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The first door: gender, authority and choice in The Stanley Parable

Published:14 August 2017Publication History

ABSTRACT

While many videogames deploy a narrator as a companion or a foil for the player, the effect of narrator gender on players and player experience is understudied. The current study created a female-narrated version of the male-narrated casual game The Stanley Parable (TSP), and investigated player perceptions and behavioural responses to male versus female narrators. Participants (N=66) played TSP to reach a single ending and completed survey responses reflecting on their game experience. There were significant interactions between narrator and player gender, such that players tended to obey same-gendered narrators and to disobey opposite-gendered narrators at the first decision point in the game, controlling for prior familiarity with the game. There was a disparity between players' survey responses and their in-game decisions. Implications for the study of player experience are outlined.

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          FDG '17: Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games
          August 2017
          545 pages
          ISBN:9781450353199
          DOI:10.1145/3102071

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          • Published: 14 August 2017

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          FDG '17 Paper Acceptance Rate36of89submissions,40%Overall Acceptance Rate152of415submissions,37%
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