Taxing or Relaxing? Retrospective Responses to Video Games in Relation to Demand

This paper explores the self-reported impact of playing video games of varied intensities on perceptions of emotion regulation and recovery during times of stress and addresses in-game demand as a prominent factor contributing to differences in gaming experiences. In a within-subjects retrospective study, participants (N = 218) were asked to recall both an easy game and a challenging game that they play regularly and rate the two experiences. Results demonstrated notable distinctions between the recollections of playing these two classes of video games on user experiences. Both types of games were perceived to lower self-reported negative emotions among the participants, with easy games tending to correlate with higher positive emotions for users post game. While both classes of games did not differ in relation to self-reported recovery, easy games were associated with more relaxation and less mastery. Implications of these findings for video game studies and game design are discussed.