Studying the Emotional Impact of Increasing Cooperative Players Towards the Difficulty of a Game

Sagguneswaraan Thavamuni, Hiroyuki Iida Mohd Nor Akmal Khalid
dx.doi.org/10.17576/apjitm-2025-1402-04

Abstract

The difficulty of a game is paramount to its entertainment value for players and spectators alike. A straightforward game would be boring and predictable, while a challenging game would lead to frustration and early retirement of players. The difficulty of a demanding game could be reduced by incorporating cooperation between players and teamwork to achieve the goals. In this article, we conducted an experiment where respondents were tasked to play a game alone and then tasked to play it with other players together. The game we chose for the experiment is Overcooked! 2, a cooperative cooking simulator game that can be played by one or up to four players. A heart rate sensor will be attached to the respondents throughout the experiment to monitor possible fluctuations. The results from the experiment were analyzed using the motion in mind theory, and heart rate monitor readings were used to explain the respondents' subjective emotions. Finally, we discuss how increasing the number of players in a cooperative scenario either improves or reduces the enjoyment of the game. We found that the mass from motion in mind value, representing the game's difficulty, decreases diminishingly when playing with more teammates while the pressure experienced by players would increase due to the concentration of players. Playing with teammates allows players to distribute responsibilities and feel less stressed during the game. We believe that stress contributes to the subjective difficulty of the game, which cannot be measured solely by looking at the game's progress alone.

keyword

Motion in mind, Game difficulty, Cooperative games, Pressure.

Area

Multimedia and Usability