How Do Video Games Elicit Guilt in Players? Linking Character Morality to Guilt Through a Mediation Analysis

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Changhyun Ahn¹  Matthew Grizzard²  Seyoung Lee³ 

[1] Health and New Media Research Institute, Hallym University;School of Communication, Ohio State University, United States;Department of Media and Communication, Sungkyunkwan University

关键词: narrative;    morality;    self-serving bias;    attribution;    guilt;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.666518

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Research has consistently found that committing immoral actions in video games is capable of eliciting feelings of guilt in players. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of theoretically-relevant psychological mechanisms: Perceived morality of the player-controlled character and self-attribution of virtual behavior. Based in psychological and communication theory, we derived a model that links these variables to character portrayal and guilt. A between-subjects experiment manipulated the portrayal of the player-controlled character (immoral vs. moral) and measured the mediating variables and self-reported guilt. The hypothesized model was tested using a path model. Data were generally consistent with hypotheses. Controlling an immoral character reduced perceived character morality. Perceived character morality positively predicted self-attribution of character behavior and negatively predicted guilt. Self-attribution positively predicted guilt but self-attribution and perceived character morality did not interact. Our findings suggest novel directions for continued research into how game features elicit emotional responses in players.

【 授权许可】

CC BY