"It's Like I Would Die as Well": Gratifications of Fearful Game Experience

Emotional game experiences have garnered increasing attention over the past few years, both from players and researchers. Previous research has not yet explored whether and what gratifications players derive from frightening game experiences. Interviews with eight players revealed several gratifications, including experiencing non-mundane negative emotions, overcoming emotional challenges and identification with the avatar. Although identification was regarded positively and amplified the emotional intensity of the frightening game experience, sometimes this close connection with the avatar almost became too intense. Based on these findings, we discuss opportunities for future research