New research into nonviolent video games suggests that games promoting storytelling over action may have prosocial benefits for people with autism.

Share on Pinterest Clinicians and software developers could develop game-based treatment aids for people with autism spectrum disorders, the researchers suggest.

Previous research has suggested that when games satisfy the social needs of the player, motivation to continue playing is boosted and the players report a more immersive experience and enhanced well-being.

“The motivation to engage in and enjoy video games corresponds with principals that apply to human motivation in general,” says Daniel Bormann of the University of Freiburg in Germany.

“For instance,” he adds, “successful game franchises offer players a spectrum of meaningful choices to shape the game’s narrative and environment, provide carefully balanced challenges, or encourage players to experience social connectedness and meaningful social interactions.”

For their new study, published in the journal Social and Personality Psychology Science, Bormann and colleagues wanted to investigate whether this immersion is fostered by storytelling and whether it affects players’ ability to assess the mental states of other people.

To do this, the authors randomly assigned participants to play one of two games – “Gone Home” or “Against the Wall.”

In “Against the Wall,” the players were required to scale an infinite wall in a surreal landscape. “Gone Home,” meanwhile, is a story-based game where the player adopts the role of a female American college student who has returned from a year abroad to find her family missing and their home empty.

Following a 20-minute play period, all participants took part in a task requiring them to assess the emotions behind facial expressions and completed a survey on the extent to which they experienced immersion and need-satisfaction while playing the game.