Game satisfaction in narrative game with character switches

Abstract

As the use of games in various areas including well-being are increasing, the need to investigate what influences the player's game satisfaction arises. In narrative games, the relationship with the player-controlled Player Characters (PCs) have been shown to be crucial to game satisfaction. Recently, a controversy arose concerning the narrative game The Last of Us Part II where the PC was switched to a new character which created highly polar reactions. Character switches in narrative games have never been subject to academic study, for which reason in this thesis the relevant variables in connection to game satisfaction in The Last of Us Part II are investigated. An exploratory sequential mixed-method approach is chosen, combining in-depth interviews with 12 players with an online survey study of N = 168. The themes found in the interview study were “Tolerance of forced character switch”, “Malleability of character image”, and “Flexibility of character attachment”. Based on those themes, variables concerning agency, critical concern and the player-character relationship (PCR) were measured in a survey study. The results show a significant positive effect of perceived agency (β = 0.74) and a significant negative effect of critical concern (β = -0.16) on game satisfaction. Additionally, satisfied players had a significantly stronger PCR with Ellie and Abby than dissatisfied players, but no significant difference was found for the PCR with Joel. The findings highlight the crucial role of agency even in games without story choices and show how character switches can both interfere and enable valuable relationships with the PC which in turn affect game satisfaction. Further work is needed to understand the complex dynamics of agency, critical concern and the player-character relationship in narrative games with character switches.