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Four Pillars of Healthy Escapism in Games: Emotion Regulation, Mood Management, Coping, and Recovery

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Game User Experience And Player-Centered Design

Abstract

Escapism is usually defined as avoidance of the real. Digital games are conducive to escapism because they take place in a temporally and spatially bounded virtual space that is separated from the real. Moreover, most games contain artificial conflicts and actions that have no effect on the real life. Availability of digital games on a broad range of devices (i.e., desktop, mobile, VR) also makes them an easily accessible tool for escapism in daily life. Consequently, escapism is one of the common reasons for playing digital games.

Escapism generally has a negative connotation in games research. Escapism was found to be associated with negative outcomes such as internet addiction, problematic use, and excessive gaming. However, certain aspects of escapism can also be beneficial. For instance, mental disengagement via video games helps players decrease their stress levels after stressful activities (e.g., work). Escapism can also act as a mood management strategy, as people tend to play games to avoid negative mood states and induce positive mood states. Similarly, escapism in games can be beneficial for regulating emotions and practicing emotion regulation strategies. Finally, escapism can provide a healthy form of coping strategy for some players. In short, escapism can have both negative and positive consequences, depending on how it is defined. Consequently, it is important to demarcate what constitutes a healthy escapism versus subversive escapism. In this chapter, we conduct a rapid scoping review on healthy forms of escapism in games, how it can be characterized, how it is associated with positive player experiences, and how escapism can be emotionally beneficial. Finally, we discuss the implications for future studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands

    Mehmet Kosa

  2. Department of Psychology, Stanford University, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Ahmet Uysal

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  1. Department of Game Design, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Barbaros Bostan

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Kosa, M., Uysal, A. (2020). Four Pillars of Healthy Escapism in Games: Emotion Regulation, Mood Management, Coping, and Recovery. In: Bostan, B. (eds) Game User Experience And Player-Centered Design. International Series on Computer Entertainment and Media Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37643-7_4

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