Files
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Contributor
Pierucci, Jillian (Faculty mentor)
Digital Publisher
Digital Commons at St. Mary's University
Publication Date
Spring 2026
Keywords
Emotional response, Environmental factors, Video games, Horror, Defensive behaviors
Description
The purpose of this study was to better understand if the environment influenced an individual’s emotions by observing horror and non-horror video games and coding the frequency of observed reactions. Former research illustrates that emotional arousal during video games may activate defensive behaviors similar to real-life threats. Three different YouTube streamers were observed playing one horror and two non-horror video games. All three streamers played the same three games. It was expected that all three players would have more frequent reactions to horror games as opposed to non-horror games (H1), that anger reactions would occur more frequently than sympathetic reactions among the non-horror group (H2), and that isolated vocalizations would occur more frequently across all conditions (H3). Participants were observed playing each game, their emotional reactions were recorded and categorized into three different classifications: isolated vocalizations, isolated physical reactions, and a combination of both. An independent samples t-test was utilized to analyze H1, a one-sample t-test for H2, and a one-way ANOVA with Post hoc LSD was utilized to analyze H3. Results indicated no statistically significant difference in the frequency of horror games compared to non-horror games. It was statistically significant that anger was the most common emotional response, and that vocalizations were the predominant reaction type across all games. Findings suggest that emotional arousal is likely less dependent on game genre and more dependent on neural network pathways. Future studies should look at the intensity of emotional reactions, utilize biometric data alongside observations, and measure different emotions across different video game genres.
Format
Size
1 poster
City
San Antonio, Texas
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
Cognition and Perception Commons, Cognitive Psychology Commons, Experimental Analysis of Behavior Commons