"We were somewhat surprised to see 'Amnesia' reported so frequently," Lynch said. However, many reported fear when using the alternative game mode of "zombies" when playing "Call of Duty." Most reported game titles that caused fearful reactions included "Resident Evil," with its descriptions of darkness, zombies and being surprised as causes of fright, "Amnesia: The Dark Descent," "Dead Space" and the "Silent Hill" series. "Men get scared and that's OK," Martins said. "Perhaps females do not experience fear with more frequency, but feel required to admit so under pressure." Our findings suggest that fearful or brave behavior during a fear-evoking experience may be a societal phenomenon," the authors wrote. leaving out dynamics surrounding gender roles. But, notably, no differences emerged in how frequently the sexes experienced fear. Men reported enjoying and playing more frightening games than women. Men and women experienced video game fear similarly "I think we share fear experiences because it is something that connects us on a very primal level," said Lynch, who noted that she is a "gamer." Most were willing to share an example and many provided more than one experience. While surveyed, respondents had the opportunity to forego a question about whether they had experienced fear while playing video games. The researchers feel that part of the enjoyment comes from talking about these experiences. "Maybe the enjoyment comes from the fact that you're getting this rush, knowing that no harm is really going to come to you." They like the feeling of being scared," Martins said. It merely provides better understanding as to "why people play the games."
Martins noted that their study isn't an example of where research is used to "damn" the gaming industry.
"A few people did share in open-ended reports they enjoyed the feeling of surviving the experience." It's because to some degree, in some way, they're getting pleasure out of it," she said. "That answers one part of the question of why do people continue to expose themselves to these aversive stimuli, why do they continue to expose themselves to these things that they know are going to cause an unpleasant emotional experience. "There a lot more of these anxious feelings … and an enjoyment of that fear."Ĭlose to half of those surveyed - 44.1 percent - said they enjoyed feeling scared. "It was interesting to see how the fright reactions that people had, how the emotional experiences that they were having, differed from those reported with non-interactive media," Lynch said. Their findings appear in the latest edition of the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. This study provides the first identification of features specific to video games that affect fright experiences and insight into what fear reactions people experience with games. They wanted to know if we get as involved in the content in a way that heightens the fear experience.Ĭompared to the attention given to violence in similar research studies, game-inducing fear in video games has hardly received consideration.
They wanted to assess whether the fear felt while playing video games was the same as with movies and shows. Lynch and Martins followed a method that has been used in studying fear reactions to non-interactive media, such as movies and television programs. student Teresa Lynch surveyed online 269 college students in 2013 about their experiences with popular video games such as "Resident Evil," "Call of Duty" and "Amnesia: The Dark Descent." Working with Assistant Professor Nicole Martins, Ph.D. And many game players enjoy the fear caused by the zombies, disfigured humans and darkness they often encounter, the researchers found.