research-article

Exploring Emotional Attachment to Game Characters

Authors:

Julia Ayumi Bopp,

Livia J. Müller,

Lena Fanya Aeschbach,

Elisa D. MeklerAuthors Info & Claims

CHI PLAY '19: Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play

Pages 313 - 324

https://doi.org/10.1145/3311350.3347169

Published: 17 October 2019 Publication History

Abstract

Engaging game characters are often key to a positive and emotionally rich player experience. However, current research treats character attachment in a rather generic manner with little regard for the differing emotional qualities that may characterize this attachment. To address this gap we conducted a qualitative online survey with 213 players about the game characters they are particularly fond of. We identify seven distinct forms of emotional attachment, ranging from feeling excited about the characters' gameplay competency, admiring them as role models, to deep concern for characters' well-being. Our findings highlight the emotional range that players experience towards game characters, as well as provide implications for the research and design of emotional character experience in games.

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Index Terms

Exploring Emotional Attachment to Game Characters
1. Applied computing
  1. Computers in other domains
    1. Personal computers and PC applications
      1. Computer games
2. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Empirical studies in HCI

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI PLAY '19: Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play

October 2019

680 pages

ISBN:9781450366885

DOI:10.1145/3311350

General Chairs:
Joan Arnedo
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
,
Lennart E. Nacke
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
,
Program Chairs:
Vero Vanden Abeele
KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
,
Phoebe O. Toups Dugas
New Mexico State University, New Mexico, USA

Copyright © 2019 ACM.

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Published: 17 October 2019

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October 22 - 25, 2019

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CHI PLAY '19 Paper Acceptance Rate 51 of 181 submissions, 28%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 421 of 1,386 submissions, 30%

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https://doi.org/10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2024.02.022
Schäfer S(2024)Exploring the future: introduction of a new paradigm to examine intergroup experiencesFrontiers in Social Psychology10.3389/frsps.2024.13667862Online publication date: 15-Mar-2024
https://doi.org/10.3389/frsps.2024.1366786
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