happy chemicals.
Although obviously you get a reward feeling mixed in with the killing, or else we wouldn't do it : )
/the 1st unreal tournament unlocked my killer instinct like nothing before
Then again, maybe i'm thinking to much into this.
I think that either one is more awesome when done in EDF, really.
looking for guys to kill, looking for guys to kill, looking fo-- oh, dead.
Then you wait a minute and play again. When I played Goldeneye back in the day, I never got as good as my brother, and when I was dead it was a moment to rest. I wasn't hunting for him any more. And, maybe more importantly, I wasn't being chased.
Srsly though I think there's lots of different reasons for this, for example
1.) You felt you deserved it for not playing as well
2.) It gives you a chance to start over and do better
3.) It can get boring when you're dominating a match too easily, dying keeps the match exciting as there's fair competition
4.) Once you get one kill, it's like digital crack because you want more and more and feel like you can and have to get it and dying is like bringing you back down to earth
I think it also depends on how much you die because dieing lots is never big, fun, nor clever. Likewise Killing lots can be really dull.
I blame you for all my spontaneous erections.
All in all it was a great game, I got my ass handed to me on a platter but it was still really fun.
I love those great social games you have with people you do and don't know and all you guys do is laugh and muck around while having a good game.
I hate you forever.