The Influence of Color Stimuli on Adolescents' Emotion Playing Mobile Games

TL;DR

This study investigates whether color stimuli (hue and saturation) can modulate adolescents' emotions during mobile gameplay. Using a within-subject design in a Unity-based platformer and the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM), the authors found no significant main effects of hue or saturation on arousal or valence, though gender- and experience-related interactions were observed, notably a male-specific hue×saturation effect on valence. The findings suggest that color alone may be insufficient to elicit strong emotions in mobile gaming contexts, potentially due to small screens and brief play sessions, and point to the need to consider time-on-task and display size in emotional design. The work highlights nuanced gender differences and provides directions for future research into color preferences and integrated design features to enhance emotional engagement in mobile games.

Abstract

Video games elicit emotions which can be influenced by color stimuli as shown by previous studies. However, little research has been conducted on whether this applies to mobile games played by adolescents. Therefore, we examined the influence of color stimuli hue and saturation on mobile game play. Adolescents (n=21) played a mobile platformer game with varying hue and saturation per level for about 25 minutes. We gathered data on emotional states after each level using the Self-Assessment Manikin questionnaire, recorded time spent in each level, and collected participant self-reports on their video game experience. We performed statistical tests, such as ANOVA, which depict no significant influence of hue and/or saturation on the emotional state of our players. We conclude that it is possible that color alone is not an effective measure for eliciting emotion in mobile games, and further research is needed to consider measures such as time spent in the game and screen size, as these are unique to mobile games. There was a noticeable variance in emotional response between male and female players, with a significant interaction of hue and saturation among male players for valence ratings. This may be an indication that color preference influences perceived pleasantness.

Figures (8)

• Figure 1: Recreated graphical representation of the Circumplex model of affect as depicted in Posner2005. The horizontal axis represents the valence dimension, the vertical axis represents the arousal dimension.
• Figure 2: Screenshot of (a part of) one game level in hue red. Light sources are marked with a white dot. The light source labeled "No Color Effect" applies a white light to the environment to balance some intense color effects. "Ambience Lights" apply color-specific lighting, in this case red.
• Figure 3: Screenshot of the in-game view of the SAM questionnaire using arousal as an example. Participants were asked in German (English translation by the authors): “Please choose the number of the picture that best represents your current emotional state".
• Figure 4: Structural illustration of the process of the study.
• Figure 5: Mean values of each hue and saturation combination for valence and arousal. The hues of a point indicate the corresponding hue, a triangle indicates high, a dot indicates low saturation. For better readability of the plots, we have truncated the axis at 3.5 and 6.8, respectively.