Revisiting Empathy Games Concept from User Comments Perspective

• Tânia Saraiva de Melo Pinheiro UFC
• Caio Cesar Valério UFMT
• Cristiano Maciel UFMT
• Kamila Rios da Hora Rodrigues USP
• Eunice P. dos Santos Nunes UFMT

Resumo

Among the types of games, incipient concepts about empathy games are found in the literature. Empathy is associated with a human ability to put oneself in the other's place, in the case of games, it can be associated with the fact that the player puts himself in the situation/role of the virtual characters. In this context, it is essential to conceptualize and characterize this type of game, to specify the components and the design process in this field. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to understand a concept of empathetic games based on the concept of empathy and the perception of users. The methodology started with a survey of aspects that emerged from the comments of users of four empathic games, grouping them into - technical, emotional, physiological, game theme, and several others. Afterwards, a bibliographic survey was carried out on observable components associated with the concept of empathy, called “expressions of empathy”, which could be identified in the users' comments, establishing components involving cognition, affection, behavior and perception. The presence of the aspects raised in the comments containing some expression of empathy signaled a characterization of empathetic games, which was compared with the bibliographical survey on the conceptualization of empathic games arriving at a version of the concept of empathic games described in the form of expressions of empathy. From these results, it is expected to contribute to game developers and designers about the concepts with artifacts and teachings that lead to the construction of a conceptual framework with characteristics of empathy.

Palavras-chave: Empathy, Digital Games, Empathic Games, Conceptual Framework