Meaningful gameplay experience eliciting suspense : a qualitative textual analysis of The Walking Dead: Season 1

Abstract

Both suspense and gameplay are well-researched topics, but the combination of them are not. The study presented in this master’s thesis helps to fill this gap in research. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 help to understand the complex and intertwined nature of game, player, and gameplay. Chapter 5 introduces four suspense types (anticipation of the startle, competitive suspense, empathetic suspense, and helpless spectator) and presents a new definition of suspense in video games as a subjective emotional experience of the player elicited from the combination of fear, hope, and uncertain outcome in response to the information acquired from the system combined to the player’s earlier knowledge. A multidisciplinary qualitative textual analysis of the meaningful gameplay experience eliciting suspense in The Walking Dead: Season 1 video game is conducted with the help of the guideline. The results show that the four suspense types occur during gameplay and are often overlapping resulting in a more intense gameplay experience. In addition, the results indicate new types of suspense, named anticipation of the action sequence, unintended player elicited suspense, and unintended system elicited suspense.