Assessing the influence of color blindness on player engagement and emotional experience in digital games

Abstract

Color blindness is a visual impairment that primarily affects male individuals. People with color blindness cannot see colors in the same spectrum as normal vision, leading to visual inaccuracies and misunderstandings. Color blindness can negatively affect many areas of life, including the experience of digital games. In digital games, colors are often used to transmit important information, such as distinguishing enemies from allies or indicating targets. Individuals with color blindness may have difficulty interpreting these visual cues, making the game less enjoyable and even affecting their ability to play. Previous research on accessibility has rarely concentrated on the intersection of color blindness and digital gaming. This study aims to examine the relationship between game design and color blindness through a comprehensive literature review, find gaps in current research, and evaluate the gaming experiences of individuals with color blindness regarding performance, emotional responses, and engagement. This study employed a group experiment to understand the experience of color blindness. To achieve that we developed a game called Color Quest, which was played silently by 5 color-blind and 8 participants with normal color vision. The participants were then asked to fill out a feedback form. Additionally, color-blind individuals were asked to play the game a second time with sound. Players were instructed to record their screens during gameplay, and their faces were simultaneously video-recorded. Facial recordings were analyzed using Emotion AI to capture real-time emotional changes. The data was output in CSV format and visualized in PowerBI. The analysis revealed that color-blind individuals did not react less than those with normal vision, but their reaction rates increased when playing the sound-supported version. This suggests that auditory support is a significant factor in enhancing player engagement. In the feedback forms, color-blind individuals mostly rated the silent game experience as 'Neutral,' while the majority of normal vision individuals selected 'Very connected.' In other words, individuals with normal vision reported a more positive visual experience compared to those with color blindness. When playing the game with sound, most color-blind individuals chose 'Connected,' indicating that sound enhancements support the emotional connection to the game. In the silent version, color-blind participants had an average completion time of 275.4 seconds, compared to 248.3 seconds for normal-sighted players. Color-blind individuals made an average of 9.4 wrong moves throughout the game, while normal-sighted individuals made 7.6 wrong moves. These findings shows that color blindness negatively impacts player performance. These findings underscore the crucial role of visual design in games, impacting both player performance and experience. While the video analysis of color-blind individuals did not reveal a distinct negative trend, the feedback clearly indicates that color blindness does have a detrimental effect on the game experience. Importantly, the study also demonstrates the positive influence of auditory support on player experience, a key insight for game developers and researchers in the field of accessibility and game design. It is important to acknowledge that this study was conducted with a limited number of participants, and individual differences and experiences could have influenced the results. However, these initial findings provide a strong foundation for future research. By involving more participants, designing more comprehensive games, and implementing standardized conditions, we can expect more definitive and insightful results, further advancing our understanding of game accessibility and color blindness.