CC4262 EMOTIONAL ENGINEERING
TASK: EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TASK
Team Members:
2. Naderah Lee
In a group of 2, we are to select a PS4 game which none of us have ever played before and take turns playing it. Additionally, we are to research on the models Yerkes-Dodson Law and Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow Model and apply them to the game. The models help indicate how the game has successfully helped to increase performance, whether it was able to create a state of flow and to what extent did it damage our performance.
The game chosen for this task was "Kingdom Hearts 3" (will be referred as KH3) as both Azlina and Naderah are avid Disney fans, but only managed to play through the first chapter out of ten chapters. KH3 is a massive story-based game immersed in various Disney worlds with a total of roughly 50 hours to complete the game, provided the player finishes the game chapters smoothly. It can go up to 80 hours if players want to see all the game has to offer.
A little context: This is Azlina's first time playing a console game thus she is not familiar with the components of a game controller while Naderah is a casual gamer and is comfortable with console-based games.
KH3 game poster
Kingdom Hearts 3 is a part of a series of action role-playing games (RPG) developed and released by Square Enix, in collaboration with Disney. It is the tenth addition to the series and was released on 29 January 2019 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The story follows the main protagonist, Sora, a Keyblade wielder, as he travels to various Disney worlds with Donald and Goofy to stop the Heartless invasion by sealing each world’s keyhole and restore peace to the realms.
Game synopsis (according to their website)
KH3 tells the story of the power of friendship as Sora and his friends embark on a perilous adventure. Set in a vast array of Disney and Pixar worlds, KH follows the journey of Sora, a young boy and unknowing heir to a spectacular power. Sora is joined by Donald Duck and Goofy to stop an evil force known as the Heartless from invading and overtaking the universe. Through the power of friendship, Sora, Donald and Goofy unite with iconic Disney-Pixar characters old and new to overcome tremendous challenges and persevere against the darkness threatening their worlds.
Kingdom Hearts 3 Official Extended Trailer
Storyline
In KH3, Sora embarks on a journey with Donald and Goofy to regain his lost "Power of Waking", gather the seven guardians of light and stop the primary antagonist, Xehanort, from plotting a second Keyblade War. Sora realizes that all previous encounters are planned out exactly as Xehanort wanted, so Sora must visit all the Disney / Pixar worlds and interact with various Disney / Pixar characters to protect them from the common enemy, Heartless. Sora’s friends, Riku and King Mickey, seek out for Keyblade wielders Aqua, Terra and Ventus to prepare them for the final battle against Xehanort, in an ultimate fight between light and dark.
Sora’s actions in these worlds closely follow the storylines of their respective Disney / Pixar films.
Character appearances
The game features a mixture of Disney / Pixar and Square Enix characters. As Disney characters are usually targeted towards children, the designs are appropriate for children. Hence when we played the game, it was very nostalgic and seeing the characters felt very welcoming. Along with classic Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy, the game manages to include characters from Big Hero 6, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hercules, Monsters Inc., Frozen, Tangled, Wreck-It-Ralph, Toy Story, Winnie The Pooh, Lilo and Stitch, Ratatouille, and The Lion King.
Main protagonist Sora is a cheerful and enthusiastic 15-year old boy who wields a key-shaped weapon called the Keyblade to battle the forces of darkness. Sora’s character is described as having a warm personality with an adventurous spirit who cherishes his friendships and relies on them for his strength. Sora’s design was based on Mickey Mouse's trademark white gloves, red shorts and giant yellow shoes.
The main protagonist of the KH series, Sora
Since we only managed to play through the first chapter, we only met the characters in the Olympus realm. These includes other civilians that Sora needed to rescue but we will only focus on the key characters that help move the story forward. Goofy and Donald Duck are a part of Sora’s party from the start, assisting Sora in many battles and accompanying him on the journey.
Goofy is the Captain of the Royal Knights of King Mickey's court. Goofy does not use a melee weapon like Sora but instead uses a shield to combat enemies. He is a pacifist, preferring to resolve conflicts peacefully. Although he is clumsy, he remains an optimistic and reliable friend.
Donald Duck is the Royal Magician of Disney Castle and the royal assistant for King Mickey. While he has a short temper and loses his cool most of the time, he is a loyal and caring companion. His weapon of choice is a Staff.
There is a clear line between good vs. evil in KH3. As such, the characters that aid Sora in Olympus are Hercules, Megara, Zeus, Pegasus, and Phil.
Hercules, the son of Zeus and Hera, is a very well-known fighter at the Olympus Coliseum. Hercules possesses great strength and has defeated numerous monsters. He is extremely supportive of Sora's goal to become a true hero.
Megara is Hercules's love interest and does her best to help him. In KH3, Megara does not interact much with Sora but checks up on Hercules often.
Zeus is the king of the Olympian Gods and the father of Hercules. Although Zeus is powerful and possesses the power of lightning, he does not tolerate violence.
Pegasus is a flying horse and also the best friend of Hercules. He swiftly comes whenever Hercules needs him. He also acts as a transport for Megara and Phil to check up on Hercules and transports others to safety.
Phil is a grumpy yet caring satyr. Prior to being the personal trainer of Hercules, he runs the Olympus Coliseum with a dream of training the ultimate hero.
The villains of Olympus include Hades, Maleficent, Pete, Xigbar, and Heartless.
Hades is a primary antagonist of the Olympus realm and is the Lord of the Dead and the ruler of the Underworld. He is temperamental and hot-headed, bursting into red flames in anger, and will stop at nothing to see the end of Hercules.
Maleficent is a major villain of the KH series, as she is the mastermind behind all the monstrosity and darkness occurring in all realms. She is the leader of the band of villains from all the realms, extending her influence throughout the worlds and will stop at nothing until she conquers and rules all the realms.
Pete is a loyal minion of Maleficent, doing dirty deeds to ensure she gains power. Although he is a mean and mischievous bully, he is incompetent due to his cowardice.
Xigbar is a member of the real Organization XIII, a group consisting of thirteen different incarnations of Master Xehanort. He likes to taunt his opponents with his cocky attitude. His power resides with space, with the ability to teleport and alter the battlefield, making him a difficult foe.
Heartless are beings of the darkness, devoid entirely of emotions. They are creatures with beady yellow eyes, attacking those who stand in their way in large swarms.
There are many different types of Heartless found in Olympus: Shadow, Soldier, Air Soldier, Flame Core, Water Core, Earth Core.
There are many more characters to meet within KH3 in other realms, including those who will help Sora on his quest and those who plans to thwart his heroic deeds. Some of them are pictured below, waiting for Sora to cross paths with them as he continues on his journey.
Sora with other Disney / Pixar characters in KH3
Gameplay
A gameplay entails the features of a video game, such as the combination and interaction of many elements of a game, and the way it is played. KH3 is an action RPG combined with hack-and-slash combat and features many worlds from Disney / Pixar films. KH3 isn't exactly considered an 'open world' game, but Square Enix had increased the scope and capacity of each world.
There is a total of 8 Disney worlds and 1 main KH world in KH3. Sora and companions travel to these worlds in each chapters to battle the enemies who terrorise them. The worlds are (in no particular order):
1) Olympus (from Hercules)
2) Toy Box (from Toy Story)
3) Kingdom of Corona (from Tangled)
4) Monstropolis (from Monsters Inc.)
5) Arendelle (from Frozen)
6) The Caribbean (from Pirates of the Caribbean)
7) San Fransokyo (from Big Hero 6)
8) 100 Acre Wood (from Winne the Pooh)
9) Twilight Town / Keyblade Graveyard (from KH)
All photos are from KH3 official Twitter account
KH3 is a story-based game with many cutscenes to fill the player in on the current events of the world and feature various Boss Fights and Campaign Missions. Prior to the first chapter of the game, a short tutorial shows the player how to control the main playable character Sora (left joystick), the camera movement (right joystick), and interact with objects (triangle button). Additionally, player is given 2 questions to determine Sora's base stats and abilities Sora will excel in.
Sora is accompanied by two emissaries from Disney Castle, Donald Duck and Goofy, who are AI-controlled NPCs (non-playable character). This installment has increased the number of player parties from previously 3 player party to a total of 5 players. Since this feature is made available, the ability to summon other Disney or Pixar characters can be used to join battles to assist the player with specialized attacks for a short time.
Sora’s main weapon is a Keyblade used to cut down enemies and perform magic spells available at his current level. As Sora levels up, his attacks, health, mana pool, and magic increases. His party also grows stronger with Sora. Team-up attacks are also featured, which link Sora and other party members into one attack. Sora faces evil minions called “Heartless”, which are scattered throughout the realms, defeat bosses and clear all missions of each realms to unlock Keyblade transformations.
Game mechanics
Character Summons - Calling on one of Sora’s Disney or Pixar friends to fight alongside Sora for a short period.
Keyblade Transformations - After successfully landing combo attacks, the keyblade can be transformed to unleash many other abilities and a finisher attack.
Link Attacks - Combining attacks with other character to execute a more coordinated and powerful attack with Sora.
Attraction Flow - A special ability that attacks enemies using rides from classic Disney attractions like at Disneyworld.
Flowmotion - A system mechanics that has many abilities that Sora can use to his advantage such as:
1. Air Steps - Glowing Spots where Sora is able to warp towards that particular point which generally out of reach otherwise.
2. Wall Running - Ability to run up a wall that has sheen or water effect on the wall or spin around pillars.
3. Railslides - Ability to slide at high speed along horizontal beams and cables.
Game controls
Circle – To jump or to let go while hanging.
X – To attack enemies or to confirm decisions.
Square – To dodge/to block and to spin on pillars.
Triangle – To interact or use situation command.
Left analog stick – To move character.
Right analog stick – To adjust camera movement.
R1 – To target point of attack on enemies or to toggle lock-on.
R2 - To Change lock-on target.
Options - To pause the game or to skip scenes in the game.
KH3 is the story of Light overcoming Darkness with the power of Friendship. As stated before, the main protagonist Sora was accompanied by Goofy and Donald to travel to many worlds that consist of many Disney characters. In their journey, they aimed to stop Heartless invasion by sealing each world’s keyhole to restore peace of the realms. “The light overcoming darkness” symbolises their mission, “with the power of friendship” symbolises the friendship journey between Sora, Goofy and Donald that fights their ways towards their mission.
Audio
Music:
The soundtrack of this game is mainly composed by Yoko Shimmomura with contibutions from Takeharu Ishimoto and Tsuyoshi Sekito. KH3 has a theme song as the other 2 main KH games titled “Chikai” in Japanese which means “Don’t think twice” and this song serves as the ending theme. This is witten and performed by Utada Hikaru. The opening theme is titled “Face My Fears” by Skrillex, Poo Bear and Utada.
Voice Cast:
The voice behind each character in Kingdom Hearts 3 are casted by English voice actors that repeats their roles from the previous KH including Haley Joel Osment as Sora, Bill Farmer as Goofy, Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck. Most of the voice cast of Disney Characters appeared in this game are casted by Disney and Pixar voice actors from their roles in respective films such as Kristen Bell as Anna, Scott Adsit as Baymax and Carlo Alazraqui as Mike Wazowski. Some voice actors are replaced by new voice actors from respective film of Disney and Pixar such as, Christopher Swindles as Sulley to replace John Goodman and Rutger Hauer as Master Xehanort to replace Leonard Nimoy after this death in 2015.
Game screenshots from the official website
Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow Model
Mihály Csíkszentmihályi designed the concept of flow state which is the mental state in which a person performing an activity is fully absorbed in the activity, focusing one’s whole energy towards it. This is also commonly referred as being “in the zone”. In hindsight, flow is described as the unfaltering focus in what one does, resulting in one losing track of time.
One can be in a state of flow while gaming, as games can be engaging and stimulating thus creating a flow. Having a balance of skills and challenge, the player’s mind and brain can be aroused, focusing their attention onto the game. Flow in gaming can be effective as players continuously perform to the best of their abilities motivated by goals and rewards. The use of flow in games provides an enjoyable experience and entices players to remain playing.
The figures above are Csikszentmihalyi’s flow models. The figure on the left indicates that there are two main flows: anxiety and boredom. If the skill level of the player is low with high challenge, the player will experience high anxiety level, while if the skill level of the player is high with low challenge, the player will experience high boredom level. The table below summarises the flow model on the left.
The figure on the right shows eight emotions a player can experience depending on their skill level and challenges. These eight emotions are: apathy, worry, anxiety, boredom, arousal, relaxation, control, and flow. The table below summarises the flow model on the right.
Applying Csikszentmihalyi’s flow model to our game experience
Since we had to take turns playing the game, Azlina took the first half of the game as games are usually easier in the earlier parts. Azlina has never played a console game before so she was already feeling nervous at the beginning of the game, but she was really excited to see all her favourite Disney characters on screen. During the cutscenes, Azlina was in awe of the worlds featured but was confused with the non-Disney characters (Square Enix characters) shown as she has never played their games before.
During the tutorial session, Azlina kept glancing down at the game controller because she does not know the placement of the buttons. When instructed to click a specific button, Azlina started to panic because it takes some time to register where is the button is placed. Additionally, when the tutorial showed a combo attack, Azlina had difficulty trying to complete the move as it required several buttons pressed sequentially. Azlina calmed a bit once the tutorial was over, but she was curious with the two trigger buttons on the controller (LT & RT), but it does nothing as the story has not progressed far enough to activate the ability associated the LT & RT buttons.
As the game chosen was massive, there were a lot of in-game features such as a shop and items bag but the information was a bit overwhelming for Azlina so she decided to focus on attacking the enemies and moving the story forward. The magic ability required pressing several buttons to activate them but Azlina kept forgetting the combination and only used the melee weapon (Keyblade) because it only required pressing the X button.
When Azlina had to face a boss, she quickly paused the game because she was afraid that she cannot defeat it so Azlina passed the controller to Naderah to take over the game. While Naderah is used to game consoles, she still needed to know the buttons’ functions. She initially confused the X button (which is used to attack enemies) for the jump action when it should be the O button as the games she normally plays utilizes the X button for jumping. Throughout the game, she messes up the two buttons frequently but was still able to play comfortably.
Since Naderah didn’t get to go through the tutorial session, she just randomly pressed any buttons that resulted in an action until she understood what each button did. Throughout the first chapter of the game, Naderah was able to complete the missions with ease. Naderah was in a state of flow and wanted to continue playing, but she had to stop playing as the next group needed to use the PS4.
Overall, the flow of the game was good as it eases players into the game with tutorials and smaller enemies before introducing more difficult tasks and boss fights. In Azlina’s case, she was worried at the beginning due to low skill level (i.e. unfamiliarity with control buttons) but was able to adapt to the game controls after repeated playing thus increasing her skill level. In Naderah’s case, she was a moderately skilled player faced with low challenge thus she was able to complete missions easily.
Yerkes-Dodson Law
Yerkes-Dodson law is developed by two psychologist Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson in which the law suggested there is a relationship between arousal and performance. Arousal may be described as pressure, and performance may be described as motivation. This law suggests that as arousal increased, so does performance. However, if arousal exceed a certain point, typically people will experience stress and anxiety which results in drop in performance.
The arousal that we experience during examination is considered as Yerkes-Dodson Law, where having optimal arousal helps us to remember things that we have memorised beforehand and helped to answer the exam questions. However, when the arousal exceeds the optimal level, we would experience excessive stress which results in not being able to remember things that we have memorised. Hence, performance will drop.
Below is the graph between arousal and performance. As the level of arousal is at its minimum, the level of performance is also at the minimum. However, arousal will build up which increases the attention and interest. This results in increase in performance but only until it reaches its optimal arousal and performance. Excessive arousal and performance beyond the optimal point could impaired performance due to strong anxiety experienced.
Applying Yerkes-Dodson law to our game experience
Since KH3 is a single player game, Azlina and Naderah had to take turns playing the game. Azlina started the early stage of the game since the challenges is easier during this stage. However, as someone who doesn’t have any experience playing PS4 game before, Azlina is not familiar with the buttons on the game console and having a hard time remembering the functions of each button.
Azlina started the game with the tutorial session since she has not played the game before. Since she was not familiar with the game buttons and trying to digest all the instructions given all at the same time, she started to feel nervous. Her arousal starts to build up once the game started for fear of being defeated when facing the enemies. However, as she progressed, she managed to defeat the enemies while still confused on which button to press but this keeps her interest to keep on playing the game. While there are other game mechanics that she could have used as an advantage for her game character, she was only able to use the attack button.
As Azlina kept on playing the game and tried to defeat the enemies, her skill level increased and so does her performance. When Azlina finally confronted the boss of the enemy in game, her anxiety increased because she feared that she will be defeated by the boss due to minimal skills that she has in playing the game while still confused with the use of each buttons. During this stage, her arousal exceeds the optimal level that she passed the console to Naderah because she could not proceed with the battle and diminished her performance in playing the game due to strong anxiety. Naderah as an experienced gamer, took out the boss with ease because she is used to playing games of the same kind.
When it was Naderah's turn to play the game, she defeated all of the enemies in a matter of time and as a skilled gamer, Naderah progressed through all challenges easily. During the entire game, Naderah's level of arousal was at moderate level. But when she passed through each major challenges which is to face the boss, her level of arousal increased and so does her interest to keep on playing the game in order to face even greater challenges. However, we had to stop playing after we have completed the first chapter to give room for the next group to use the PS4.
To conclude our gaming experience, Azlina had a great time playing the game and was interested to play again in the future just so she could practice her gaming skills. As for Naderah, playing just the first chapter of the game was not enough for her because she desired to face more challenges in the game that is up to her skill level. Hence, she was interested to proceed the chapters in the game some other time just so she could explore other game mechanics offered and to know the storyline better.
