Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

First Person vs. Third Person Perspective in a Persuasive Virtual Reality Game: How Does Perspective Affect Empathy Orientation?

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
HCI in Games (HCII 2022)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 13334))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

Persuasive games, which use immersive technology to address social issues, appeal to player empathy by making them feel and understand the suffering of others. However, it remains ambiguous what type of empathy the player feels and for whom when experiencing a specific situation. We hypothesized that visual information regarding a distressed person obtained by the player influences the player’s empathic orientation towards the person, whereby we note that other-oriented empathy is a more useful psychological state for developing prosocial attitudes than self-oriented empathy. The purpose of this study was to preliminarily investigate which player perspective (first-person perspective vs. third-person perspective) is more effective in promoting other-oriented empathy towards a virtual character in persuasive VR games and to provide insight into the design of such games. In a between-subjects experiment (N = 12), participants played a persuasive VR game from each perspective, and their empathy orientation was investigated using a questionnaire. The results show that there was no significant difference in empathy orientation between the two conditions. The explanation may be that self-oriented empathy is mixed with attitude as a player, such as paying attention to the progress of the game.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Please note that this paper provides a more detailed description of our previous poster presentation [14].

References

  1. Arora, G., Milk, C.: Clouds over sidra. https://www.with.in/watch/clouds-over-sidra/. Accessed 18 June 2021

  2. Batson, C.D., Ahmad, N.Y.: Using empathy to improve intergroup attitudes and relations. Soc. Issues Policy Rev. 3(1), 141–177 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-2409.2009.01013.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bujić, M., Salminen, M., Macey, J., Hamari, J.: “Empathy machine”: how virtual reality affects human rights attitudes. Internet Res. 30(5), 1407–1425 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-07-2019-0306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Cho, J., Won, Y., Kothari, A., Fawaz, S., Ding, Z., Cheng, X.: INJUSTICE: interactive live action virtual reality experience. In: Proceedings of the 2016 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play Companion Extended Abstracts, pp. 33–37. ACM (2016). https://doi.org/10.1145/2968120.2968121

  5. Coke, J.S., Batson, C.D., McDavis, K.: Empathic mediation of helping: a two-stage model. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 36(7), 752–766 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.36.7.752

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Cuff, B.M., Brown, S.J., Taylor, L., Howat, D.J.: Empathy: a review of the concept. Emot. Rev. 8(2), 144–153 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073914558466

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Cummings, J.J., Bailenson, J.N.: how immersive is enough? A meta-analysis of the effect of immersive technology on user presence. Media Psychol. 19(2), 272–309 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2015.1015740

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. De La Pena, N.: Project Syria. Emblematic Group, USC School of Cinematic Arts, MxR Studio, U.S.A. (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Frome, J.: The ontology of interactivity. In: The Philosophy of Computer Games Conference (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Ganesh, A., Ndulue, C., Orji, R.: PERMARUN - a persuasive game to improve user awareness and self-efficacy towards secure smartphone behaviour. In: Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings, pp. 1–7. ACM (2021). https://doi.org/10.1145/3411763.3451781

  11. Hand, S., Varan, D.: Interactive stories and the audience: why empathy is important. Comput. Entertain. 7(3), 1–14 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1145/1594943.1594951

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Herrera, F., Bailenson, J., Weisz, E., Ogle, E., Zaki, J.: Building long-term empathy: a large-scale comparison of traditional and virtual reality perspective-taking. PLoS One 13(8), e0204494 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Ismail, I., Solomon, B.S.: The Displaced. The New York Times Magazine, U.S.A. (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Kambe, A., Nakajima, T.: Have the same perspective as someone else, so am I the person?: the effect of perspective on empathic orientation in virtual reality. In: 20th International Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Multimedia (MUM 2021). ACM (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Kors, M.J., Ferri, G., Van Fer Spek, E.D., Ketel, C., Schouten, B.A.: A breathtaking journey. On the design of an empathy-arousing mixed-reality game. In: Proceedings of the 2016 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play, pp. 91–104. ACM (2016). https://doi.org/10.1145/2967934.2968110

  16. Kors, M.J., et al.: The curious case of the transdiegetic cow, or a mission to foster other-oriented empathy through virtual reality. In: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1–13. ACM, New York (2020). https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376748

  17. Kors, M.J., Van Der Spek, E.D., Ferri, G., Schouten, B.A.: You; the observer, partaker or victim. Delineating three perspectives to empathic engagement in persuasive games using immersive technologies. In: Proceedings of the 2018 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play Companion Extended Abstracts, pp. 493–501. ACM (2018). https://doi.org/10.1145/3270316.3271547

  18. Levett-Jones, T., et al.: Measuring the impact of a ‘point of view’ disability simulation on nursing students’ empathy using the Comprehensive State Empathy Scale. Nurse Educ. Today 59, 75–81 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2017.09.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. ma34. NumaOtoko ha Dare da? (in Japanese, “Who’s the Swampman?”). https://ux.getuploader.com/trpgma34/download/13. Accessed 13 Jan 2021

  20. Matsunaga, S.: Video Ge-mu no Bigaku (in Japanese, “The Aesthetics of Videogames”). Keio University Press Inc. (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Matsuo, Y., Matsushita, H.: A review of Hoffman’s theory for empathic arousal. Bull. Train. Res. Cent. Clin. Psychol. 6, 104–112 (2017). https://doi.org/10.15027/23564

  22. Moyers, T.B., Houck, J., Rice, S.L., Longabaugh, R., Miller, W.R.: Therapist empathy, combined behavioral intervention, and alcohol outcomes in the COMBINE research project. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 84(3), 221–229 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000074

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Ndulue, C., Orji, R.: STD PONG: changing risky sexual behaviour in Africa through persuasive games. In: ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, pp. 134–138. ACM (2018). https://doi.org/10.1145/3283458.3283463

  24. Olapegba, P.O.: Empathy, knowledge, and personal distress as correlates of HIV-/AIDS-Related stigmatization and discrimination. J. Appl. Soc. Psychol. 40(4), 956–969 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00606.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Robson, J., Meskin, A.: Video games as self-involving interactive fictions. J. Aesthet. Art Critic. 74(2), 165–177 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1111/jaac.12269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Schutte, N.S., Stilinović, E.J.: Facilitating empathy through virtual reality. Motiv. Emot. 41(6), 708–712 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-017-9641-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Tavinor, G.: The Art of Videogames. Blackwell (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Tavinor, G.: What’s my motivation? Video games and interpretative performance. J. Aesthet. Art Critic. 75(1), 23–33 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1111/jaac.12334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Tong, X., Gromala, D., Ziabari, S.P.K., Shaw, C.D.: Designing a virtual reality game for promoting empathy toward patients with chronic pain: feasibility and usability study. JMIR Serious Games 8(3), e17354 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Ueda, M., Katsurada, E.: A review of research on empathic development: necessity of theories including positive empathy. Jimbun Ronkyu: Humanit. Rev. 69(1), 71–90 (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Van Lent, M.: Guest editor’s introduction: interactive narrative. IEEE Comput. Graph. Appl. 26(3), 20–21 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1109/MCG.2006.59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Van Loon, A., Bailenson, J., Zaki, J., Bostick, J., Willer, R.: Virtual reality perspective-taking increases cognitive empathy for specific others. PLoS ONE 13(8), e0202442 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202442

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Waseda University, Okubo 3-4-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Asha Kambe & Tatsuo Nakajima

Authors
  1. Asha Kambe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tatsuo Nakajima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Asha Kambe .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Xiaowen Fang

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Kambe, A., Nakajima, T. (2022). First Person vs. Third Person Perspective in a Persuasive Virtual Reality Game: How Does Perspective Affect Empathy Orientation?. In: Fang, X. (eds) HCI in Games. HCII 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13334. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05637-6_23

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05637-6_23

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-05636-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-05637-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation