In the Mood for Doing Good: The influence of positive and negative emotions in game narratives on prosocial tendencies

Abstract

The interactive nature of video games provides a plethora of emotional experiences to its players through their in-game narratives. While video games traditionally provide hedonic entertainment, non- hedonic uses of video games have also been recently explored for possibilities of using video games to incite good. Despite the potential of emotions provided in video game narratives to influence human behavioral tendencies, few studies have studied or compared the effect of positive or negative emotional experiences on motivating prosocial behaviour. This study examined the impact of positive or negative emotions experienced in an in-game narrative on individuals' prosocial tendencies. Results showed that participants who had been exposed to positive emotions reported improved attitudes and increased empathy towards outgroup members. Given the immense potential for meaningful video games to inspire changes in human behavioral tendencies, further research should explore the capabilities of emotions in in-game narratives to tackle critical cultural and societal issues.