Exploration of Player Emotions, Behaviours, and Individual Differences across Game Difficulty Levels in a Turn-Based Strategy Game

Abstract

Player emotion is a crucial aspect of the video game experience, as games employ interactive environments that elicit a diverse range of both negative and positive emotions. These emotions vary among players due to individual differences, ultimately shaping their unique emotional perceptions and influencing behaviours within the game environment. This study aims to investigate the dynamic emotional responses experienced by players during gameplay and exploring the correlation between player traits and behaviours. By utilising a turn-based strategy game, we employed a combination of self-report measures and behavioural observations to assess players' emotional changes across varying game difficulty levels. Our results revealed that the hard game session elicited higher levels of arousal and negative emotion in players compared to the easy game session. Furthermore, we observed that players with a low extroversion tendency exhibited a higher inclination towards exploration behaviour in the game. This research provides initial insights into the complex interplay between player emotions, in-game behaviours and individual differences across game difficulties.