Amplifying Player Experience to Facilitate Prosocial Outcomes in a Narrative-Based Serious Game

Lewen Wei, Mike Schmierbach, Bingjie Liu, Jin Kang, Cheng Chen, Frank E. Dardis, Ryan Tan and Olivia Cohen
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Lewen Wei: School of the Arts and Media, University of New South Wales, Australia
Mike Schmierbach: Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University, USA
Bingjie Liu: School of Communication, The Ohio State University, USA
Jin Kang: School of Information Technology, Carleton University, Canada
Cheng Chen: School of Communications, Elon University, USA
Frank E. Dardis: Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Pennsylvania State University, USA
Ryan Tan: College of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, USA
Olivia Cohen: Lew Klein College of Media and Communication, Temple University, USA

Media and Communication, 2025, vol. 13

Abstract: The rise and development of serious games have shown promise in addressing critical social issues, including school bullying. However, prior work often compares game-based interventions with the conventional non-game approach, failing to generate insights about which game features should be emphasized to create more effective games. To bridge this research gap, in light of video games’ advantages for creating immersive experiences that benefit persuasion, we created a narrative-based serious game addressing school bullying and conducted two studies (Study 1, N = 130; Study 2, N = 250) to explore the persuasive effects of two game features, respectively player–avatar similarity and in-game control, on player experience (including player–avatar identification, narrative engagement, and empathy) and prosocial intention. We found mixed results subject to player perspective such that only when players took the bully’s perspective did one of the game features—in-game control—successfully create the intended empathy via amplified narrative engagement toward the desirable prosocial intention.

Keywords: empathy; in-game control; narrative engagement; player–avatar identification; player–avatar similarity; prosocial intention; serious game (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:meanco:v13:y:2025:a:8637

DOI: 10.17645/mac.8637

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