Analysis on the Influence of Empathy in Single-Player Video Games
Open Access
- Author:
- Farabaugh, Scott Allen
- Area of Honors:
- Psychology
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Theresa K Vescio, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Richard Alan Carlson, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Psychology
Media Studies
Video Games
Empathy
Emotion - Abstract:
- The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of empathy and relevant character information on a player’s emotional and critical reaction to the game and its characters, as well as what they determine to be the more moral choice in a morally grey scenario in the game. A substantial amount of research regarding video games has focused on the negative effects they may have, which leaves much unknown on what the positive aspects they may have. Understanding how an individual relates to the characters they play as can help determine if video games can promote deep parasocial interactions, and even the relative success at helping people understand others situations and actions. In this study, participants watched one of two videos to provide different amounts of information on the world and player character, then read a passage to dispose them into either a low or high empathy state. They then played a segment from “The Wolf Among Us”, and then completed a questionnaire battery on how they felt while playing and their feelings towards their avatar. Results indicated that empathy has a positive effect on both positive and negative emotions, but a negative influence on their reaction on their ratings of the game quality, desire to play it, and willingness to recommend it to others. There were no significant differences caused by two groups receiving different amount of information on the game’s events, there was influence of empathy on participants’ investment in the main character and game world, and there were no significant interactions between information and empathy manipulations.