You may remember a little while ago we had the opportunity to take part in the PowerWash Simulator Research Edition.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1290000/view/3409807423269852954?l=english
We would like to start off by thanking everyone that took part and helped us with this ????
The results of the Oxford Research study have come back and this study found that while playing PowerWash Simulator, 72% of players had an uplift in their mood
The PowerWash Simulator Research Edition was created in collaboration with the Oxford Internet Institute, part of the University of Oxford, to study the effects of playing video games on the mental health of players. Many people in our community have shared with us anecdotes about how relaxing and calming they find PowerWash Simulator, and this study was an exciting opportunity to gain some further insights into how our players feel while playing one of our games.
In this first-of-its-kind study, players volunteered to participate in research by donating their PowerWash Simulator play data and regularly reporting their mood in the game. The study concluded in March 2023, after an overwhelmingly positive participation rate, with over 8,695 players from 39 countries worldwide.
The final paper is now available and the researchers from Oxford have found that a predicted 72% of players experience an uplift in mood while playing PowerWash Simulator, based on statistical modelling of player data. Across 162,325 in-game mood reports from our players, the average player reported a more positive mood during play than at the start of each session.
Players consistently reported a higher mood after the first fifteen minutes of the play session compared to the start of each session, this change is comparable with changes seen in other leisure activities such as reading, shopping, or listening to music.
The research team from the Oxford Internet Institute carried out the study to understand more about the short-term effects of playing video games.
Lead author Assistant Professor Matti Vuorre, Tilburg University and Research Associate, Oxford Internet Institute said: “At present, short-term changes in video game players’ moods are poorly understood. Gameplay research frequently relies on artificial stimuli, with games created or modified by academic researchers, typically played in a lab environment rather than a natural context. Instead, we wanted to know how real play in natural contexts might predict player mood on short timescales.”
Unlike other studies in this field, the Oxford study is the first of its kind to examine changes in mood during play sessions in a minute-by-minute resolution. The research edition was nearly identical to the main game, with the addition of in-game pop-ups asking players to report their mood, delivered by a newly created character called ‘The Researchers’ making them part of the game lore, ensuring minimal disruption to the player experience.
James Butlin, one of our Lead Programmers here at FuturLab, led on this project and said: “Working with the team at Oxford Internet Institute was incredibly insightful! They were very supportive throughout and actively engaged with our challenge of designing a user experience that could deliver the study questions with minimal impact on the gameplay.”
We’re really proud to have been a part of this study and excited to see such positive results come from it. It has given us an insight into how our games affect the wellbeing of players and we hope to continue making games which provide our community with a satisfying, soothing experience. Thank you to everyone in our incredible community of players who took part in the research and volunteered their time to play the Research edition of PowerWash Simulator.
Until next time, have a great day Washers!
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