The Perfect Game
The Effect of Perfectionism and Performance on Game Experiences
Keywords:
perfectionism, gaming, performance, failure, nintendo, video games, Super Mario, computer gamesAbstract
Perfectionism is a multidimensional personality trait, characterised by concern over mistakes, unrealistic standards and critical self-evaluation. This research investigated the effects of perfectionism, game performance, and their interaction on gaming experience. Forty undergraduates were recruited for an in-person experiment. The study recorded participants’ perfectionism levels using an adapted version of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale - Brief (FMPS-B) (Burgess et al., 2016). Participants played Super Mario Run (Nintendo EPD, 2016), with a task and time limit, using success/failure as a measure of game performance. The Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) (IJsselsteijn et al., 2013) was used to measure the game experience. Game experience scores were compared between groups, across low and high perfectionism, and low and high game performance. Key findings included no relationship between game experience and perfectionism scores and no interaction effect between perfectionism and game performance on the game experience. The findings may suggest that those with high perfectionism do not possess the same concern over mistakes when playing games as they do in other task performance contexts, such as in academia, sport or in the workplace. A significant effect was found, however, between game performance and game experience score.
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