The Influence of Color Stimuli on Adolescents' Emotion Playing Mobile Games

Video games elicit emotions which can be influenced by color stimuli as shown by previous studies. However, little research has been conducted on whether this applies to mobile games played by adolescents. Therefore, we examined the influence of color stimuli hue and saturation on mobile game play. Adolescents (n=21) played a mobile platformer game with varying hue and saturation per level for about 25 minutes. We gathered data on emotional states after each level using the Self-Assessment Manikin questionnaire, recorded time spent in each level, and collected participant self-reports on their video game experience. We performed statistical tests, such as ANOVA, which depict no significant influence of hue and/or saturation on the emotional state of our players. We conclude that it is possible that color alone is not an effective measure for eliciting emotion in mobile games, and further research is needed to consider measures such as time spent in the game and screen size, as these are unique to mobile games. There was a noticeable variance in emotional response between male and female players, with a significant interaction of hue and saturation among male players for valence ratings. This may be an indication that color preference influences perceived pleasantness.