POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND FINE ARTS

Department of Architecture

A term paper entitled:

The Behavioral Impact of Video Games and the Role of
Architecture to Human Behavior

Submitted by:
LEONARDO, Angela Mae T.
BS Architecture 4-1

Submitted to:
Atty. Paul Ruiz Braga
Abstract

Change in technology is inevitable, so as the lifestyle of the people surrounded by

technology and the increase access of it. One area that is continually changing by the

advancement of technology is gaming and it used to revolutionize the gaming experience.

Not just for players, but also for technology companies and other inline sights.

As eSports is accepted and recognized as competitive sports and identified as

professional sport, players need to maintain their mental fitness and develop their mental

skills and performance as it is the most important role in eSports. Similar to traditional

sports, eSports also has different type of game which have different mechanics and

strategies. Studies show that each type of game gives different behavior that can affect

to the players’ mentality. Having their training spaces, the physical space also affect the

human’s behavior. Study shows that built environment gives perception and influence

human behavior. To further discuss the topic, this paper will focus on what are the

behavioral impact that can give by a different type of video game to the players, and the

role of architecture in human behavior.

Introduction

Today’s generation is living with full access to technology, it is due to the

continuous development and people are getting exposed to it emerges, one of it is the

video game. The video game is one of the most commonly enjoyed forms of entertainment

and it opens other opportunities in business, jobs, and as a profession, it actually became

a professional sport where the players are recognized as professional athletes which they

call e-athletes. However, the strategies and training of the players in eSports are different

from traditional sports. It is more on mental training than physical so the mentality of the

players is more affected. Other than mental training, the physical space can affect the

behavior of what cyberspace is giving to a person.

As traditional sports giving importance to the physical health of the athletes,

eSports athletes should also give mental care they needed. Giving them training spaces

that can achieve the proper level of mental fitness that include focus, wakefulness,

reaction time, clear, and strategic thinking is important to shape their value, develop their
competitive success, and balance the stress of the training as well as the improvisation

of their personal well-being and quality of life outside their performance or training spaces.

Understanding the players’ mentality can improve their awareness on what specific

emotional reaction they are expressing, providing mental skills and strategies necessary

to help them communicate efficiently and calmly with their team mates, perform better,

and improve their overall well-being.

Review of Related Literature

The nature of games can activate different parts of the brain. They activate the

cortical regions of the brain such as the frontal cortex, the sensory-motor cortex, the visual

cortex, and the subcortical areas (such as the amygdala and hippocampus), which play

a substantial role in emotions and cognition, and thus considerably contribute to the

personal behavior and cognitive functions (Aliyari et al., 2015; Lupien et al., 2005;

Smeets, Otgaar, Candel, & Wolf, 2008). Investigators who support the effects of video

games on the players verify their assumption by showing that, the player skills like

concentration; problem solving, imagination, and social behavior are changed, increased

or decreased, by changing the games requirements or levels. They measure the

concentration skill for example by considering the spatial results in shooter games, where

increasing or decreasing the spatial results of the player indicate of increasing or

decreasing of the player concentration. While the problem-solving skills can be measured

by considering the strategy games results, either increase or decrease. These studies

also investigate whether the video games have an effect on the player behaviors and

emotions during playing the game or after completing the game, for either short time or

long time (Quwaider et al., 2019).

The response that comes through playing a specific video game varies from player

to player depending on how the content of the video game is displayed and interpreted to

the player's mind. The personality of the player or any other person has a strong influence

on how they think and behaves under a certain condition. This, in turn, should be reflected

on their in-game behavior. According to some studies, players who play online games

have the same as the behaviors that they do in the real world. According to other study
that has studied this aspect medically, it worth mention that neurons in the human body

deal with the effects that happen when playing video games just as the same dealing with

the effects in the real world (Bayraktar & Amca, 2012). The effects that video games may

have on players' personalities can be positive, such as improving social skills, mental

skills and finding solutions. It can also be negative on the players' personalities, such as

violence, aggression, anxiety and stress. In following two sections we will discuss these

two impacts on the players’ personality ( Quwaider et al., 2019).

Many researches are now focusing their attention on the impact of video games

on players from the negative side like the aggression and social withdraw. However, there

is a need to study the positive side of the video games. There is no doubt that video

games play a major role in determining the motives of players, social effects, and

emotional state. Most of popular video games change in-game environment

dynamically which means that the behaviors of the players in-game may change with

that changes in the game itself. This leads the player to adapt with that changes, which

in turn can change the behavior of the player gradually. This means the player may

change his personality in real life and become more adaptive ( Quwaider et al., 2019).

Table 5: Benefits and Impact of Each Time of Games

Source: The Impact of Video Games on the Players Behaviors

From a more balanced perspective, many researchers defend the need to consider

the benefits of playing the video games. The authors in provide many studies that show

the positive effects of playing video games. The authors divide their study into four

domains: cognitive (e.g., attention), motivational (e.g., resilience in the face of failure),
emotional (e.g., mood management) and social (e.g., prosocial behavior) benefits. Table

above shows the major benefits of playing certain types of video games and the impact

of these types on many behaviors and emotions in the player life ( Granic et al., 2013).

Table 6: Effect of Each Type of Game

Source: The Impact of Video Games on the Players Behaviors

Table above shows the most important video game types with a simple definition

and popular example of each type. In addition, the table shows the extent to which each

video game type affects the emotional or behavioral state of the players' whether if it

positive or negative. However, the inability to cope with stress, affects the normal

performance of these systems, and impairs the order and coordination of the brain

functions (i.e. concentration, attention, decision making, memory, and learning),

(Anderson, Kludt, & Bavelier, 2011; Beylin & Shors, 2003; Lupien et al., 2005; Maheu,

Joober, & Lupien, 2005).

With all the behavior giving by the cyberspace, the physical space influences human’s

behavior in general, the design should respond to human needs and motivations and

speculate their behaviors, not only the perceptual processes but also the emotional

responses and actions. It should also include the human senses and how they function

for different stimuli. In other words, architecture is designed for the human senses

(Moneim, 2005). Architecture do influence human behavior in many ways. This is true
whether the environment is natural or man-made. Understanding the way in which

environments effect people could enable the design and construction of work, recreation

and living space that has the ability to influence people's behaviors (Majekodunmi, 2018).

Any definition or description of the environment has to be with reference to something

surrounded by either nature or manmade. It is also said that “architecture is the third skin”

of the human body, since the first skin is the real skin, which acts as the outer envelope

and the filter of the body, then the clothes that act as the second skin, which is also

considered as an insulation and filter. “So people’s third skin would be the next layer out

-usually the building they are in,” (Elyacoubi, 1999) which performs as the surrounded

manmade environment. This kind of environment- the architectural environment- should

fulfill the human needs and comply with the user requirements. However, “what architects

create is a potential environment for human behavior; what a person uses and

appreciates is his or her effective environment. The role of positive theory for the design

professions is to enhance the ability of designers to predict what the effective environment

of people will be when the built environment is configured in a particular pattern.” (Lang,

1987).

The architectural environment, where the main life activities of any society take place,

has a dominant and permanent influence on the user of this environment. Nevertheless,

people do not only try to cope with their environment passively, but they modify it actively

to match their needs by acting individually or collectively (Elyacoubi, 1999). The

surrounding environment is considered the context of behavior and reactions. “Our moods

and behaviors are meaningful only if they can be understood in terms of their context.”

(Bell, 1996) So, the relation between the surrounding physical environment and behavior

is deep-rooted and interwoven. Therefore, the human behavior in any space has to be

tested and carefully studied by designers in order to be taken into consideration during

any future design process. To achieve that, designers have to understand the principle

meaning of behavior through specialized scientific methods. In environmental psychology

“a behavior is a definable unit of activity initiated by certain inputs and which generates

certain outputs as a result of its activity.” Any environment has potentials which offer for

human experiences and behavior. The principle process concerning the interface
between human and environment according to Jon Lang is shown in the following

diagram (Moneim, 2005).

Figure 18: The Role of Behavior in Environmental Design Model

Source: Creating Architectural Theory: The Role of the Behavioral Sciences in Environmental
Design

“Information about the environment is obtained through perceptual processes that

are guided by schemata motivated by needs. These schemata are partially innate and

partially learned. They form the linkage between perception and cognition. They guide

not only the perceptual processes but also emotional responses (affect) and actions

(spatial behavior), which in turn affect the schemata as the outcomes of behavior are

discerned.” (Lang, 1987).

The surrounding environment has a massive effect on the user, mentally and

physically. This results that the human behavior in an architectural space is considered a

reaction to the effect of that space on the user and his/her senses (Gimbel, 1993). “The

color is not important in itself. What is vastly more important is the response to it.” (Riley,

1995). However, without the ability of perceiving colors people lose their capability of

realizing the difference of forms, surfaces and components of any space. “Color strongly

influences human emotions and physiology. Red stimulates the sympathetic nervous

system, increases brain wave activity, and sends more blood to the muscles, thus

accelerating heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. Blue triggers the

parasympathetic nervous system and is credited with a tranquilizing effect.” (Varley, 1980).

Therefore, color is one of the major design elements that affects functional, physiological,

and psychological aspects.

This also include the understanding on how eye functions when perceiving light,

the main interest to them is the analysis of light from an ecological and psychological
perspective. Light does not only have a psychological effect on humans but also has a

physiological effect. “Full-spectrum light provides prophylactic control of viral and staph

infections and produces significant improvements in physical working capacity by

decreasing heart and pulse rate, lowering systolic blood pressure, and increasing oxygen

uptake.” (Gappell, 1991). Therefore, designers have to respect light and its effect in their

designs. It became not only a source for visual functioning in the environment, but also a

stimulus for the senses physically, mentally and emotionally. Noise is considered one of

the most commonly known stressors. It is not only the physiological effect of noise that

could be seen on the human being, there is also the psychological effect. There are some

evidences that noise can make people more emotionally reactive. These evidences are

concluded from studies linking noise with hormones associated with emotions and

psychological status. “Consistent with this, research has shown that noise sensitivity is

related to annoyance at varying levels of noise and is associated with psychological

disorders and mental health (Bell et al., 1996). Pleasant smells in any environment,

provides a pleasant atmosphere and an encouraging environment to work and thus

increase productivity. While, bad smells create an expelling environment and force the

user to leave, which causes critical influences on productivity and efficiency (Moneim,

2005). The sense of touch is the unconscious of vision that also provides three-

dimensional information of material bodies. It is the tool to provide information of texture,

weight, density and temperature (Pallasmaa, 1994). Every material has a different touch

and thus a different effect. The materials used in any space have a noticeable effect on

the user, the differences between the materials from the degree of hardness and softness,

rigidity and flexibility, lightness and heaviness, etc. (Moneim, 2005).

Conclusion and Recommendations

This paper discussed the studies that related to the behaviors given by the video

games. Dividing the positive affect and benefit of different type of game into four domain

which are: cognitive (e.g., attention), motivational (e.g., resilience in the face of failure),

emotional (e.g., mood management) and social (e.g., prosocial behavior) benefits. It also

shown the emotional effect of each type of game, that some result to anger and

aggression, anxiety, social withdrawal, depression, and such. It stated that the inability to

cope with stress, affects the players’ normal performance, and impairs the order and

coordination of the brain functions such as concentration, attention, decision making,

memory, and learning. So, other than the cyberspace, physical space also influence the

human behavior, considering the human senses, from choosing colors, lighting, and

consideration to noise sensitivity, smell, and materials to be used. Therefore, the human

behavior in any space has to be tested and carefully studied and as the studies shown

the impact of each type of game to players, the design of their training space must have

a design according to the behavior given by each type of game, this is to support and help

human cope to the negative impact of the game.

Since there are negative impacts given by video games and each type of game

has different mechanics and requires different strategies, spaces of training facility should

be separated from one another. This will help the players lessen the confusion outside

the cyberspace, hence help them to balance the stress it is giving. Also providing spaces

that separate the relaxation and work will make an organized environment, since eSports

is more mental training. The goal is to not only enhance the quality of current players and

develop the future pros but also instill the culture of professionalism to a group of players

and maintain their mental fitness.

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