Preliminary exploration of tripartite social pain games: Expressions of feelings among three players and game mechanism design

Abstract: This study aimed to explore the social pain issues that school-age children may encounter when facing social challenges such as misunderstandings, exclusion, and bullying. To simulate social pain scenarios, we designed a three-player game mechanism to assist school-age children in building coping abilities through experiential learning and understanding. In the game design phase, we created game mechanisms involving misunderstandings, exclusion, and bullying, using a three-player ball-passing game to create corresponding situational atmospheres that simulated the experience of social pain. To avoid potential negative impacts on children through direct experimentation, we initially used adults as the experimental subjects. They participated in a three-player social pain game experience to gain preliminary insights into reactions in social pain situations. In the experiment, one participant and two informed players familiar with the game rules engaged in a ball-passing game, completing specific tasks to elicit social pain responses. Assessment tools included a social pain perception questionnaire and stress detection through Garmin wristbands to understand the participants’ physiological responses. Through recording and evaluation, we preliminarily explored the participants’ reactions, experiences, and empathy expressions when facing social pain. The results indicated that these three social pain mechanisms successfully elicited social pain experiences in the three-player game, while also stimulating participants’ empathy. This study provided preliminary research references for future applications of social pain games targeting children.

Keywords: Children, Three-player game, Social pain, Empathy skills, Social exclusion, Interpersonal interaction

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1005381

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