Abstract

The quality of video games is rapidly growing. Storyworlds become more complex and graphics more realistic so the player can fully immerse in the game experience. Emotion Engines offer a way to simulate emotional appraisal and internal psychological processes. Because of that, they present an opportunity for digital games to further extend their storytelling and intensify the offered experience. To develop such an Emotion Engine, this thesis examines emotions from a biological and psychological standpoint and inspects emotion appraisal theories and computational models. With this background, we explore different game design elements that influence the emotional perception of the player when engaging with a game to then consider what an Emotion Engine can change without breaking immersion. We then propose a framework for an Emotion Engine to intensify the player’s emotional experience and provide dynamic storytelling based on this. The framework models the main character’s emotional appraisal of events and dynamically alterable personality. Visual and narrative elements of the game world adapt to the simulated emotional state of the player’s character. The Engine brings controllable individuality to the game, as game atmosphere and storytelling elements depend on the personality formed by the player’s choices. We then implemented the framework in a game prototype to test the functionality and show exemplary game adjustments. Both the framework and prototype demonstrate what the Emotion Engine is capable of but also show its shortcomings.

Results/Implementation/Project Description

Conclusion

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