Kunal Sonar

Games as a tool for studying Human Psychology Research Internship Report - 2014 Mentor: Professor Nitin Raje By: Kunal Sonar (201101049), Anushree Gupta (201101182) Abstract The objective of the research is to use mobile games as a tool for the study of human psychology in a simulated environment, metaphorically similar to real ​ life situations. The research defines some particular parameters used and the methodology applied to analyze the reactions and responses of players to certain specific situations or a generic pattern observed in their interactions with the simulated environment. We have used existing games with an objective to study the ways in which they (may or not, directly) use their game concepts as a tool to gauge the players’ actions and reactions to the various events in the game play. We have also suggested an idea sketch for a multiplayer networked game with the objective of conducting the aforementioned study, implementing situations to simulate the parameters that the research will be based on and collecting data from a group of variety of players, feed it into a database and analyzing the database to conclude the relevant aspects about the target population and possibly divide them into (disjoint or intersecting) categories with behavioral similarities. Introduction Psychological analysis and study is traditionally undertaken using a host of methods, both quantitative and qualitative, on a restricted sample of the target population using the following data collection methods being the primary means of aggregating information from the subjects: ● Archival research ● Case study ● Content analysis ● Surveys, Questionnaires ● Field experiments ● Interviews, Observational studies A game can be described as a hybrid method, consisting of both quantitative and qualitative techniques of data collection in the sense that a player is exposed to a dynamic environment and situations to extract generic responses which can vary widely while at the same time the inferences from the gameplay are recorded as statistics and analysed as any other mathematical data would be. By definition, a game is structured ​ playing​ , usually undertaken for ​ enjoyment​ . The following statements are always true for a game: ● The game has rules about how to play. ● The game has conditions for winning or losing. ● To play the game, you must make decisions. Games are distinct from ​ work​ , which is usually carried out for ​ remuneration​ , and from ​ art​ , which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements, thereby making them perfectly suitable tools. Contrasting the aforementioned traditional data collection methods with games, consider a survey form sent to participants of a research through a mailing list or in a field experiment. At an abstract level, it will also follow similar rules: ● Survey questions have specific instructions (“rules”) about how to answer them. ● To take a survey, you must make decisions. (Choice models lean heavily on this attribute.) ● Surveys do, in fact, have winning and losing conditions. If we compare a survey to a game, a participant completing the survey successfully can be mapped to ​ winning and the participant being disqualified from the survey, thereby nullifying the time spent on it, can be mapped to ​ losing​ . In this context, consider a simple mobile game. The only difference between ​ playing a game and taking a survey with respect to this game is defining appropriate rules for how the players are supposed to make choices, and establish win/loss conditions that motivate players to adhere to the rules. By observing and measuring player activity, we can extract similar insights from the game experience as we would have from a survey, only better because games are a much more fun exercise than a survey form. To conclude why games are a better methodology to follow, rather than conventional data collection methods, the following points can be enumerated: ● The subject is in a more natural state of mind while playing a game rather than say in an interview or in an observational study, which might end up making the subject conscious of his/her response and hence does not provide results as accurate as a game might. ● A game as a research tool can encompass a larger and more varied audience, both geographically and demographically (in terms of age, gender and social activity), as compared to a typical content analysis oriented research, owing to the versatility associated with the gaming industry as a worldwide market. ● Games work both ways in the sense that they provide a source of entertainment to the subject and a reliable source of data for research. Traditional data collection surveys, on the other hand, are boring and tedious and most of the people ignore long forms and emails, limiting both the audience and the amount of data that is collected. ● Data collection methods which are usually employed by researchers for psychoanalysis, have typical answers to questions which limit the scope of a response whereas in a game, every response that a subject gives to a question can be the intersection of a number of parameters which is limited only by the developer’s imagination and creativity. ● A case study or an archival research method is the most similar to a game in terms of a controlled environment but is less competent owing to the dynamic nature of a game which makes it a larger pool of data than a written case or archive. Trait Theory The research focuses mainly on Lewis Goldberg’s Five-dimensional personality model, also known as the Big Five. It is essentially a subset of Gordon Allport’s trait theory aimed at measuring, both quantitatively and qualitatively, human personality traits. The Big Five entails: ● Openness to Experience​ : the tendency to be imaginative, independent, and interested in variety vs. practical, conforming, and interested in routine. ● Conscientiousness​ : the tendency to be organized, careful, and disciplined vs. disorganized, careless, and impulsive. ● Extraversion​ : the tendency to be sociable, fun-loving, and affectionate vs. retiring, somber, and reserved. ● Agreeableness​ : the tendency to be softhearted, trusting, and helpful vs. ruthless, suspicious, and uncooperative. ● Neuroticism​ : the tendency to be calm, secure, and self-satisfied vs. anxious, insecure, and self-pitying. The approach followed in this research is to analyse ​ King’s Candy Crush and SuperCell’s Hay Day and pick out parameters that have the potential to study the players and their state of mind while playing the game. These aspects of the game can be used as a means of collecting data in order to observe patterns and draw conclusions about the psychology of a player with respect to the scenario represented in the game, which may or may not resemble a particular real-world situation. Furthermore, following this analysis and extracting necessary information about the kind of potential parameters that can be used, the research focuses mainly on developing a game concept with the objective of conducting this study in a different manner, in a variety of scenarios and in a different context than the existing games. The concept builds upon the aspects obtained from the previous analysis, but primarily it introduces new parameters, suitable to its own scenarios, to study the players in a different environment. SuperCell’s HayDay Traits Openness to Experience Parameters Arrangement of farm Observation Criteria Inference The arrangement of the farm elements (buildings, pens, trees, bushes, fields etc.) The arrangement of a player’s farm can be used to gauge the aesthetic sensitivity and creative imagination Quantity of products produced, animals bred and crops produced The numbers of different products produced in various machines, the numbers of each animals bred on the farm and the quantity of each crop produced in the farm The player who produces a variety of (available) products in his/her machines, has atleast one animal of each type (available at the particular level) and produces a minimum quantity of (available) crops of each type displays a preference for variety as opposed to a player who sticks to a few products, animals and crops Level of achievement with respect to time spent The progress made by a player is measured by the level star with respect to the time spent playing the game The player who has achieved a higher level star in a shorter period of time has a tendency to be more intellectually curious as the player is devoting more time to the game to get to a higher level and explore new parts of the game Different types of products produced and put up for sale The quantity of common and uncommon products produced on the player’s farm The player who has a larger quantity of uncommon products produced and/or put up for sale, frequently, indicates that the player has a tendency to follow an unconventional approach as opposed to a player who produces and sells common products frequently Time spent in various modes The amount of time a player spends playing the various modes in the game (normal, fishing, town etc.) The player who spends a comparable amount of time in all modes (keeping in mind the level star and availability of the mode) displays a preference for variety and intellectual curiosity as opposed to a player who sticks to one mode and does not divulge very often The arrangement routine (clustered or distributed) followed by a player to position the The player who has organized his/her farm in a clustered fashion (according to some parameter such as animal pens, production building etc.) displays Conscientiousness Arrangement of various farm elements variety of farm elements a inclination towards organization and careful, deliberate planning whereas a player who follows a distributed fashion to organize the farm has a more spontaneous and disorderly nature Time between the current and the next level star The time spent in the game before collecting enough stars to reach the next level star The player with a lesser time difference between two level stars displays a hard-working attitude with a motivated and efficient approach as opposed to a player who takes a longer time to reach the next level star and has a more relaxed attitude in the game Products and crops produced increase proportionally to the level The rate of increase of quantity of crops and products produced by the player increases in proportion with the player’s overall progress in the game The player with a constant rate of increase in proportion with the level star achieved has a tendency to plan and organize everything following a thorough and deliberate procedure. He/she tends to utilize all the resources in a carefully ordered manner in order to achieve a consistent performance. Average amount of time the products are stored in the barn The average time difference between products produced and products put to use The player whose time difference is small, that is, the products are stored for a smaller amount of time, has a systematic and well-planned attitude. He/she likes to get work done and is efficient in the work he/she does. The player with a larger time difference tends to be unorganized and disorderly. Average machine usage level The number of stars achieved for each machine on an average in conjunction with the level star The player with a higher average, that is, having made extensive use of his/her machines, can be said to have a tendency to be hard-working and efficient as opposed to a player with a lower average Extraversion Frequency of complete truck orders and boat shipments The average number of times a player completes a truck order and boat shipment (data available in the farm statistics and achievement statistics) The player with a higher frequency of complete orders and shipments can be said to be reliable, hard working, dependable, ordered and in extreme cases a perfectionist. He/she is organized and efficient as opposed to a player who has a lower frequency of completed orders and shipment. Neighbourhood activity The number of chat messages a player sends in the neighbourhood chat and the number of times a player visits any neighbour’s farm The player who is more active in the neighbourhood has an outgoing, interactive, assertive, talkative nature, higher group visibility and he/she likes to include other players in their gameplay experience in order to be a part of a larger community as they find it more rewarding as opposed to a player who is not very active in the neighbourhood and has a tendency to be shy, self-indulgent, reserved and likes to keep to himself/herself Farm decoration The amount of decoration a player has put on his/her farm The player who has extensive decoration on his/her farm is more likely to be an extrovert as it can be interpreted as an attempt to encourage interaction and social activities as opposed to a player with minimal decoration which can be interpreted as an attempt to discourage social interaction Helping other players The number of crates filled for other players, the number of times an item sold to a The player with a higher number for all criteria can be said to have a helping and socially amiable nature. He/she likes social interaction as opposed to a neighbour and the number of times a tree/bush revived for another player player with a lower number who is more likely to be reserved and quiet. Goods sold to visiting customers The number of goods sold to customers who visit the player’s farm The player who sells goods to most visiting customers has a helping and charitable behavior. He/she is an action-oriented individual, likes to help people out and get involved in social interaction whereas a player who does not sell goods to visiting customers is more likely to be introverted and shy with a quiet, low-key and deliberate behavior. Facebook activity Connection status and the number of posts and shares on Facebook The player who chooses to connect with their Facebook account (and hence his/her friends) and actively posts and shares his/her in-game activity tends to be more social and interactive. He/she is energized and thrives off of human interactions as opposed to a player who is not as active on Facebook. Followers and following The number of followers a player has and the number of farms the player is following The player who has a larger number of followers tends to be more likeable, socially amiable and assertive as opposed to a player who has lesser followers and has a tendency to reserved and less social. The player who is following many farms is more likely to engage in social interactions and activities and is outgoing and enthusiastic as opposed to a player who does not follow many farms and prefers to play alone with minimal social interaction. Agreeableness Event participation The average contribution made by a player in the various events in the game The player who has a higher contribution to events is more likely to be an extrovert and a social person. He/she likes to be a part of the community and do his/her bit to make the community grow. A player who chooses not to participate in events actively tends to be introverted, as he/she does not make effort to be a part of the community and likes to play the game alone. Diamonds used/purchased The number of diamonds used/purchased (Diamonds are primarily used to speed up the production of products/crops, it is the virtual currency of the game) The player with a higher number of in-app purchases and usage of diamonds (especially to speed up production) has a tendency to be impatient and restless as opposed to a player with a lesser purchases and usage of diamonds Helping other people The number of filled crates, trees/bushes revived for others, selling goods to visiting customers and neighbours The player with a higher number can be said to be altruistic and charitable with a pro-social attitude as opposed to a player with a lower number who is less interactive and tends towards being anti-social in the extreme cases Followers and following The number of followers a player has and the number of farms a player is following The player who has a large number of followers tends to be more likeable and amiable with a tendency to be friendly and sociable as opposed to a person with lesser followers. The player who follows a lot of farms is more likely to be less critical and judgmental of others and has a tender-minded and gentle nature as opposed to a player who chooses to follow selective farms. Neuroticism Diamonds usage and purchase with respect to the time spent in the game The number of diamonds purchased and used in conjunction with the time spent in the game The player with a very high number of in-app purchases and usage of diamonds is more likely to be anxious and impatient owing to panic, stress and frustration as opposed to a player with a lower number of purchases and usage Number of friends The number of friends a player has (followers, neighbours and Facebook friends) The player with a small number of friends is more likely to self-conscious and shy as opposed to a person with a large number of friends Number of unlikes The number of farms a player unlikes (Statistics can be collected every time a player unfollows a farm) The player with a large number of unlikes can be said to be prone to envy and is more likely to be competitive as opposed to a person with a lower number of unlikes King’s Candy Crush Traits Openness to Experience Parameters Observation Criteria Inference Level wise progress with respect to time spent The progress made by a player in the game is measured by the level achieved with respect to the time spent in the game The player with the higher level in a given time frame has a higher tendency of being imaginative and an unconventional approach to routines, as opposed to a player with the same level in a larger time frame or lower level in the same time frame Level wise progress and time The progress made by a player in the The player with a comparable level and time spent in both the Conscientiousnes s spent in different scenarios two different scenarios (normal story mode and owl mode) with respect to the time spent in both modes scenarios displays a preference for variety and intellectual curiosity, as opposed to a player with a wide disparity in the level achieved and/or the time spent in each scenario Number of combos made and boosters used The number of combos (striped candies, wrapped candies, color bombs) a player makes in a particular level and the number of available boosters (color bomb, lollipop, coconut wheel, jelly fish) The player who is able to discover and use more new combos and boosters tends to have a more active imagination and creative insight alongwith intellectual curiosity, as opposed to a player who follows the conventional gameplay Amount of time spent in a given level The amount of time spent by a player to complete a level with a limited number of moves Average number of tries and level of achievement for each level The average number of tries a player makes to complete a level successfully alongwith the number of stars achieved for the level The probability of a player who spends a larger amount of time in a level with limited moves being more deliberate and careful is high and he/she has higher tendency of having a planned and organized behavior as opposed to a player who finishes the level in a lesser amount of time (There can be exceptions to this inference but probabilistically speaking, the inference holds) ∙​ A player who takes a larger ​ number of tries to complete a level with a higher level of achievement (number of stars) has a tendency to be thorough, hard-working and compulsive as opposed to be a person with larger number of tries and a lesser level of achievement ∙​ A player who takes a lesser ​ number of tries with a higher level of achievement (number of stars) has a tendency to be efficient and driven by success as opposed to a person with a lesser number of tries and a lesser level of achievement Extraversion Facebook connection status Whether the player has connected their Facebook account or not The players who have logged into their Facebook accounts can be said to have a extrovert tendency as opposed to the players who play just on their respective tendencies. This is a weak parameter because no definitive conclusion can be drawn but only the fact that it is a first step towards being socially active. Invites to friends and posting about your progress on Facebook The number and frequency of invites sent and posts related to progress made in the game (sharing a high score or the level achieved) The player who has sent more number of invites to his/her friends displays an outgoing and talkative behavior and a higher number of posts about achievements in the game such as bragging about a high score indicates a tendency of gregarious, energetic and high on positive emotion. Nothing definitive can be concluded about a player who does not send invites or post actively except a weak inference of an introverted nature. Interaction with friends The number of requests sent (asking for lives or help in a level) and answered (donating a life or helping a friend with a level) A player who sends a lot of requests for help or lives has a tendency to be more social and interactive and it is also a step towards building a community which indicates a high score on extraversion Agreeableness Donating a life to a friend Giving an extra life to a friend A direct implication of a high number of lives sent to friends is that the player has an altruistic, friendly and cooperative nature and is less likely to be skeptic of others and going out of the way to help them. Such people tend to be more kind and considerate, are more capable of empathizing and are more likely to work towards the betterment of the society. Nothing conclusive can be said about a player who is not as socially active except for a weak inference of a less-complying nature. Number of in-app purchases made for lives or extra moves The number of lives bought (in particular in a specified period of time) and the number of purchases made for extra moves The player who has made fewer in-app purchases of lives and extra moves in a short period of time (with respect to the total amount of time spent in the game) can be said to have a more patient and calm nature as opposed to a player who has purchased more number of lives and extra moves and has a short temper along with a tendency to get frustrated and angry without much provocation Number of requests to clear a level The number of requests sent to friends asking for help in clearing a particular level The number of requests sent by a person asking for help from friends can be used to gauge the tendency to be modest and straightforward. A low number points slightly towards an arrogant and self-absorbed nature while a high number indicates a needy and desperate mindset. A moderate (decided on actual statistics) number of requests indicate towards a humble nature. Neuroticism Number of in-app purchases with respect to the number of level completed The number of lives or boosters a player purchased for a given number of completed levels The player who purchases a high number of lives till a given (small) number of level can be said to have trouble delaying gratification, anxiety issues and is more prone to having mental disorders as opposed to a person with a moderate number of purchases who is more likely to have a calm, composed nature, are less reactive to stress, even-tempered and do not feel tense or rattled Social activity and its effect on time spent in the game The amount of time spent in the game before and after a social event such as a Facebook post about a friend’s progress or high score The player with a larger playing time after seeing a Facebook post from a friend (bragging his/her high score or level number) signifies a competitive and in extreme cases, a jealous and envious nature with more tendency to have a depressed mood. Conclusion This research is aimed at presenting casual games as a tool for performing research and collecting data from a distributed audience who are capable of working out things better than machines. Taking instances of games like Candy Crush and Hayday, the research hypothesizes to use their existing user base and established gameplay as an effective means of collecting data from a large audience (which ensure validation from a majority) and at the same time the techniques used are simple to implement and manage. Moreover, the data collection can be done easily by setting some simple parameters and flags in the code and fed into a database which can be maintained easily. Future Scope The research can be expanded to include a sketch for a new multiplayer game on the basis of the analysis of the aforementioned games as well as any other MMORPG which falls under the category of games which can be used to collect data from their users. Furthermore, we, as developers, plan to develop the game on the guidelines and parameters described in the sketch and collect data from our users to prepare a preliminary psychological analysis and draw some basic conclusions according to the trait theory.