Perception vs. Reality: Challenge, Control And Mystery In Video Games

Long have studies attempted to bridge the gap between perception and reality for video games attributes. This study highlights the relationship between what a player perceives about certain game attributes (Challenge, Control and Mystery) and how those elements are actually portrayed in the game. We measured user perception with a post-game questionnaire and compared that to the answers of pointed questions about those attributes at different times during the game-play. We found high correlation for the Challenge attribute but lower correlation for the Control and Mystery attributes.