ISS 210 Society, the Individual, & Video Games (W4)

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 20

Chapter III: METHODOLOGY

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The purpose of this research is to assess and describe the emotional responses of

teenagers after they play “Papers, Please,” a game displayed at the EMP’s Indie Game

Revolution exhibit. In order to achieve this outcome, data was collected through a mixed

methods approach.

Participants

Participants of this study were recruited from the Youth Advisory Board of the EMP

Museum and the Discovery Corp of Pacific Science Center, both based in Seattle, Washington.

Past work done by Nina Simon (2010) expressed that when it comes to socializing with

strangers, teenage interest and participation is low. Understanding the discussion of emotions and

feelings would potentially make any form of dialogue even more difficult, this study allowed

teens to participate either individually, in pairs, or triads, dependent on their comfort level.

Participants were given the opportunity to choose pseudonyms to ensure anonymity in the

analysis of their emotional responses to “Papers, Please”. All data collection took place in the

participants’ own respective museums in order to provide a space where teenagers could “hang

out” with their friend(s), play a video game, and converse after gameplay (Ito et al., 2008). A

total of thirteen teenagers were interviewed for this study.

METHODS

Recognizing the work of Falk and Gillespie (2009) in their research on the role of

emotion in science center visitor learning, this research attempted to replicate their methods of

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 21

utilizing the Russell Affect Grid as a descriptive means to discuss emotional self-reports of

teenagers, as well as implementing a semi-structured interview post-gameplay. The Russell

Affect Grid was utilized through a one-group pre- and post-gameplay self-assessment. All

interviews were conducted post-gameplay.

INSTRUMENTS

The Affect Grid is a nine-point scale measuring two dimensions of emotion: pleasure -

displeasure (valence) and high arousal - sleepiness (arousal)(Russell, 1989). The Affect Grid

“was designed to record judgments about single instances of affect” (p. 493). Following the

methods, this study used the modified instrument altered by Falk and Gillespie (2009) to

measure the emotional status of teenagers at a particular moment. Modifications included

simplification of text on the grid and the addition of a brief description of the meaning of the two

axes and how to properly mark and interpret the instrument. After the introduction and

description of the instrument, and followed by a practice self-report, participants in this study

were asked to place an “x” in the grid where they perceived their emotional status fell.

Participants were asked to complete a self-report prior to playing “Papers, Please,” and once

again after playing the game providing data for pre- and post-reports. Following the pre-report of

emotional status, participants played “Papers, Please” for 20-25 minutes before being stopped.

Using this setting, participants were provided five minutes of exploratory observation in

the game, allowing for mechanism understanding (i.e. knowing what buttons to push, what is

expected of the player from a game playing perspective). This study limited gameplay to 20-25

minutes to ensure proper understanding of the game, allowing for understanding of the narrative,

and following similar game studies protocols of gameplay time limitations (Birchal and Henson,

2011; Gentile et al, 2009). After gameplay and the completion of the self-report Russell Affect

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 22

Grid, teenagers participated in semi-structured interviews. Interview questions were influenced

by the methods of Falk and Gillespie (2009) and included having participants recount the

narrative of the game prior to discussing their emotions. Interviews were audio recorded and

designed to be completed in 30-45 minutes. All interviews were administered in a conversational

tone as this method is considered to be “the least threatening way of conducting

interviews…[and] can be a valuable tool for probing a subject’s feelings” (Diamond, 1999, p.

87). Recognizing the subjective nature of this study and the focus of emotions in youth, the

interviews and discussions attempted to avoid the pitfalls of using a standardized definition with

regards to speaking about what emotions the participants were feelings, and allowed the

participants to tell their reaction and responses of the game through their own interpretations

(Niederhoffer and Pennebaker, 2009).

In order to leave interviews as unbiased as possible, the intent behind the creation of the

game or the description of the game were withheld, allowing participants to define and describe

the game as they chose. Participants were also asked to retrospectively describe what they

thought the games’ focus was prior to gameplay, what they felt at various points of the game,

describe why they may have felt that way, and if concepts of the game parallel movements or

issues in current society.

ANALYSIS

Data acquired through the self-report Russell affect grid were scored as two nine-point

Likert-type scales, with one score for valence and another for arousal. All data was initially

entered in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and imported into IBM SPSS software. Through this

method, averages for both pre- and post-reports were analyzed as supplementary to the semi-

structured interviews.

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 23

All commentary during gameplay, as well as each participant’s responses to the interview

questions were transcribed into Microsoft Word documents and then imported into the

qualitative data research software, NVivo. Using this software, reoccurring themes and keywords

from the interviews were coded, through which trends in discussion and emotional responses

were identified and discussed.

LIMITATIONS

The research and analysis of emotion assessment in games provides challenges

depending on the methodology used for data collection. The use of both predictive inference

(top-down such as tests or subjective questionnaires) and diagnostic inference (bottom-up such

as physiological or behavioral measurements like eye movement) method approaches improve

emotion recognition accuracy (Ifenthaler, Eseryel, & Ge, 2012). However, understanding that

diagnostic inference would not be possible due to the length of time needed for this type of

research, it was decided that an assessment and descriptive approach to research would be more

beneficial in exploring emotional responses of youth in a museum setting. As this study is also

considered exploratory in nature, limitations on sample size influenced quantitative analyses of

the data.

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 24

Chapter IV: RESULTS & DISCUSSION

INTRODUCTION

The results of this study are summarized and further implications discussed in this

chapter. All interview questions were analyzed and grouped into themes. Those themes are

elaborated upon under the three guiding research questions of this study. The game “Papers,

Please” is described in order to provide context for the findings and all participants of the study

are referred by their chosen pseudonyms for anonymity purposes.

PLAYING WITH IMMIGRATION

The narrative of “Papers, Please” is set in the fictional world of Soviet-like Arstozka in

1982 where the player takes on the role of an immigration official responsible for the traffic in

between Arstozka and the recently annexed neighboring country of Kolechia. While the initial

premise of the game seems simple, controlling who crosses the border, societal issues of the

Cold War atmosphere begins to creep into the narrative forcing players to either honor morality

and be punished, allow for human trafficking, face fears of terrorism, all while attempting to

make enough credits to keep the border inspector’s family fed. With a variety of choices the

player can perform, over twenty possible endings can be provided ranging from the success of

maintaining a clear border-control record (as determined by the government), to imprisonment in

a work camp, to even death (Cobbett, 2013). “Papers, Please” was created by Pope as an

opinionated statement in reaction to contemporary issues of immigration and as an expression of

personal experience, albeit the game is set in a fictional world. However, with the focus on social

realism, it is difficult to separate the world of Arstozka from the recent past of the very real Cold

War and the current conversations revolving around immigration in the United States

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 25

(Constantini, 2013).

RESEARCH QUESTION 1: DISCUSSING GAME CONTENT AND CONCEPTS OF

“PAPERS, PLEASE”

MECHANICS AND NARRATIVE

When discussing emotions in games, two concepts are often discussed or implied, and

those are game emotions (emotions revolving around mechanisms of the game) and narrative

emotions (emotions revolving around the story the game). For all thirteen teenagers involved in

this study, the concept of the game became clear in that “Papers, Please” focused on ideas of

immigration and border control. In some fashion or another, teenagers fixated on their role as the

border inspector in the game and often discussed the daily occurrences of their “work day.” As

Yaan explained the concept of the game:

So my job was to take in people’s papers and their passports into a country that just

opened its borders up. And I either had to deny them or approve their passport depending

on each level, kind of went from entry ticket to permit to identity card.

As the teens continued to describe the content of the “Papers, Please,” they themselves,

unbeknownst to game theory or the literature surrounding game and narrative emotions, also

divided their exploration of gameplay into the two camps. Their conversations around emotional

responses revolved around these two ideas, which was consistent throughout all aspects of these

findings.

For some teenagers, these mechanics of the game—understanding what to do, the rules of

the technology (i.e. click here, move that), and the objective of the game (letting the right people

into the country)—rather than the narrative became more influential to their gameplay

experience. For these teenagers, the requirement of being the border inspector included much

thought, precision, and proved difficult at times. Sprite described “Papers, Please” as an

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 26

“attention game, where you have to pay attention and see if their passport matches their identity

and who they are and you have to question it…and it’s up to you, so it’s all in your hands…”

Teens that had similar descriptions of the game gave clear, concise, steps of what they did during

gameplay and the repercussions of their actions through their recount of the game. For some

teens, immediate reactions to the pressure of the game and its rules became evident early in the

conversations. For Johnny, “Papers, Please” “was a very stressful game. You had to get approved

by the government, and if you didn’t, you get an infraction of five dollars a.k.a. five credits. And

it sucks.” Taevioen emphasized their concept of the game as having “[o]verwhelming odds of the

amount of work to be done,” while Jenkins often claimed she felt powerless and consumed while

playing.

In contrast to the focus of the game mechanics, a few teens focused on the narrative of

the game, including comments that discussed family, the terrorist threat the player experienced

as a border inspector, and even spoke of analogous scenarios of real-life situations that paralleled

events in the game. Yaan examined the idea that everything had to be in order and

lined up perfectly. I never understood how hard that actually is. And now I’m like ok,

those jobs are really hard and they, you, you can get killed for that, and now my children

and my wife and my in-laws were starving and sick…It reminded me a lot of the whole

East Berlin/West Berlin thing, it was after World War II and when the country was split

up, and Germany was split up…

Juneau likened “Papers, Please” to the “TSA in a country somewhat like the Soviet

Union…There’s serious regulations on everything so it’s very strict.” For Malcolm X, the ideas

and content behind “Papers, Please” were very real and authentic. He elaborated, “I think this

stuff, it happened, this happened in real life. It happens in real life like back in the day probably.

People trying to illegally come to countries and stuff.”

“I DIDN’T EXPECT IT TO BE THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF MOST [GAMES]”

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 27

For all thirteen teenagers, “Papers, Please” was a clear delineation from the games they

played during their own pastime. All teenagers in the study had misconceptions about what they

thought the game would resemble. Three youth thought the game would focus around paper

airplanes, one thought the game would be similar to a Mario game, another like Pac-Man, and

the rest did not have preconceived ideas of what the game or the narrative would entail. Yet each

of them made remarks that they did not expect a game “like that”. In the interview with Sprite,

he made a comment that succinctly echoed many of the remarks of his peers. He stated, “The

title was like “Papers, Please,” so I was thinking it would be like not, that. I wasn’t thinking it

was going to be a game where you ask someone for a passport…you check it out ‘cause you

don’t really hear about games like that in like today’s era…” And to a degree, Sprite was correct.

Traditionally, games created for audiences focused on the idea of “fun” to engage their

consumers. “Papers, Please,” as an indie game, is a game that is different from that, and these

teenagers experienced this first hand. Lisa and Sage, who played the game together, discussed

the concept of catharsis in games during their interview. Within their conversation, catharsis was

defined as a form of liberation from reality, and while they acknowledged that games have the

capacity to make one feel something, “Papers, Please” did not allow their attention to be freed

from their actions in the game, despite the game’s repetitive nature. Instead, these teens were

forced through gameplay to make decisions and be aware of those decisions. They said:

Lisa: Well, most games have some sort of, I don’t if catharsis is the right word, but they

want to make you think about something or feel something, and this game definitely put

me in a position that I didn’t want to be in…So yeah, it was interesting. The objective or

like the purpose of the game, I think mostly just trying to put you in a position of having

to follow rules even when you don’t completely feel comfortable with it. I guess.

Sage: …I think you’re right, the point of games is to be cathartic. And I think like, this

wasn’t at all, just because I, it’s the same thing about like, we would just follow the rules

each time so to me, it wasn’t like a real action or wasn’t something that was distracting

from my thoughts or anything like that just because it was so monotonous. But I think

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 28

there must be like some element of social commentary or something to it otherwise, like,

like there must be more to it than just like stamping passports.

Yaan, who was familiar with the concept of indie games identified “Papers, Please” as

different from most games and recognized the actions during gameplay would need some form

of mindful effort. Yaan’s familiarity with indie games did not hinder or help them, and similar to

the remaining teens, also voiced various opinions of the game and referenced the experience as

unpleasant.

RESEARCH QUESTION 2: EMOTIONAL RESPONSES TO “PAPERS, PLEASE”

PROMINENT MOMENTS IN GAMEPLAY

For some teenagers, aspects of prostitution, human trafficking, oppression and terrorism

became the most salient aspects of the game narrative, creating an environment described as

gross, unpleasant, and weird. Johnny remarked that the area “seemed like it was a hotspot for

terrorists. I noticed that every couple minutes a terrorist wanted to kill them.” Two teenagers also

likened the oppressive state of the game to a Hitler-like Germany. For others, the aesthetics

(music and artistic style) of the game became the element that influenced their gameplay, often

discussing the music for setting the desolate and intense mood of the game and the somber color

palette for enforcing an oppressive atmosphere. One teen even related the game to drowning. He

said he felt as if he was “in the ocean or something, and you had weights on you that so you

could swim up just to enough, just to get one breath of air, but then you keep going down, down,

down further…”

For three teens, their commitment to the rules of the game and following directions was

also hindered by the need for detail in their decisions. Mistakes in gameplay often turned into

government infractions and penalty costs and despite the players’ commitment to the mechanics

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 29

of the game, discussions around narrative and emotional responses slowly developed within the

conversations. Sam explained that the “fact you made so little money, but you still had to support

your family and stuff, like that kind of stood out to me…It’s a lot to take in and try to support

someone on top of doing all that, it just got stressful.” and Steve remarked that he had to be…

…more vigilant on discrepancies because I guess, I make money off of doing that and if I

didn’t do well I lost my job and got arrested. I would say maybe like, I had my family

involved or like the player, and he had a family involved…and then I’m like ok, why did

they (the developers) choose a family instead of like they could, the person could have

been alone, or with maybe a girlfriend or some kind of spouse, or even a pet. But they

chose a family out of all things, which is more responsibility. And shows that you have a

relationship with more than one person…

For three teens, the fact that “Papers, Please” was a game also limited the types of

emotions they experienced. What reactions they did have were often due to game mechanics,

including making the right choice, making the choice quickly enough, and making the choice

perfectly without any infractions, and thus the emotional responses they encountered were

limited to frustration, confusion, stress, and anger at the system of the game rather than the

narrative. These responses were often directed at lack of instruction on behalf of the game, too

much text and therefore too much reading, and anger at oneself for the lack of attention to the

game. Perhaps this “it’s just a game” mentality hindered these teenagers from taking a deeper

view into the narrative, or perhaps prevalent exposure to video games also desensitized teenagers

from taking anything of value from a game, other than entertainment. As G. Herbo stated:

At first I was frustrated ‘cause I kept getting those ticket things and I didn't know what to

do…but once I figured it out, it was just back to casual…I was kind of like nonchalant. I

was just playing a game, but I didn't treat it like any more serious or less than... It's just a

game. Like games are meant to be played. They're for fun, so. I don't make it more

serious than it has to be.

However, for a handful of teenagers, “Papers, Please” became more than a game. It became an

avenue to talk about their personal experiences with immigration.

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 30

IMMIGRATION AS A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

For one individual in particular, an instant personal connection between the narrative and

their personal experience became evident before any concept of emotional response was

discussed. They drew on their own heritage as a child of an Austrian immigrant to help make

sense of the game. They said, “I am Austrian-American so I’ve had my family tell me about this

stuff and just kind of playing it and even though it’s a fictional world, the game still for me has

this odd, not exactly like an appeal, but I’m drawn to it.” And they were not alone. As

conversations in each interview focused on the various elements of the game and began

introducing the topic of emotions and feelings while playing, it became very clear which

teenagers identified as children of immigrants, as they made very poignant remarks about their

own experiences with immigration.

Lisa and Sage also identified as first-generation Americans born in the United States.

Although Sage initially credited the repetitive nature of the game as the reason for her boredom,

she began to steer the conversation away from her emotions on the game and began focusing

more on her personal experience, her parents’ experiences, and the effect it had while travelling

in a post-9/11 world. She mentioned that as she was playing the game:

…the first thing I thought of was the date, 1982. I think, I don't know when my parents

immigrated here, but it was sometime in the 80s…Yeah. So, it's funny that we're on the

other side. Like both of us are immigrant children and we're on the other side of that.

That was the first thing I thought of…I guess it’s a little nuanced ‘cause post 9/11 era and

I look pretty like, like I look kind of Middle Eastern so, that’s kind of a weird thing. [W]e

would get stopped at airports a lot, like my dad, like every single time will get probably

checked, like it was really bad for a while. Now it’s not as bad, but like before, it was

pretty bad.

Lisa related “Papers, Please” with a family trip to Canada. In Lisa’s interpretation, the fact that

her mother was not of the white or Caucasian race meant that she was susceptible to inspection

by security and although she said she herself never experienced any form of prejudice, the

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 31

prejudice against her parents was very resonant in her mind. In her words:

I actually had a recent, we went to Canada over mid-winter break and when we were

crossing the border to come on back from Canada into the U.S., U.S. going into Canada

it's a breeze, like they don't generally, it's totally fine. But Canada coming back to the

U.S., this has never happened to any of us before, actually it happened to my mom, but

I've never experienced it, but they asked if we had food, and we said yes and they ended

up having to search our entire car and I understand that it's like, that's a standard

procedure, but if my mom was a U.S. citizen and if she was white, they probably

wouldn't have suspected anything…but we ended having to wait the immigration office,

or not the immigration office, the border security place for a while. And they were just

very rude, and it was just a weird experience…trying to prove yourself …

Lisa continued to express how her father was also a victim of prejudice while in another country,

because he looked different, had cancer and was therefore carrying medicine in an airport. She

recalled having her family stopped, and her father searched because of his condition, and even

through her interpretation, questioned the process of immigration in the U.S. She stated, “…it

kind of makes you think about, the difference between us and them, the U.S. and you know,

everywhere else and how strict the U.S. is about immigration and things like that.”

GAMING AS SOCIAL COMMENTARY

Although the majority of all teens did not identify as children of immigrants, two

teenagers claimed they felt as if they were playing with a statement, whether that was a political

point interpreted from the game or a social commentary they felt was being expressed. Jenkins

even expressed that she felt like she was no longer playing with a game and instead was

interacting with a simulation, and to some extent the game was teaching her about immigration.

She said:

I feel like it's kind of, more of like a representation than a like, I didn't really feel like I

was playing a game, I feel like I was interacting with a…sim...Interacting with like a

point. Like it was teaching me, but I wasn't playing. I don't know if that makes sense.

Like it seemed really clear to me that what I was looking at was like making a point to

me over and over again and not necessarily that like I had anything to do with what, what

it was doing. Like I said, like having no impact on what goes on.

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 32

RESEARCH QUESTION 3: PARTICIPANT’S ROLES AND CHOICES IN “PAPERS,

PLEASE”

AGENCY IN “PAPERS, PLEASE” (OR LACK THEREOF)

Games are unique in their form of engagement, as they often have the capacity to

encourage agency and offer feelings of empowerment to its players. As teenagers were asked

what it felt like to be able to decide who was able to cross the border into the fictional world of

Arstotzka, four major themes developed. These themes revolved around the feeling of power and

satisfaction in following the rules, the desire to break the rules of the game, the feeling of

disempowerment in the game, and the concept of family and personal experiences.

Three teenagers who maintained their connection to the mechanics of the game felt as if

they were just following rules. They explained their method of approving and denying people

was based on the instructions of the game, and any form of defiance or of breaking the rules

often meant penalties. Through their understanding, infractions and penalties equated to losing.

G. Herbo stated:

I like order in a way. In a way I do what I want, I don't really like being told to do like, I

like ordering things and to be organized, not have to process things on the fly…I find it

easier when I just like, when I'm given an objective, I find it easier to go obtain.

For Sprite, choosing who was allowed to go in Arstotzka provided a sense of power and a

sense of agency. He had the choice to approve and deny passports, which satisfied his role as the

player. He stated that “Papers, Please” made him feel, “…as if I had a source of power, which is

kind of like, good because people play games and they want to have that power because you're in

a world that you control.” But even Sprite, as he continued discussing his ideas of power in

“Papers, Please” explored the idea that his limited experience with power in the game was

clouded by the need to pay for rent, food, water, and provide care for a fictional family.

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 33

One teen who felt constricted by the lack of choices in the game attempted to “prompt

some response from the computer,” by making choices not based on the rules of the game but

rather because she wanted her own agency. And there were other teens who were so disturbed by

the confinements of the rules, they felt as if whatever choice they made, the decision was already

predetermined, regardless of whether they felt for a character in the game, whether they wanted

to spend their money as they saw fit, or wanted to make a difference. It was also through this

anger and frustration at the game that Johnny began relating the game to his perceptions of his

reality in the United States. He said:

I felt Pissed off. Pissed off, but then, well because I don't know, I like to feel like I can

control something and not be told what to do. Like, that's how you work, but I feel I want

a little bit more freedom and it makes me upset because it's like I know this is happening

in the world, and it's like, it's not fair. I mean, U.S. isn't perfect, but we get almost

freedom. Somewhat.

For three teenagers, the idea of family and personal experiences within the context of the

game became influential forces in the decisions they made while playing. Not surprisingly, these

three teens had previously identified as children of immigrants. These teens discussed the idea

that family is important, regardless of the parameters of “Papers, Please.” Yaan explained their

reasoning behind their gameplay decisions:

…I was the one allowing people to go through, it’s a really big moment for some people,

they were like waiting to get over that border, and it's my job. And yah, I got paid a

penalty if I got it wrong,…but I'd rather just let people go through and have my penalty

be on me, ‘cause like letting five people go through to visit family is a lot more important

than me surviving.

Interestingly, these youth also positioned themselves in the role of the border inspector,

exploring the idea of potentially having to refuse their own parents from entering into the United

States. Lisa expressed her thoughts in a profound way as she said,

…I was thinking during the game, like oh what if this is a real-life situation? And it's

really hard to detach yourself from a job like that just because you know, we were both

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 34

immigrant children, so like we're thinking about, oh what if this was our parents and we

had to deny our parents from you know, coming into the U.S. or something. And I don't

know, it's just very...trying to think of an emotion that I felt...it's just kind of strange and

not, I just felt bad the entire time. It makes like a separation between like us and them.

RELATING “PAPERS, PLEASE” TO REALITY

Despite whether teens were emotionally engaged through the mechanics or the narrative

of “Papers, Please,” all teens were able to relate the game to some aspect of the real world,

whether that was through personal experiences or through trends they felt were currently

unfolding in society. Several teens likened “Papers, Please” to current day Russia and North

Korea. Although these youth adamantly admitted they didn’t watch the news, they also said they

heard about the conditions of these two countries and the ways they treated their neighboring

countries, their association with communism, and thus their interpretation of these countries in

relation to the game. Two teens discussed classmates at their respective school, focusing on the

lack of awareness when their peers discussed concepts of race and immigration. And yet another

teen discussed the current strife between Palestine and Israel, focusing on the forced removal of

Palestinians in Israel. In his interpretation of “Papers, Please” to this issue he said:

My opinion of the issue with Palestine and Israel, I think Palestinians are the victims no

matter what. I don’t care way anybody says, it’s just like their people being pushed out of

their country and now they just have two little strips of land, so it kind of makes me

feel…I know people in Palestine, some of them live in Israel and they fought hard to get

there, so that kind of reminded me of it ‘cause you know you can get denied…

Lastly, two teenagers discussed the overall idea of immigration in the United States and

the prejudice that often ensues in such situations. Of these two teens, one never discussed the

concept of identity. However, after playing “Papers, Please,” he expressed his ideas of current

forms of segregation in the U.S. and traveling to Canada. He mentioned the game made him

think about first impression decisions and the idea that every person makes these judgements. In

contrast, one youth did identify as Indian-American. She elaborated on her experience when

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 35

traveling abroad to visit family, recalling moments when her family would be interrogated for

being different and for being judged. She said “they always check our passports and they look at

our face and ask us questions like about where are you going, what are you doing and it was an

interrogation thing there too…” This duality of experiences between the two teens was unique,

although they never met and participated in this study in separate interviews. These youth were

able to provide singular perceptions around the ideas of prejudice. Although they referenced

similar concepts, one teenager reflected on her personal experience, while the other reflected on

the same ideas although in a less personal way, providing an insightful interpretation around

prejudices as they relate to these teen participants.

A QUANTITATIVE APPROACH TO EMOTIONS

Although many teens who participated in the study often referenced the gameplay of

“Papers, Please” as boring, repetitive, and monotonous, the interviews that took place after

playing the game all implied that these teens took some meaningful interpretation from the game.

Whether these youth discussed their profound personal experiences as a child of an immigrant,

explored their own perceptions of immigration and prejudice, to even understanding that choices

have consequences and these consequences can affect emotions interpreted through the lens of

game emotions, all teens explored their own individualistic emotional responses. Data from the

Russell Affect Grid, which was administered before and after playing “Papers, Please” provided

a unique perspective in how the teens’ emotional statuses changed after playing. With regards to

arousal, the average score across all teenagers did not report any significant change from pre-

gameplay (5.08) to post-gameplay (5.0). In contrast, valence decreased from an average score of

5.38 pre-gameplay, to an average score of 4.69 post-gameplay.

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 36

While these numbers do imply some level of engagement with the game through a quantitative

lens, it is difficult to infer much from these numerical results as some teens reported drastic

changes either on arousal, or valence, or both, and some teens reported no changes at all. And of

the teens that individually reported drastic changes, half identified as children of immigrants and

half did not, therefore not providing any conclusive information about these numerical results.

While the Russell Affect Grid was an exploratory attempt at using a quantitative method to

Pre

5.08 Post

5.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

8.00

9.00

Figure 1. Average measure of arousal (where 1 = tired and

9 = alert) pre and post-gameplay.

Pre

5.38 Post

4.69

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

8.00

9.00

Figure 2. Average measure of valence (where 1 = unpleasant feelings and

9 = pleasant feelings) pre and post-gameplay.

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 37

assess emotional responses, no significant changes were seen overall in pre- and post-gameplay.

However, future research may be able to implement such a tool if a bigger sample size were

acquired.

PLAYING WITH IMMIGRATION IN MUSEUMS

The only thing that could be said with certainty about this study is that these youth each

had distinct and individual experiences while playing “Papers, Please.” And although each of

their emotional responses were unique to the individual and their life experiences, some claimed

the experience of gameplay was depressing. Even so, nearly all teens agreed that museums

ought to utilize games similar to “Papers, Please” in their institutions. How that would be

implemented however varied amongst the youth. The two teens who did not agree that this

would be beneficial to a museum setting referenced the monotony of the game, stating the time

commitment needed to even understand the game would discourage museum visitors from

playing for extended periods of time.

Of the teenagers who did agree that “Papers, Please” or a similar game could be used in

an informal setting, three youth discussed the potential context of the exhibit or the museum

where the game would fit best. These teenagers reported that an exhibit focused on the topic of

immigration or border control would be the best method of utilizing the game. They strongly

agreed that a game producing such emotional responses must be placed within a context that

supports the same topic. However, the four youth who recommended the context of the exhibit

also agreed that the approach be discussed through a historical lens, and according to their

interpretations, placed within a historical museum.

In addition, three teenagers were big proponents of playing with interactives. They had

the mindset that if a game is present, people will play it, despite the fact that it is a game that

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 38

focuses on a serious topic and the game itself “is not fun.” Taevioen stated:

People will naturally play games and they like interactive things and they start playing

and they’ll be like, ‘What is this?’ and they get through and all their family dies and they

go ‘oh.’ And they might have, or even invested, even playing twenty minutes, like,

you’re very into the game at that point. I think it would be possible to use it in a couple

different kinds of museums. The negative reaction would be, I think, as important as the

positive reaction people get…

And Sage, who was unsure about the potential for “Papers, Please” in a museum setting, voiced

her concerns about the vagueness of the game. Perhaps it was because of how she identified, as a

child of an immigrant or a person of color that she became concerned over how the public would

interpret the game, but through her concerns she made the comment:

I want to make sure, I don’t know, I like abstract things but I, for something like social

commentary, things just need to be more direct so the lesson is the correct lesson. ‘Cause

I don’t want someone to come out with more ignorance than like, ‘cause you know that

sometimes happens right? You show a film, it’s kind of artsy, but’s talking about some

social justice issue and people come out like more racist than they were before. So, I

don’t want that to happen.

Jenkins had a similar concern, and through her conversation she came to the conclusion that the

purpose of “Papers, Please” was not to have fun, but instead to make people aware of a situation

and an issue. She admitted that people who played the game may not always understand the

point, but the game is not intended to make people understand, but rather to become aware.

Along the same vein, Lisa made a similar comment. A comment very nuanced for the position

museums see themselves currently. She said:

I think the point of museums is to showcase things that can be controversial and can be

like vague about things and it’s up to the people who go to the museum and interpret it

their own way and of course yes, there is going to be people who come out of the

museum thinking, maybe something different from the start, I don't know, something like

this game, I don't think you can necessarily have your mind changed that easily or that

strongly from the game. Uh, yah it's definitely important to showcase more things like

this at museums because it makes more of statement and gives more of a reason to,

‘cause people want to go to museums to see things that they wouldn't be able to see at

like, you know, a city hall, or school, or something like that. The point of museums is to

be controversial.

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 39

CONTINUED DISCUSSIONS

With no definite consensus on the role of games in museums, this research sought to

explore and describe the emotional responses of teenagers after they played “Papers, Please.”

Thanks to the participation of thirteen teenagers from EMP’s Youth Advisory Board and Pacific

Science Center’s Discovery Corps, the findings suggest that games focusing on topics around

social issues, like immigration, have the potential to evoke not only narrative emotional

responses, but also encourages discussion of personal immigration experiences.

Teenagers involved in this study discussed many concepts of the game after playing,

from understanding the mechanics of the game and becoming aware of the minute details needed

to fully play, to examining the narrative of “Papers, Please” and exploring the implications it

might hold for character’s situation and family. Teenagers expressed their feelings of stress and

being overwhelmed with the amount of work required of them to play, as well as frustration over

the limited choices afforded to them within the narrative. And most unexpectedly to these youth,

that “Papers, Please” even existed and that there could be a game focused on immigration and

that such a game encourages conversation about the implications of such an issue.

Although it was difficult for teens to pinpoint specific moments in the game that

encouraged an emotional response, teens often cited aspects of prostitution, human trafficking,

poverty, illness, and overall immigration topics and moments that elicited emotional distress.

Teens expressed their opinions of the overall oppressive nature of the game and the use of art

and music within the game that encouraged such an intense environment. When discussing

emotions in the game in general, many teens explored aspects of family, not only within the

framework of “Papers, Please,” but often citing their own personal experiences with their

families and how they experienced immigration on a personal level. For some teenagers, this

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 40

game was an avenue to discuss these personal moments in life and to explore the idea that games

can be made as a statement or as social commentary to a bigger situation.

With the understanding that games have a capacity to empower their players, many of the

teenagers in this study often felt powerless, without agency, and in general felt helpless about the

situation unfolding within the game. For the few teens who identified as children of immigrants,

they expressed concern over the realness of the game, and even allowed their choices within the

fictional world to be influenced by their own personal stories, drawing on their family’s

experiences of immigration, prejudice, and even racism.

Teenagers in general likened “Papers, Please” to various aspects of real situations both in

the United States and abroad. For some teenagers, this relation to reality could be seen through

conversation with their classmates, through witnessing either first or second-hand the monotony

of repetitive jobs, to immigration in general, and even to conflicts they were aware of occurring

in North Korea, Russia, Palestine, and Israel. This ability to easily parallel “Papers, Please” to

current issues around immigration and prejudice was discussed in some aspect through all

interviews with the youth, providing unique insight into how these teenagers can create such

relations between a game, a fictional world, and their reality.

Although the insight through qualitative analysis provided fascinating information in how

the youth used and understood “Papers, Please,” as a result of the sampling size, in no way are

findings conclusive. Data from the Russell Affect Grid cannot be used to interpret for certainty if

emotions can be measured from this particular game through this particular instrument in this

particular study. However, from the discussions with the youth and their willingness to voice

ideas, beliefs, perceptions, and even emotions, it can be garnered that future research with a

Assessing Emotional Responses of Teenagers 41

bigger sample size may provide not only more generalizable results, but the level and depth to

explore how immigration can be discussed through innovative methods such as gaming.

Games in themselves are permanent fixtures to our contemporary culture and with the

advent of indie games, there is the possibility to continue this study with not only the topic of

immigration, but focusing on social issues around poverty, depression, cancer, sexuality, and

other social issues. And as a very perceptive teenager said, it is the role of museums to be

controversial. How controversial and in which ways do museum choose to exemplify this has yet

to be determined, but with the use of independent games as a starting point for discussion,

perhaps a method can be found.